3rd Battalion 2nd Marines 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines ( 3 / 2 ) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune , North Carolina consisting of approximately 800 Marines and Sailors . Nicknamed the " Betio Bastards , " they fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Regiment of the 2nd Marine Division . History . World War II . Activated 18 January 1941 at San Diego , California . They were assigned to the 2nd Marine Brigade during February 1941 . Deployed to Koro Island with the 2nd Marine Division in June 1942 . The battalion participated in the following World War II campaigns : Following the war the battalion stood occupation duty in Kagoshima , Japan until February 1946 when they redeployed to Camp Pendleton , California . The battalion was deactivated on 27 March 1946 . Post World War II history . 3 / 2 was reactivated on 28 December 1950 at Camp Pendleton , and were again assigned to the 2nd Marine Division . They deployed to Guantanamo Bay , Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 The battalion deployed to Saudi Arabia in August 1990 and participated in Operation Desert Storm in early 1991 . In 1994 they participated in Operation Restore Hope in Somalia and Operation Deny Flight and Operation Provide Promise . Lance Corporal Rother incident . Lance Corporal Jason Rother was a Marine from 3 / 2 who became lost in the Mojave Desert and unable to be found by his chain of command after an extensive search in August 1988 and died from dehydration and exposure . Global War on Terror . In 2003 , 3 / 2 deployed to Kuwait as part of Task Force Tarawa and beginning in March supported Operation Iraqi Freedom . The battalion participated in the battle of Nasiriyah . During this deployment 3 / 2 had 1 Marine killed in action . During 2004 , 3 / 2 was designated as the AT ( anti - terrorism ) battalion and was assigned to different areas around the globe . The battalion was spread between Afghanistan , Djibouti , and Cuba . The battalion again deployed to Iraq in February 2005 . The battalion launched major combat operations Operation Matador , Operation Spear , and Operation Quick Strike . They conducted security and stabilization operations in Al Anbar Province until September 2005 . During this deployment 3 / 2 had 3 Marines killed in action . The battalion again deployed to Iraq in the July 2006 . They conducted security and stabilization operations in the Al Anbar Province in the city of Habbaniyah until mid February 2007 . During this deployment the battalion had 14 Marines killed in action . The battalion again deployed to Iraq in October 2007 operating in the Al Qaim region of the Al Anbar Province with Iraqi Police and Iraqi Army . During this deployment the battalion suffered a few casualties , and had a widespread area of operation along the Syrian border and Euphrates river . The Battalion again deployed to the Persian Gulf in May – December 2009 as the Battalion Landing Team for the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit . In January 2010 the battalion was dispatched as part of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to take part in the relief effort following the 2010 Haiti earthquake . In February 2011 , 3 / 2 was deployed to the Musa Qal ' eh and Now Zad districts of Helmand Province , Afghanistan to engage in combat operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . 3 / 2 returned in September 2011 . Actress Mila Kunis attended 3 / 2 ' s Marine Corps ball after the unit returned from Afghanistan in October 2011 . Desecration of corpses in Afghanistan . In January 2012 members of the battalion were identified as having been involved in the alleged desecration of corpses in Afghanistan . A video was posted on YouTube showing three Marines urinating on Afghan corpses .