3rd Tank Battalion The 3rd Tank Battalion ( 3rd Tanks ) was an armor battalion of the United States Marine Corps . History . World War II . The 3rd Tank Battalion was formed during World War II on 16 September 1942 . Each of the three regimental combat teams of the 3rd Marine Division had their own tank company and a scout car platoon . The 9th Marines tank company became Company A , 21st Marines company became Company B , and the 23rd Marines ( later redesigned Third Marines ) company became Company C . When the battalion was formed it absorbed the three companies ; a Headquarters and Service Company , Company D , and Company E ( a Scout and Sniper Company ) . Company E ( Scouts ) was a combined arms reconnaissance ( CAR ) unit that had three scout platoons . They were formed from a group of reassigned recon scouts from the Scout and Sniper companies within the 3rd Marine Division . They became the forerunner of the Marine Division Reconnaissance assets used by the Marine divisions today . For greater mobility and firepower , the division commander equipped his scout company with light armored tanks to reinforce his regimental infantry units ; especially useful for reconnaissance in force ( RIF ) tasks . Its mechanized armor uses are also in effect today . During the 1980s , the Light Armored Reconnaissance battalions were formed , revitalizing the same methods used during World War II . In January – February 1943 , they deployed to Auckland , New Zealand . They participated in the Battle of Bougainville , Battle of Guam and the Battle of Iwo Jima . Arriving on the island on 20 February 1945 , the battalion played an important role in the capture of Iwo Jima . Following the end of the war the battalion staged through Guam , sailing to San Diego in December , 1945 . On 7 January 1946 , the battalion was deactivated at Camp Pendleton . Korean War . With the outbreak of the Korean War the battalion was reactivated at Camp Pendleton on 5 March 1952 . In August 1953 , the battalion sailed for Yokohama , Japan for service with the 3rd Marine Division at Camp Fuji . In February 1956 , the 3d Tank Battalion was relocated to Okinawa and the following year moved to Camp Hansen , Okinawa . Vietnam War . On 3 March 1965 SSG John Downey , 3rd platoon , Company B , 3rd US Marine Corps 3rd Tank Battalion , drove his M48A3 Patton tank off the landing craft onto Red Beach 2 in I Corps , South Vietnam . SSG Downey ' s USMC " Patton " tank became the first US tank to enter the Vietnam War . The 3rd Tank Battalion conducted combat operations in South Vietnam from 1965 to 1969 and set up a command post at Da Nang . In 1965 the 3rd Tanks engaged the Viet Cong 1st Regiment southwest of Da Nang , pushing them into the sea , and killing over 700 men . However , after the two - day battle , seven of the 3rd Tank Battalion ' s M48s had suffered hits , three of which were hit so badly they could no longer traverse their turrets , and one of the three was so damaged that it had to be destroyed by a demolition team . Eventually two full battalions , consisting of the USMC 1st and 3rd Tank Battalions , would end up conducting combat operations in northern I Corps , South Vietnam . They participated in combat actions against communist forces during the Tet Offensive of 1968 , and during the re - taking of the city of Huế , and the siege of Khe Sanh during that same enemy offensive . Until their re - deployment in 1969 – 70 , the 3rd Tanks served as an armored defense at the DMZ along the 17th Parallel . Post Vietnam . This was a period of desert tactical doctrine development for the Marine Corps and the 3rd Tank Battalion played a major role developing the concept of the tank battalion as a maneuver element in extended inland warfare during a multitude of Combined Arms Exercises ( CAX ) and the 1981 / 82 joint training operation , Gallant Eagle . Around the time of the Iran - U . S . Hostage Crisis ( 1979 - 1981 ) the US Department of Defense developed a concept for rapid deployment of forces which became the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force ( RDJTF ) . The 3rd Tank Battalion ( - ) Reinforced , along with an infantry battalion and an artillery battalion all collocated at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center ( MCAGCC ) , Marine Corps Base 29 Palms , California became the combat power of the newly reformed 27th Marine Regiment in the newly formed 7th Marine Amphibious Brigade ( MAB ) . The two headquarters for the 27th Marines and the 7th MAB received Navy Meritorious Unit Citation s for the period May 1980 - Aug 1983 . Gulf War I . The battalion joined the 1st Marine Division upon that unit ' s arrival in Saudi Arabia on 15 August 1990 . They remained in support of the 7th Marine Regiment known as Task Force " Ripper . " During Operation Desert Storm , the battalion fought a four - day ground campaign from 24 – 28 February 1991 , and returned to the United States in April 1991 . 3rd Tank Battalion and all of its subordinate companies were awarded the Navy Unit Citation for the period 14 Aug 1990 - 16 Apr 1991 . The battalion was deactivated on 1 June 1992 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 . 3rd Tanks was presented with the following awards :