24th Marine Expeditionary Unit The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit ( 24th MEU ) is one of seven Marine Expeditionary Unit s currently in existence in the United States Marine Corps . The Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine Air Ground Task Force ( MAGTF ) with a strength of about 2 , 200 personnel . The MEU consists of a command element , a reinforced infantry battalion , a composite helicopter squadron and an MEU service support group . The 24th MEU is currently based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune , North Carolina . Mission . Provide geographic combatant commanders with a forward - deployed , rapid - response force capable of conducting conventional amphibious and selected maritime special operations at night or under adverse weather conditions from the sea , by surface and / or by air while under communications and electronics restrictions . History . Early years . What is today the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit ( MEU ) was activated at various times as the 24th Marine Amphibious Unit ( MAU ) to participate in exercises and operations in the North Atlantic , Mediterranean and Caribbean . In May 1982 , it was redesignated the 24th MAU and served twice as part of the multinational peace - keeping force in Lebanon ( October 1982 through February 1983 , and May through November 1983 ) . The 24th MAU lost 221 in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing . It continued to make routine six - month deployments to the Mediterranean during the next six years while also providing forces for operations in the Persian Gulf . The 24th MAU was redesignated the 24th MEU in February 1988 . 1990s . On 16 April 1991 , following Operation Desert Storm , elements of the 24th MEU , along with other U . S . and allied forces , were mobilized to complete a mission of mercy on behalf of the Kurdish people in Turkey and northern Iraq . During Operation Provide Comfort , the MEU delivered food , supplies and medicine and transported Kurds to " safe havens " and temporary tent cities . The 24th MEU took part in Operation Restore Hope and Operation Continue Hope , in Somalia during March and April 1994 . The MEU furthered its mission by providing humanitarian aid to the Somalis by transporting much needed food and aid to many remote areas of the country . The MEU then turned eastward , entering the Adriatic Sea , where from May to June 1994 , it served in support of Operation Provide Promise and Operation Deny Flight in Bosnia and Herzegovina . Immediately upon returning from its six - month deployment , the 24th MEU redeployed to the waters of the Caribbean , off the coast of Haiti . The MEU served there from July to August 1994 as part of Operation Support Democracy . In June 1995 , elements of the 24th MEU launched a daring , daylight Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel mission to rescue Air Force Captain Scott O ' Grady , who had been shot down over Bosnia and Herzegovina six days earlier . In 1996 , the MEU served as a contingency force in the Adriatic Sea in support of Operation Decisive Endeavor . Near the end of October 1996 , units from the MEU assisted U . S . Army and allied engineers with the construction of a bridge across the Drina River in Bosnia . In March 1998 , the MEU conducted 34 battlefield air interdiction missions as part of the NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia , attacking with its AV - 8B Harrier II s from the Adriatic Sea . Also during 1998 , the MEU was diverted from its regular deployment schedule to provide a forward presence in the Persian Gulf as the United States 5th Fleet landing force in support of Operation Desert Thunder . In addition , the MEU used its aviation assets to enforce the Iraqi no - fly - zone in support of Operation Southern Watch . During November and December 1998 , Marines from the 24th MEU were called upon to provide security for the American embassy in Tirana , Albania . From 1999 to 2001 , the 24th MEU participated in numerous multinational military exercises and conducted peace support operations in Kosovo . Global War on Terror . In August 2002 , the 24th MEU departed Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune . During its nine - month deployment , the MEU participated in Operation Dynamic Response in Kosovo and Operation Iraqi Freedom before returning home in May 2003 . In July 2004 , the MEU departed for Iraq again . The deployment marked the first time in recent history that an MEU did not deploy as part of an Amphibious Ready Group . Arriving in Iraq by plane and cargo ships , the MEU served as part of the 1st Marine Division . The MEU was responsible for stability and security in northern Babil and southern Baghdad provinces , reported safe havens for insurgents . The 24th MEU also helped secure the " Triangle of Death " for the first free Iraqi elections . On 18 July 2006 , it was announced that the MEU , along with the Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group , would be directed to Lebanon , to assist in the evacuation of U . S . nationals in Lebanon . U . S . nationals had become trapped in Lebanon , following a series of Israeli strikes which made the Beirut International Airport nonoperational , and similarly destroyed a number of major roads out of the country . In February 2008 , the 24th MEU began deploying its Marines to Kandahar , Afghanistan . They began their combat operations in April 2008 . Marines of the 24th MEU flooded into the Taliban - held town of Garmsir 29 April 2008 , in Helmand province , in the first major American operation in the region in years . By 1 June 2008 , the Taliban were pushed out of Garmser . By mid - July , after a month and a half of heavy combat , the Marines were reporting that they had killed over 400 Taliban fighters in the Garmser area . As the war in Afghanistan shifts from the expulsion of the Taliban to the stabilization of the country , the role for the MEU also shifts to a mission of winning hearts and minds . This involves close coordination with local Afghan leaders and roles as peace makers instead of just soldiers . 2010 Haiti earthquake . After the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake on 12 January , the 24th MEU was diverted from its scheduled Middle East deployment to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to Haiti , as part of Operation Unified Response . Having sailed from its homeport Naval Station Norfolk on the 18th , the ' s amphibious ready group ( which includes the " Nassau " , , and ) was diverted on 20 January , bringing with it the first V - 22 Osprey s to be used for a humanitarian mission . On the 23rd , it joined the 22nd MEU , which departed Camp Lejuene on 15 January with the ARG and remained until it was ordered to depart for its original deployment on 8 February . 2012 Deployment as Expeditionary Crisis Response Force . From 27 March to 20 Dec 2012 , the 24th MEU deployed as an expeditionary crisis response force and theater reserve with the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group , which consisted of the amphibious assault ships USS Iwo Jima , USS New York , and USS Gunston Hall . They sailed throughout the Navy ’ s 5th Fleet and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility , conducting training operations and planning for real - world crisis response . The MEU took part in two major multilateral events ; Exercise African Lion 12 in Morocco and Exercise Eager Lion 12 in Jordan . The majority of the MEU also conducted extensive training packages in Kuwait and Djibouti , Africa , while smaller Travelling Contact Teams dispersed throughout Africa to share experiences with militaries in Tanzania , Uganda , Kenya and Rwanda . The MEU was scheduled to return from deployment around Thanksgiving but was extended until the middle of December in order to support potential crisis response missions . Exercise African Lion 12 . African Lion 12 was the first operational event for the 24th MEU . It took place from 7 – 18 April 2012 and focused on the sharing of tactics , procedures , and cultures between each military . The 24th MEU was involved in several significant events with the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces , including an amphibious raid , and an intensive intelligence workshop , which included instruction and a demonstration of an RQ - 11B Raven , one of the 24th MEU ' s organic unmanned aerial systems . On 11 April 2012 , a 24th MEU MV - 22B Osprey crashed near Agadir , Morocco while training during African Lion . Cpls . Robby Reyes and Derek Kerns , both from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 261 ( Reinforced ) were killed and two others seriously injured . A Marine Corps investigation concluded that pilot error was the cause of the accident . Exercise Eager Lion 12 . From 8 – 30 May 2012 , the 24th MEU took part in Exercise Eager Lion 12 , the largest recurring , annual exercise in U . S . Central Command , designed to strengthen military - to - military relationships through a joint , whole - of - government , multinational approach . Eager Lion 12 consisted of over 11 , 000 personnel from 19 countries . The 24th MEU took part in a vast range of events including a simulated non - combatant evacuation operation and scenario - based training between the 24th MEU ' s CBRN defense team and Jordan ' s incident response force . The MEU ' s Battalion Landing Team , organized around 1st Battalion , 2nd Marines worked alongside Lebanese , Italian , and Saudi Arabian Forces while the MEU ' s air combat element , VMM - 261 , flew partnered flights alongside Jordanian pilots . Expeditionary Crisis Response Force . The last half of the 24th MEU ' s 2012 deployment focused on their duties as an expeditionary crisis response force . After the attack on the U . S . embassy in Benghazi , Libya , the MEU began extensive planning for potential missions to aid and / or evacuate U . S . citizens throughout the region in a number of countries that included Sudan , Lebanon , Egypt , Yemen , Tunisia , Syria and Pakistan . The threat of regional unrest resulted in an extension in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility . The MEU was later extended in November to continue serving as a ready , crisis response force throughout the Mediterranean region in 6th Fleet . This second extension led to the MEU returning home a month later than originally scheduled . They returned to North Carolina on 20 December 2012 The 24th MEU ' s inherent task organization and flexibility allowed them to adapt to an ever - changing security environment and generate concurrent mission plans . The MEU / ARG even prepared to conduct disaggregated operations so the ships and staffs could be separated physically but still execute missions with " Alpha " and " Bravo " command and control elements , therefore maximizing efficiency and economy of MEU organic assets . The crisis response mission was the hallmark of the 24th MEU deployment . The MEU commander , Colonel Francis L . Donovan , spent his post - deployment months briefing military and civilian leaders — including members of the Office of the Secretary of Defense , Congress , Department of the Navy , and Headquarters of the Marine Corps — about the capabilities of the Marine Expeditionary Unit as America ' s premier crisis response force . During more than 30 separate briefings , Donovan presented details that explained how a MEU is best organized to take on crisis response missions , especially now that physical distance is no longer a serious limiting factor since MEUs have the extended range advantage of MV - 22B Ospreys and the refueling assets of KC - 130J Hercules , both aircraft organic to a MEU . Unit awards . A unit citation or commendation is an award bestowed upon an organization for the action cited . Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear on their uniforms the awarded unit citation . The 24th MEU has been presented with the following awards :