2nd Battalion 9th Marines 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines ( 2 / 9 ) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps . Formed during World War I , the unit played an instrumental role in the defeat of the Japanese forces in the Battles of Guam and Iwo Jima during the World War II . The battalion distinguished itself in the defense of Khe Sanh during the Vietnam War , and later participated in an ill fated invasion of Koh Tang Island in Southeast Asia , with the intention of rescuing the crew of the " SS Mayaguez " . During Operation Desert Storm , the battalion served as the lead battalion for the III Marine Expeditionary Force ( III MEF ) . 2 / 9 also participated in various humanitarian missions . The battalion helped evacuate Americans from Northern China during the Chinese Civil War and in various occasions participated in providing relief to the victims of typhoons . In 1992 , the battalion participated in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia . 2nd Battalion 9th Marines served until September 2 , 1994 , when it was deactivated to make room for one of three light armor reconnaissance battalions . It was part of the 9th Marine Regiment and the 3rd Marine Division . On July 13 , 2007 , 2nd Battalion 9th Marines was re - activated again as part of the 6th Marine Regiment and replaced the Anti - Terrorism Battalion ( ATBN ) . Battalion composition . A Battalion in the Marine Corps is headed by the Battalion Commander , usually a Lieutenant Colonel and sometimes a Colonel , his staff , headquarters , and the Battalion Sergeant Major . It usually consists of 3 - 5 companies , with a total of 300 to 1 , 200 Marines . 2nd Battalion 9th Marines comprises a Headquarters & Service ( H & S ) Company , Weapons Company and three Infantry Companies : Echo , Fox , and Golf . History . Early years . With the advent of World War I , the United States saw a necessity for expanding its Armed Forces . The United States Marine Corps was no exception . The 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines ( also known as 2 / 9 ) was created and activated on November 20 , 1917 at Quantico , Virginia . During this period in time , there was turmoil in Cuba ' s sugar producing regions . The islands sugar industry was operated by American companies and was vital to the economy of the United States . The battalion ' s first mission was to keep order in the island and once this was accomplished , it was reassigned . There were rumors that German agents were going to disrupt Mexican oil shipments to Texas . The battalion was sent to Texas to safeguard these shipments . < ref name = " 2 / 9 . org " > 2 / 9 Network , Retrieved October 18 , 2007 < / ref > 2 / 9 was disbanded after the war on April 25 , 1919 only to be reactivated in 1925 . The battalion ' s main objective was to train reserve Marines and its headquarters was now transferred to Kansas City , Missouri with two companies stationed at St . Louis . 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines was once again disbanded in 1937 . World War II . The battalion remained disbanded until April 1942 . Five months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , the unit was activated as part of the 2nd Marine Division . Their headquarters was at Camp Elliot in San Diego , California , where it underwent intensive amphibious training . Before being reassigned to the 3rd Marine Division , the unit was assigned to Amphibious Corps , Pacific Fleet . The Regiment was sent to Guadalcanal on July 1943 to relieve the 1st Marine Division . 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines participated in the Bougainville campaign of the Solomon Islands in the latter part of 1943 . On July 21 , 1944 , 2 / 9 participated in the invasion of Guam . The Japanese forces staged seven counterattacks , however the Marines prevailed despite the fact that they suffered over 50 % casualties . It was during this initial battle that one Marine , Captain Louis H . Wilson Jr . , ( who would in the future become a Commandant of the Marine Corps ) earned the Medal of Honor . The 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines were part of the reserve forces for the Battle of Iwo Jima and were committed to the action five days after D - Day . Among the Marines who distinguished themselves on Iwo Jima was Private Wilson D . Watson who was awarded the Medal of Honor . After the island was secured , the unit was sent back to Guam where they underwent training for a possible invasion of the Japanese mainland . The invasion never occurred since hostilities between Japan and the United States came to an end . The 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines was sent to Camp Pendelton where , in December 1945 , it was once again disbanded . Post World War II . In November 1948 , 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines was again reestablished . The final stages of fighting between the Nationalists and the Communists , in the Chinese Civil War ( also known as the War of Liberation ) , occurred between 1945 and 1950 . When the fighting escalated , the 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines were ordered to Northern China to evacuate all Americans . This mission was accomplished by March 1949 and after which the battalion was sent to Camp Lejeune , North Carolina and was renamed as the 3rd Battalion , 6th Marine . On June 25 , 1950 , war broke out between the provisional governments of North and South Korea as they competed for control over the Korean peninsula . North Korea was supported by the People ' s Volunteer Army ( PVA ) of the People ' s Republic of China and South Korea by the allies under the aegis of the United Nations which included the United States . The conflict is known as the Korean War . The 1st Marine Division was sent in and saw action in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir . In 1952 , 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines was reactivated and underwent training in Japan with the intention of participating in the conflict as part of the 3rd Marine Division . However an was signed on July 27 , 1953 , and the unit did not deploy to Korea . Even though 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines did not actively participate in the conflict , the unit was awarded the Korean Service Streamer and National Defense Service Medal Streamer . The 3rd Marine Divisions headquarters was moved to Okinawa in 1955 and in 1959 the 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines returned to the 1st Marine Division . In 1960 , the battalion returned to the 3rd Marine Division in Okinawa . Vietnam War . The Vietnam War , was a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam ( DRVN , DRV or North Vietnam ) and the Republic of Vietnam ( RVN , ROV or South Vietnam ) , which eventually involved their respective allies . In 1959 , the United States sent military advisors to train the Army of the Republic of Vietnam . By 1965 , there were 25 , 000 military advisors in South Vietnam and on March 8 , 1965 , the United States Marines became the first US combat troops to land in South Vietnam , with a force of 3 , 500 . The 3d Marine Division began operating in Vietnam when on May 6 , 1965 , they opened a Marine Compound at the Danang Air Base . On July 4 , 1965 , 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines were ordered to Vietnam from Okinawa . 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines fought battles in or around Danang , Hue , Phu Bai , Dong Ha , Camp Carroll , Cam Lo , Con Thien , Than Cam Son , Quang Tri , Cua Viet , Vandergrift Combat Base and which is considered by many as their most vicious engagement , the Battle of Khe Sanh . In September 1962 , U . S . military forces constructed an airstrip outside the town of Khe Sanh which became known as the Khe Sanh Combat Base . In 1965 the U . S . Special Forces constructed a base next to it . The base ' s defense was codenamed Operation Scotland and manned by the 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines from 1967 . It was used as a staging ground for a number of attacks on North Vietnamese ( NVA ) troop movements down the Ho Chi Minh Trail . From April to June 1966 , the 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines were caught in crossfire of the Buddhist Uprising , when much of the forces of I Corps rebelled against Prime Minister and Air Marshal Nguyen Cao Ky , the head of the ruling junta , who had dismissed their commander , General Nguyen Chanh Thi . In April and May 1967 various " Hill Fights " on Hills 861 , 881 North and 881 South between the 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines and NVA occurred . In January 1968 , Khe Sanh Combat Base came under heavy attack in what is known as the Battle of Khe Sanh . The main objective of the Communists was to draw off American troops into the countryside in preparation for the Tet Offensive . Despite being outnumbered , 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines held their ground and the North Vietnamese were driven off of the area around after experiencing heavy casualties by heavy aerial bombardments by B - 52s . From January 22 to March 18 , 1969 , 2 / 9 participated in Operation Dewey Canyon which was a sweep of the A Shau Valley and the last major offensive by the Marine Corps in Vietnam . In August 1969 , 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines was ordered to return to Camp Schwab , Okinawa . During this period the unit was assigned to sea duty in and around the waters of Vietnam and continued to receive combat training at Camp Fuji , Japan and Subic Bay in the Philippines . Mayaguez Incident . On May 12 , 1975 , barely two weeks after the fall of Saigon , Khmer Rouge forces seized a U . S . flagged merchant ship , the SS Mayaguez in recognized international sea lanes claimed as territorial waters by Cambodia and removed its crew for questioning . The Khmer Rouge naval forces used abandoned US Navy " Swift Boats " in the seizure of the U . S . container ship . Calling the seizure " piracy " , President Ford ordered a military response to retake the ship and its 39 - man crew , mistakenly thought to be on Koh Tang Island . On May 13 , two A - 7D Corsair s saw the 39 man crew board a fishing boat and saw people disembarking fishing boats at Koh Tang Island . They assumed that the Mayaguez crew was on the island . Elements of the 1st Battalion , 4th Marines , the 2nd Battalion , 4th Marines , and the 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines , were flown to an advanced staging of a joint US Task Force . On May 14 , the Marines from Company D , 1st Battalion , 4th Marines boarded the Mayaguez only to find it deserted and raised the American flag . A Thai fishing boat with a Thai crew and the 39 crew members of the SS Mayaguez which had been set free , approached the USS Wilson . Battle of Koh Tang Island . 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines landed on Koh Tang Island where the crew of the SS Mayaguez was believed to be held , they were unaware that the crew was already in American hands . The Marines and the CH - 53 helicopters which transported them , were attacked by the Khmer Rouge with machine guns , mortars , and rocket propelled grenade launchers in what became known as the Battle of Koh Tang Island . When the battalion received word of the safe arrival of the Mayaguez crew on the USS " Wilson " the Marines planned their withdrawal once they received orders from the U . S . Joint Chiefs of Staff to that effect . After the last helicopter left , a head count showed that 3 Marines were left behind on the island . They were : PFC Gary Hall , LCpl . Joseph Hargrove , and Pvt Danny Marshall from E CO , 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines . The three Marines were captured by the Khmer Rouge within a few days , tortured , executed , and buried in a common , unmarked grave on Koh Tang Island . The Mayagüez incident with the Khmer Rouge , which ended on May 15 , 1975 , marked the last official battle of the 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines in the Vietnam War . The unit deployment program was put into practice in February 1979 , and 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines became the first battalion to rotate to the United States . A total of 18 Marines were killed on the last day of the SS Mayaguez rescue operation . They are the last Marines listed on the timeline of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Washington , D . C . Post Vietnam era . Operations Desert Shield & Desert Storm . Before the August 2 , 1990 , invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein ' s Iraqi forces , 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines was deployed to Okinawa , Japan as part of the Unit Deployment Program . In October 1990 the unit deployed to the Republic of the Philippines where it became the Ground Combat Element of Marine Air - Ground Task Force ( MAGTF ) 4 - 90 . On November 1990 , the island of Cebu , a Philippine providence , was devastated by a typhoon . Members of the battalion provided assistance during the disaster relief efforts . The Battalion remained in the Philippines until April 1991 when it returned to Okinawa , Japan . Subsequently the Battalion returned to Camp Pendleton in August 1991 . Operation " Restore Hope " . The 5th Marine Regiment designated 2 / 9 to participate in the Marine Expeditionary Unit deployment cycle during November 1991 . With the successful culmination of the Special Operations Capable Exercise ( SOCEX ) , 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines became the designated Battalion Landing Team ( BLT ) for the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit ( 15th MEU ) . During this period , there were two main factions in the Republic of Somalia who provoked an all out war which became known as the Somalian Civil War . One of the factions was led by Ali Mahdi Mohamed , who became president ; and the other , by the warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid . In 1991 , the United States initiated Operation Provide Relief ( UNOSOM I ) which was part of a United Nations ( UN ) endorsed effort called The Unified Task Force ( UNITAF ) , to provide humanitarian relief . In August 1992 , President George H . Bush sent , 25 , 000 US troops ( mostly US Marines from I MEF ) to the Republic of Somalia and the mission was renamed Operation Restore Hope , also known as UNOSOM II . Its main objectives were to provide humanitarian relief , initiate ' nation building ' , disarm the various factions , restore law and order , help the people set up a representative government , and restore the infrastructure . That same month , 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines was deployed to Somalia . BLT 2 / 9 ' s mission as the lead unit , was to secure the port and airfield in Mogadishu which allowed the rapid build - up of forces in - country . The mission was accomplished between December 9 , 1992 and February 1993 . The Somalis referred to Marines of 2nd Battalion , 9th Marines as The Black Boots . On January 30 , 1993 , a Marine patrol was ambushed in Mogadishu by gunmen faithful to warlord Mohammed Farah Aidid bringing about casualties . 2 / 9 remained in Somalia until April 1993 when they returned to Camp Pendleton . The battalions next two deployments were to Fort Sherman , Panama during one of which they participated in the Javelin anti - tank missile evaluation program . On September 2 , 1994 , 2nd Battalion 9th Marines was deactivated and redesignated 2nd Battalion 4th Marines . 2000 - present . On December 7 , 2006 , Headquarters Marine Corps released a message stating that 2nd Battalion 9th Marines would be reactivated during 2007 as part of the continuing Global War on Terror . 2nd Battalion 9th Marines was re - activated on July 13 , 2007 and replaced the Anti - Terrorism Battalion ( ATBn ) . In September 2008 , Marines and Sailors from 2 / 9 deployed to Al Anbar Province in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . They were based in the city of Ramadi and returned in April 2009 without any Marines or Sailors killed in action . July 2010 Marines and Sailors from 2 / 9 deployed to Marjah , Helmand Province , Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . In December 2010 Echo Company from 2 / 9 were attached to 3 / 5 in Sangin , Afghanistan where they earned the notorious nickname of " Green Hats . " They returned February 2011 . They redeployed back to Marjah December 2011 and returned July 2012 Medal of Honor recipients . The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States . It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself " . . . conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States . . . " . The following table contains the names of the men who were recipients of the Medal of Honor while serving in 2 / 9 . They are listed in accordance to the " Date of Action " in which the MoH citation was made . Commandants of the Marine Corps . The Commandant of the United States Marine Corps is the highest - ranking officer of the United States Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , reporting to the Secretary of the Navy but not to the Chief of Naval Operations . Three Marines who served in 2nd Battalion 9th Marines became Commandant of the Marine Corps . They are listed in the table in accordance to the years in which they served as Commandants and their ranks are those which they held while serving in 2 / 9 , they were : Distinguished Marines . Other Marines who served in the 2nd Battalion 9th Marines during their careers , who subsequently distinguished themselves by either becoming a general officer ( O - 7 and above ) or recipients of the Medal of Honor while assigned to a different unit were : 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 . 2 / 9 has been presented with the following awards :