2nd Battalion 2nd Marines 2nd Battalion , 2nd Marines ( 2 / 2 ) is a light infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune , North Carolina . Also known as " Warlord " , it consists of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors and normally falls under the command of the 2nd Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Division . The battalion returned home November 2008 from Iraq , returned from Afghanistan in May 2010 , and is currently deployed with the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit as Battalion Landing Team 2 / 2 supporting NATO Operation UNIFIED PROTECTOR . History . Early years and World War II . The Second Battalion , Second Marines was activated at Cap Haitien , Haiti on July 1 , 1925 and assigned to 1st Brigade serving at the time with Garde d ’ Haiti . Throughout 1925 and 1926 , Marines of the Battalion were employed to quell political disturbances in Haiti . During the period 1929 through 1933 , the Battalion assisted in building roads and schools , improving sanitary conditions and training the native Haitian constabulary . Second Battalion was deactivated on January 1 , 1933 . Second Battalion was reactivated on January 14 , 1941 . On August 9 , 1942 , the Battle of Guadalcanal began with Marines landing on the Tulagi Island Complex , Guadalcanal . On October 10 , elements of the 2nd Battalion conducted a two - day raid on the villages of Koilotamaria and Garabaus , Guadalcanal . During January 1943 , 2d Battalion participated in the final assault to clear Guadalcanal of the remaining Japanese resistance . For its participation in the battle , it was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation . As part of the 2nd Marine Division , 2 / 2 deployed and spearheaded the attack on Tarawa . The Japanese resistance was fierce , and the initial losses to the battalion were heavy . Throughout the battle , Marines of the Battalion distinguished themselves : there were two Navy Cross winners and numerous lesser medals awarded for individual actions . The Battalion was again awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for its heroic assault at Tarawa . The 2nd Battalion conducted similar operations during Saipan , Tinian and Okinawa Campaigns of World War II . In September 1945 , the Battalion deployed to Nagasaki , Japan as part of the U . S . occupation forces . During June and July 1946 , the Battalion relocated back to Camp Lejeune , North Carolina as part of the post - war reduction of forces . The Battalion was deactivated on November 18 , 1947 . Post - war years . With the birth of NATO , the Marine Corps was assigned a new mission and 2 / 2 was reactivated October 20 , 1949 . Since its reactivation , the Battalion has seen extensive service in joint and combined operations and exercises . On July 15 , 1958 , as part of Landing Force Sixth Fleet , 2nd Battalion , 2nd Marines landed in Beirut , Lebanon in order to secure Beirut International Airport . Having accomplished its mission , the Battalion redeployed on August 14 , 1958 . In October 1962 , during the Cuban Missile Crisis , the 2nd Battalion deployed to the waters off the coast of Cuba as part of a task force of 40 ships and 20 , 000 Marines and Sailors . When the successful blockade terminated on December 3 , 1962 , the Battalion returned to Camp Lejeune . Service in the Mediterranean , the Caribbean , and Okinawa was routine for the 2nd Battalion during the intervening years between 1963 and 1977 . In February 1979 , elements of the Battalion ( U . S . Air Alert Force ) deployed to the Azores on standby alert to reinforce the American Embassy , Tehran , Iran . The unit was recalled when dissidents evacuated the Embassy . On December 4 , 1979 , in the face of terrorist attacks on United States citizens at the Naval Station , Roosevelt Roads , Puerto Rico , they deployed once again to reinforce the Marine Barracks . They were withdrawn in April 1980 . The Gulf War & the 1990s . The eighties were a decade of standard deployments to the Four Corners of the world . In December 1990 , attached to 6th Marine Regiment , the unit deployed to Southwest Asia for participation in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm . The Battalion returned from Southwest Asia in April 1991 . In May 1992 , as part of Landing Force Sixth Fleet , 2nd Battalion supported Operation Provide Promise off the coast of the former republics of Yugoslavia . In August 1994 , the Battalion departed for the Caribbean and Haitian waters for Operation Support Democracy . 2nd Battalion , 2nd Marines once again landed in Cap Haitian , Haiti on September 20 , 1994 . Participation in Operation Uphold Democracy lasted until October 1994 . A squad from Echo Company Engaged in a fire fight with the Haitian police / military coup . Fourteen Marines lead by Lt Colombo where engaged and prevailed despite superior numbers and superior cover by the Haitians . One Navy interpreter was wounded and several Haitians lost their lives . ( Marine 2 / 2 ) In April 1996 , 2 / 2 was attached to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit and simultaneously reinforced an American Embassy in Monrovia , Liberia in support of Operation Assured Response and the American Embassy in Bangui , Central African Republic in support of Operation Quick Response . During February 1997 , elements of the Battalion conducted migrant operations in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , in support of Operation Present Heaven . While attached to the 22dn Marine Expeditionary Unit in August 1998 , elements of the Battalion , participating in Operation Security Force , reinforced the American Housing Complex in Tirana , Albania for ninety - seven days . Upon return from deployment in December 1998 , Echo Company was sent to Republic of Panama for security and contingency operations in support of USCINCSOUTH from March to May 1999 . In January 2000 , 2 / 2 was attached to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit for deployment in July . While deployed , the Battalion participated in exercises in Tunisia , Turkey , and the Republic of Croatia . Global War on Terror . In January 2002 , 2nd Battalion , 2nd Marines formed as the Battalion Landing Team for the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit , in preparation for the Landing Force 6th / 5th Fleet deployment in August . While deployed , the Battalion conducted peacekeeping and border interdiction operations in support KFOR during Operation Dynamic Response in Kosovo . In December 2002 , the Battalion under the command of Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa ( CJTF - HOA ) , conducted security operations in Djibouti , in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . During this time , Echo Company played a vital role in maritime interdiction operations off the coast of Yemen . While stationed in the Persian Gulf , in March 2003 , 2 / 2 deployed to Iraq to reinforce Coalition Forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom . The battalion returned from Iraq in May 2003 . During the winter of 2003 , the Battalion supported Operation Noble Eagle in the homeland defense as the Quick Reaction Force for the II Marine Expeditionary Force . In the Spring of 2004 the Battalion was assigned to deploy to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II and was redesignated as Task Force 2nd Battalion , 2nd Marines . 2nd Battalion , 2nd Marines deployed in March 2004 to Iraq where it was attached to Regimental Combat Team 1 , 1st Marine Division and fought in Al Mahmudiya , Al Kharma , the first and second assault in the city of Fallujah , and Al Zadan . Especially notable during this deployment were the events that led to 2ndLt Ilario Pantano being charged with two counts of premeditated murder . Lieutenant Pantano was acquitted of these charges . During this deployment the Battalion suffered 154 Marines wounded and six killed in action while participating in more than six hundred separate engagements of various sizes . 2 / 2 was deployed again to Iraq in July 2005 when it was attached to Regimental Combat Team 8 , 2nd Marine Division , II Marine Expeditionary Force . Their area of operations included the areas between Fallujah and Abu Ghraib . They suffered 16 Marines killed in action . The Warlords returned home to Camp Lejeune , NC in February 2006 . 2 / 2 was deployed on Jan 6 , 2007 till July 2007 as the BLT of the 26th MEU with the USS Batan amphibious group . 2 / 2 was deployed again to Iraq in April 2008 when it was attached to Regimental Combat Team 5 , 2nd Marine Division , II Marine Expeditionary Force . Their area of operations included the areas between Rawah and Al Qaim and many other sites . The Warlords returned home to Camp Lejeune , NC in November 2008 In mid - October 2009 , 2 / 2 was deployed to Helmand Province in Afghanistan . They were sent there after undergoing training in the Mojave Desert and in Virginia . During the deployment 2 / 2 suffered eight Marines KIA . They returned in mid - May 2010 having participated in ISAF - OEF operations in the far south in the vicinity directly north of Safar Bazaar . In March 2011 , BLT 2 / 2 was deployed 90 + days early on a contingency deployment in support of NATO Operation Unified . The Marines and Sailors are part of the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit . The Warlords returned home to Camp Lejeune in February 2012 . The BLT was deployed for a length of 10 months and conducted numerous bi - lateral training exercises with foreign nations . 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines will begin a rigorous training cycle in anticipation of a future deployment .