Operation Sharp Edge Operation Sharp Edge was a non - combatant evacuation operation carried out by the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit ( 22nd MEU ) and 26th MEU of the United States Marine Corps in Liberia in 1990 and 1991 . Background . The First Liberian Civil War broke out in December 1989 . Increasing violence between political and ethnic factions , including in the capital of Monrovia , had made it impossible for American diplomats and civilians to make safe passage to the U . S . Embassy to exit the country . Operation . The 22nd MEU was composed of Battalion Landing Team ( BLT ) 2nd Battalion 4th Marines ( ground combat element ) , HMM - 261 ( REIN ) ( aviation combat element ) and MSSG - 22 ( logistics combat element ) . Company " H " of the 2nd Battalion , 4th Marines executed a pre - dawn vertical envelopment of the besieged U . S . Embassy , with 237 Marines inserted via medium and heavy lift Marine CH - 53E Super Stallion and CH - 46 Sea Knight helicopters . The landing zones were under sporadic fire from light , medium and heavy weapons from belligerents . " Hotel " Company secured an extended perimeter around the U . S . Embassy and began evacuation of other allied embassies . Ground elements were supported by U . S . Marine AH - 1T SuperCobra helicopters and Marine AV - 8B Harrier II attack aircraft . Simultaneously , elements of BLT 2 / 4 secured landing zones in the surrounding areas , extracting U . S . and foreign nationals . Non - combatants were flown off to the USS " Saipan " ( LHA - 2 ) for processing and ultimately Freetown , Sierra Leone . Although BLT 2 / 4 conducted the initial entry into the embassy , the Marines of BLT 3 / 8 with 26th MEU arrived on station and continued with the evacuation operations as the 22nd MEU began its retrograde and departure . Following the initial August 20 , 1990 evacuation by the 22nd MEU and her support elements , the MEU was relieved by the Company " K " and a detachment of Headquarters and Support ( H & S ) personnel of the 3rd Battalion , 8th Marine Regiment ( designated as Battalion Landing Team 3 / 8 ) , a part of the 26th MEU 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit embarked on the US Whidbey Island ( LSD - 41 ) . Also present were embarked service support group elements from the MEU command element , as well as the USS Barnstable County , which was used to ferry evacuees out of Monrovia . Remaining on station for the next 121 days , the Marines and sailors of the USS Whidbey Island evacuated over 1000 civilian personnel from Monrovia , most of whom were subsequently transprted to Freetown , Sierra Leone aboard the accompanying USS Barnstable County ( LST ) . The 26th MEU was relieved by FAST Company 5th Platoon of the Marine Corps circa December , 1990 , when the USS Whidbey Island and her embarked troops steamed to the Mediterranean in anticipated support of the growing Operation Desert Shield . . All told , the 26 MEU and 22 MEU evacuated a total of 2 , 439 people between the summer of 1990 and 9 January 1991 . http : / / www . marines . mil / news / publications / Documents / On % 20Mamba % 20Station % 20 - - % 20U . S . % 20Marines % 20in % 20West % 20Africa , % 201990 - 2003 % 20PCN % 2019000413300 _ PART _ 1 . pdf