The 12th Marine Littoral Regiment is a Littoral

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

based at Camp Smedley Butler,

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. Nicknamed "Thunder and Steel," the regiment falls under the command of the

3rd Marine Division The 3rd Marine Division is a division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps based at Camp Courtney, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa Prefecture, Okinawa, Japan. It is one of three active duty infantry division ...

Mission

The 12th Marine Littoral Regiment is a naval formation, including capabilities to enable maneuver and operations in the maritime domain. It is a stand-in force: mobile, low-signature, persistent in the contact to blunt layers, and relatively easy to maintain and sustain as part of a naval expeditionary force. MLRs leverage the full ability of amphibious platforms, connectors, and boats.

Organization

* Headquarters and Service Battery, 12th Marine Littoral Regiment (HQ Battery, 12th MLR), at Camp Smedley Butler * 3rd Battalion, 12th Marines (3/12 Marines), at

Camp Foster Camp Foster (), formerly known as Camp Zukeran, is a United States Marine Corps camp located in Ginowan City with portions overlapping into Okinawa City, Chatan town and Kitanakagusuku village in the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa Island. It ...

* 12th Littoral Combat Team (12th LCT), at Camp Hansen * 12th Littoral Anti-Air Battalion (12th LAAB), at Camp Hansen * 12th Littoral Logistics Battalion (12th LLB), at Camp Hansen * Communications Company, 12th MLR, at Camp Smedley Butler

History

The Regiment was activated on October 4, 1927, at

Tientsin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the 2020 Chinese census. Its metropoli ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and assigned to the 3rd Marine Brigade.

World War II

12th-marines-bougainville-75mm-howitzer-M1-1943

The regiment was reactivated September 1, 1942, at

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

, as the 12th Marines and assigned to the

. It relocated during October 1942 to Camp Dunlap, California. From there it deployed during March 1943 to

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. In July 1943 it moved to

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...

. The regiment participated in the following World War II campaigns: * Bougainville campaign (1944–45) * Northern Solomons * Battle of Guam *

Battle of Iwo Jima The was a major battle in which the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and United States Navy (USN) landed on and eventually captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) during World War II. The American invasion, desi ...

Following the war, the 12th Marines relocated in December 1945 to

Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by O ...

, California.

Post World War II history

The Regiment was reactivated on 17 March 1952, at

Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by ...

, California, and assigned to the 3rd Marine Division. Deployed during August 1953 to Camp McNair, Japan. Redeployed during February 1956 to

. Redeployed from March–July 1965 to the

Republic of Vietnam South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with it ...

(South Vietnam). The Regiment participated in the War in Vietnam, May 1965 – November 1969, operating from: *

Da Nang Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one of Vietnam's most important p ...

* Phu Bai *

Chu Lai Chu Lai is a seaport, urban and industrial area in Núi Thành District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam. The city is served by Chu Lai International Airport. It is also the site of the Chu Lai Open Economic Zone (Vietnamese: ''Khu Kinh Tế M� ...

Huế Huế (formerly Thừa Thiên Huế province) is the southernmost coastal Municipalities of Vietnam, city in the North Central Coast region, the Central Vietnam, Central of Vietnam, approximately in the center of the country. It borders Quảng ...

Đông Hà Đông Hà () is the capital of Quảng Trị Province, in the North Central Coast region, the Central of Vietnam. As of 2024, the city's population is approximately about 164,228 people. It is located north of Huế and south of Đồng ...

Redeployed from August–November 1969 to Camp Hansen, Okinawa. Relocated during August 1971 to Camp Hauge, Okinawa. Elements participated in the Southeast Asia Evacuations, April–June 1975. Elements participated in the recovery of the SS Mayaguez in May 1975. Relocated during August 1976 to Camp Zukeran, Okinawa. Camp Zukeran renamed Camp Foster during March 1980. Elements participated in the Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, Southwest Asia, September 1990-April 1991. Relocated during July 1998 to Camp Hansen, Okinawa.

Global War on Terror

3rd Battalion 12th Marines in Kajaki District 2010-10-22

Operation Enduring Freedom

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. Marines from the battalion took part in the Helmand Province Campaign, particularly the Battle of Sangin.

Littoral Regiment

The regiment was redesignated as the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment on 15 November 2023, during a ceremony at Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan.

Notes

External links

12th MLR's official website
{{3rdMarDiv Regiments of the United States Marine Corps Military units and formations established in 1927 Military units and formations disestablished in 1945 Military units and formations established in 1952