1st Battalion 1st Marines 1st Battalion 1st Marines ( 1 / 1 ) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Camp Pendleton , California consisting of anywhere from 800 to 2 , 000 Marines and Sailors , but the number fluctuates depending on the Battalion ' s mission . They fall under the command of the 1st Marine Regiment and the 1st Marine Division . Organization . 1 / 1 is a battalion - level infantry unit composed of infantry Marines and support personnel . The battalion has been organized around fire and maneuver warfare in tropical , woodland , desert , or Arctic environments . From at least 1991 , the units were organized as such : Variations . Since 2003 , after the fall of Saddam Hussein ' s government , the strategic operations in the Middle East ( Iraq , Afghanistan ) have encompassed more than just a single objective . For Marine Corps units operating on a tactical level ( relative to the Department of Defense ) such as a battalion landing team , the actual execution of its traditional mission - oriented operations have adapted depending on the unit ' s objective ( capturing high - value target s , providing stability and support operations , training local police and military units , and a three block war ) . Some of these operations have demanded reconfiguring the battalion ' s organization in order to conduct missions which are not included in traditional maneuver warfare ( such as fire - team rushing , and anti - armor tactics ) . Military transition teams . Military transition team s ( MiT teams ) have been used to provide assistance for the transition of power from the coalition forces to the local police and army in Iraq . While these MiT teams would draw personnel from other companies , Marines for other part of the division would often rotate into the battalion for a deployment in order to supplement the various companies ' rosters . Infantry company reorganization . In addition , the various companies were redrawn in order to reflect their new duties . Normal training was complemented with responsibilities befitting an urban environment : 1 / 1 in a MEU ( SOC ) . When trained as a battalion landing team , the battalion can attach to a Marine Expeditionary Unit and become the ground combat element . This designation gives the battalion a much broader role in its employment with the Navy , including non - combatant evacuation operations ( NEO ) , humanitarian assistance operations ( HAO ) , and ship - to - shore deployment ( via air and sea ) . History . World War II . 1st Battalion 1st Marines was activated on March 1 , 1941 at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . A month later they redeployed to Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island , South Carolina but were quickly deactivated on June 18 , 1941 . 1 / 1 was reactivated on February 7 , 1942 at New River , North Carolina . After a few months of training they were deployed to Wellington , New Zealand in July 1942 . During the War in the Pacific the battalion fought in the following campaigns : Following the end of the war 1 / 1 returned to MCB Camp Pendleton in September 1945 and were deactivated on October 31 , 1947 . Korean War . Following the outbreak of the Korean War , 1 / 1 was reactivated at MCB Camp Pendleton on August 9 , 1950 . Later that month they deployed to Kobe , Japan and from there took part in the amphibious landing during the Battle of Inchon . In October , the Marines were withdrawn from the Seoul area and moved to the east coast of Korea landing at Wosnan in late October . From there 1st Battalion 1st Marines participated in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir . They pushed as far north as Koto - ri , spending much of the battle defending their perimeter in this vicinity . The battalion spent much of the remainder of the war defending the thirty - eighth parallel . All told , it fought in the Korean War from September 1950 through July 1953 . Following the war , the battalion participated in the defense of the Korean Demilitarized Zone from July 1953 to April 1955 . Vietnam War . 1 / 1 deployed to Da Nang , Republic of Vietnam in August 1965 , under the command of LtCol Redford Sears , and were reassigned to the 3rd Marine Division . They remained in Vietnam until May 1971 , serving in or around Da Nang , Dong Ha , Con Thien , Quang Tri , Huế , Phu Bai and Khe Sahn . They returned to Camp Pendleton , California in May 1971 . They were again deactivated on May 28 , 1974 , but quickly reinstated on October 15 , 1975 . Persian Gulf War and the 1990s . The 1st Battalion , 1st Marines deployed from Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in December 1990 to Saudi Arabia in part of a call to defend the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in Operation Desert Shield . In the coming months , Regimental Combat Team 1 became Task Force Papa Bear , along with Companies Bravo and Charlie of the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion ; 3rd Battalion , 9th Marines ; 1st Tank Battalion ; 1st Combat Engineer Battalion and 3rd Low Altitude Air Defense Battalion . After the start of Operation Desert Storm in February 1991 , the Mechanized Battalion saw considerable combat as it crossed into Kuwait and fought a pitched armored battle at Al Burquan , and consolidated at Kuwait International Airport on February 27 , 1991 . After completing a search of a downed OV - 10 reconnaissance aircraft on March 10 , the battalion backloaded on April 24 to Camp Pendleton . Global War on Terror . On September 11 , 2001 , the Marines of 1 / 1 were deployed on a WestPac ( a deployment in an Amphibious Ready Group ( ARG ) making rounds in the Western Pacific ) as part of the 15th MEU . Specifically , they were in Darwin , Australia on port leave . The Marines were recalled early from leave , shipped out , and began preparing for the first major combat operations since the first Gulf War . The flotilla sped to the Persian Gulf and was the first MEU to land in Afghanistan . Later , the 26th MEU would join them and assist in Operation Enduring Freedom . Afghanistan . Among 1 / 1 ' s missions in Afghanistan was to assist in securing an airstrip outside of Kandahar , Afghanistan and establish Camp Rhino . The Marine battalion performed security operations around the area in support of the Northern Alliance ' s removal of the Taliban from power . The battalion also performed operations in Northern Pakistan . The Marines returned to the United States in early March 2002 . Operation Iraqi Freedom . The unit deployed in support of OIF I , assisted the local police and performed security operations in southern Iraq , mainly Um Qasar and Basra , co - located with British units there . After 2 weeks , the unit left the country , finished their West - PAC deployment and returned to Camp Pendleton . Later , as part of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit on the first Naval Expeditionary Strike Group - 1 ( ESG 1 ) , they deployed in early 2005 to the western Pacific . During this deployment , they provided aid for the tsunami that hit Indonesia and Sri Lanka . After 3 weeks of assistance , the MEU headed for the Persian Gulf . There , they provided safety and security operations in Babil province south of Baghdad . Their forward operating base was Camp Falcon near Al - Mahmoudiyah and they spent 1 month there . The combat units performed continuous foot and vehicle patrols in the area , finding weapons caches and unearthing IED s . One Marine was wounded in action during this deployment . 1 / 1 handed off the territory to 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment ( 3ACR ) , which , after staying for many months , endured much less violence and conflict . A PBS documentary on the unit , Warriors , by Ed Robbins , documents this unit ' s deployment . The unit returned to Camp Pendleton in mid - 2005 and prepared again to deploy in 6 months . They departed Camp Pendleton beginning on January 21 , 2006 . They were operating in Fallujah but in March , C Company began operations in the area around Abu Ghraib prison which is located about west of Baghdad . After two and a half months , Charlie Company returned to the Camp Fallujah area and the entire battalion was re - united in Karmah . C Company later moved to Saqlawiyah to replace 1st Battalion , 25th Marines . The battalion completed their deployment and returned to Camp Pendleton in mid - August 2006 . 1 / 1 suffered 17 KIA ' S on this deployment and more than 50 wounded . 1 / 1 deployed back to Al Anbar Province in mid - July 2007 to areas around Habbaniyah , Iraq . They were relieved by 2nd Battalion , 24th Marines on 6 February 2008 . 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 / 1 has been presented with the following awards :