1st Battalion 23rd Marines 1st Battalion , 23rd Marines ( 1 / 23 ) is one of 36 infantry battalions in the United States Marine Corps , and one of only nine battalions found in the reserve . It is located throughout Texas and Louisiana consisting of approximately 1000 Marines and Sailors . They fall under the command of the 23rd Marine Regiment and the 4th Marine Division . Mission . Provide trained combat and combat support personnel , and units to augment and reinforce the active component in time of war , national emergency , and at other times as national security requires ; and have the capability to reconstitute the Division , if required . History . World War II . The battalion was activated on November 20 , 1942 at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton , California . They participated in the Battle of Kwajalein ( Roi and Namur ) where they landed as part of the initial assault on 31 January 1944 . Their assault objectives were the heavily defended Japanese occupied twin islands of Roi - Namur in the Kwajalein Atoll of the Marshall Islands in the Central Pacific . Roi - Namur were two tiny islands in the northern part of the atoll . It was the site of major Japanese three - runway airbase . 23rd Marines attacked Roi while the 24th Marines landed on Namur . The regiment secured Roi by the evening . Their next action came during the Battle of Saipan which began on 15 June 1944 . The island of Saipan was the linchpin in the Japanese defense of the Central Pacific . To make an amphibious assault even more difficult , Saipan also had several towns and a civilian population of about 20 , 000 . Using the lessons learned at Roi - Namur , intensive pre - invasion naval bombardments and air strikes on Japanese positions began on 11 June 1944 . Marines came ashore and were immediately met with intense and accurate fire from Japanese mortars , howitzers and antiboat guns . By 17 June 1944 a beachhead had been secured and on 18 June the Marines captured Aslito Airfield cutting Japanese defenses in two . The forces had to fight back a fierce Japanese counterattack in the form of banzai charge s . The 4th Marine Division completed mopping up on Saipan on 16 July 1944 leaving only a week for preparation for the invasion of Tinian . The Invasion of Tinian commenced on 25 July 1944 . The 4th Marine Division was selected to lead the assault on Tinian . Again , the pre - invasion bombardment built to a crescendo as H - hour approached . Assault elements met only limited small arms fire when they reached the beach . With nightfall , came the expected Japanese counterattacks . The division employed flame throwers , demolition charges and automatic weapons fire to route Japanese soldiers out of caves , bunkers , and other defensive positions on the southern portion of the island . One of the most difficult aspects of the final phase of battle was convincing Japanese soldiers and thousands of civilians to surrender . The final combat action for 1 / 23 would come during the Battle of Iwo Jima . Iwo Jima was only 750 miles from Tokyo and was a major objective on the way to the Japanese mainland . The Japanese were painfully aware of the strategic importance of Iwo Jima and had prepared extensive and formidable defenses with a network of miles of underground caves and tunnels . The tunnels were in the islands black volcanic rocky base well protected from preinvasion naval and air bombardment . The 4th Marine Division landed in the first assault wave on 19 February 1945 . The 23rd and 24th Marine Regiments led the division ’ s assault . The 23rd Marines were ordered to seize the Motoyama Airfield . High seas , heavy surf and loose volcanic soil made movement off the beaches difficult . By 20 February 1945 , 23rd Marines had made good progress towards capturing the airfield . With the exception of a few remaining small pockets of resistance , the division had defeated the resolute and entrenched enemy in its zone of action in twenty days at a cost of nearly 50 percent combat efficiency . Gulf War . The battalion was mobilized for the first time since World War II in January 1991 in support of Operation Desert Shield . The unit was deployed to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton , California in support of the 1st Marine Division during this time . Global War on Terror . Operation Enduring Freedom ( January 2002 - January 2003 ) Elements of the battalion were activated after the September 11th attacks . Bravo Company and attachments from Alpha Company ' s Weapons platoon were deployed to Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , where they provided perimeter security for the base . Operation Iraqi Freedom ( June 2004 ) The battalion was again mobilized in June 2004 to conduct three months of pre - deployment training at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms , California in preparation for their upcoming deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . The battalion arrived in Iraq , relieving 2nd Battalion , 7th Marines in late August 2004 . They augmented the 7th Marine Regiment , helping to secure the area spanning the Hit - Haditha corridor , west of Ramadi , out to the Syrian border of the Al Anbar Province . Initial assignments for the battalion ' s companies in Iraq saw assignments in Ar - Rutbah , Al Asad Airbase and Hit . The battalion returned from Iraq in late March 2005 , having been relieved by 3rd Battalion , 25th Marines . In May 2007 , Marines that had not participated in the June 2004 mobilization were tasked to support 3rd Battalion , 23rd Marines in their upcoming activation . Volunteers from the first mobilization were also part of this support . These Marines were deployed back to the Al Anbar Province and conducted operations near and around the Haditha Dam . Operation Enduring Freedom ( Afghanistan ) The Marines from 1 / 23 have just returned to the United States after 7 months in Afghanistan in support of OEF . Medal of Honor Recipients . Joseph William Ozbourn , USMCR , Co B , 1st Battalion , 23d Marines , 4th Marine Division , 30 July 1944 , Tinian Island , Mariana Islands Darrell Samuel Cole , USMCR , Co B , 1st Battalion , 23d Marines , 4th Marine Division , 19 February 1945 , Iwo Jima 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 . 1 / 23 has been presented with the following awards : Navy Unit Commendation See also . Afghanistan Campaign Medal