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The 22nd Marine Regiment (22nd Marines) is an inactive
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 ...
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
regiment. The regiment was commissioned in 1942 and was placed under the command of the
1st Provisional Marine Brigade The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was a marine brigade of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) that existed periodically from 1912 to 1950. It was an ad hoc unit formed for specific operations and not considered a "permanent" USMC unit. The br ...
in 1944, and the
6th Marine Division The 6th Marine Division was a United States Marine Corps World War II infantry division formed in September 1944. During the invasion of Okinawa it saw combat at Yae-Take and Sugar Loaf Hill and was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. Th ...
in 1945. It took part in fighting at the battles of
Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legi ...
,
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
, and
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 ...
. The regiment also participated in the occupation of northern China following the war. 22d Marines was decommissioned in March 1946. The 22nd Marines was reactivated at
Marine Corps Base Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southe ...
,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
in 1947 and but was again decommissioned in October 1949.


Components

The 22nd Marine Regiment was composed of three
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of up to one thousand soldiers. A battalion is commanded by a lieutenant colonel and subdivided into several Company (military unit), companies, each typically commanded by a Major (rank), ...
s and one headquarters battalion. The 22nd Marines initially also had a ''2nd Separate Howitzer Battalion'' which would eventually become a battalion within the 15th Marine Regiment of the
6th Marine Division The 6th Marine Division was a United States Marine Corps World War II infantry division formed in September 1944. During the invasion of Okinawa it saw combat at Yae-Take and Sugar Loaf Hill and was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. Th ...
upon its formation.


History


Activation

The 22nd Marine Regiment was commissioned on June 1, 1942, at Camp Elliot in
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 ...
( Linda Vista tent area). The first infantry regiment (regimental combat team) was designated as an "independent" unit after the start of World War II. Its first commanding officer was Colonel John T. Walker. On June 18, the 22nd Marines embarked for the
Pacific theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
, where the 1st and 2nd battalions were used for island defense. On
Bora Bora Bora Bora (French language, French: ''Bora-Bora''; Tahitian language, Tahitian: ''Pora Pora'') is an island group in the Leeward Islands (Society Islands), Leeward Islands in the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific. The Leeward Islands comprise the we ...
the 1st
Seabee United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Forces (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Dependi ...
s Detachment (aka Bobcats) and a detachment of A Company 3rd CB had completed their construction projects and were en route to rejoin the Construction Battalion at Noumea when they were diverted and made 3/22. The balance of A Co. 3rd CB joined them. The 22nd put the Seabees through bootcamp in the jungles of western
Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...
. In November 1943, the Regiment went to
Maui, Hawaii Maui (; Hawaiian language, Hawaiian: ) is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the List of islands of the United States by area, 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of ...
and
Wallis Island Wallis () is a Polynesian atoll/island in the Pacific Ocean belonging to the French overseas collectivity (''collectivité d'outre-mer'', or ''COM'') of Wallis and Futuna. It lies north of Tonga, northeast of Fiji, east-northeast of the Hoorn ...
for amphibious warfare training before seeing combat in February 1944. After the Marshalls 3rd Battalion was returned to Naval Construction Battalion 3 and was reformed with Marines.


Southern Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal

It was discovered on Guadalcanal that some 1800+ members of the 22nd Marines had been infected while they were training in Samoa in 1942 and 1943 with the slow manifesting
tropical disease Tropical diseases are diseases that are prevalent in or unique to tropical and subtropical regions. The diseases are less prevalent in temperate climates, due in part to the occurrence of a cold season, which controls the insect population by forc ...
Filariasis Filariasis is a filarial infection caused by parasitic nematodes (roundworms) spread by different vectors. They are included in the list of neglected tropical diseases. The most common type is lymphatic filariasis caused by three species o ...
, which causes
Elephantiasis Elephantiasis, often incorrectly called elephantitis, is the enlargement and hardening of limbs or body parts due to tissue swelling (edema). It is characterised by edema, hypertrophy, and fibrosis of skin and subcutaneous tissues, due to obstru ...
. The Marine regiment was replaced with 500 Marines and Navy corpsmen that were excess with 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 ...
and replacements from the United States. This greatly reduced the number of experienced Marines, corpsmen, and leaders within the regiment just prior to the Battle of Guam in July. For the invasion of the island of
Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...
, the 4th Marine Regiment, 22nd Marine Regiment, and the Army's 305th Infantry Regiment, formed the core of the
1st Provisional Marine Brigade The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was a marine brigade of the United States Marine Corps (USMC) that existed periodically from 1912 to 1950. It was an ad hoc unit formed for specific operations and not considered a "permanent" USMC unit. The br ...
which was reactivated on April 18, 1944, on Guadalcanal. Colonel Walker was replaced with regiment's Executive officer, Colonel
Merlin F. Schneider Merlin Frederick Schneider (February 22, 1901 – November 15, 1970) was a highly decorated officer in the United States Marine Corps with the rank of brigadier general. He is most noted as commanding officer of 22nd Marine Regiment during the ...
.


Marshall Islands: Battle of Eniwetok

(''22nd Marines:
Navy Unit Commendation The Navy Unit Commendation (NUC) is a United States Navy and United States Coast Guard unit award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944. History Navy A navy, naval force, military m ...
, February 17 to 22, 1944'') On February 18, 1944, the 22nd Marines under the command of Colonel John T. Walker, participated in the
Battle of Eniwetok The Battle of Eniwetok was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought from 17 to 23 February 1944 on Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The invasion of Eniwetok followed the American success in the Battle of Kwajalein to ...
, in the northwest area of the
Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is an island country west of the International Date Line and north of the equator in the Micronesia region of the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. The territory consists of 29 c ...
, capturing the islands of
Engebi Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and dee ...
in 6 hours, Eniwetok Atoll on February 21 with the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 106th Infantry Regiment of the 27th Infantry Division, and
Parry Parry may refer to: People * Parry (surname) * Parry (given name) Fictional characters * Parry, protagonist of the movie ''The Fisher King'', played by Robin Williams * Parry in the series '' Incarnations of Immortality'' by Piers Anthony * ...
on February 22. The 22nd Marine proceeded to take Kwajalein and
Roi-Namur Roi-Namur ( ) is an island in the north part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Today, the island is a major part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, hosting several radar systems used for tracking and character ...
from March 7 to April 5. This was the first Marine Corps unit to formally employ
fire team A fireteam or fire team is a small modern military subordinated element of infantry designed to optimize " NCO initiative", "combined arms", "bounding overwatch" and "fire and movement" tactical doctrine in combat. Depending on mission req ...
tactics Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to: * Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks ** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield ** Chess tactics In chess, a tac ...
in combat. On April 6, the Marine regiment was sent 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- ...
for rest, replacements, and further training.The Stamford Historical Society Presents, The Battle of Eniwetok
/ref>


Mariana Islands: Battle of Guam

(''1st Provisional Marine Brigade: Navy Unit Commendation, July 21 to August 10, 1944'') On July 21, 1944, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade assaulted and landed south of the
Orote Peninsula The Orote Peninsula is a four kilometer-long peninsula jutting from the west coast of the United States territory of Guam. A major geologic feature of the island, it forms the southern coast of Apra Harbor and the northern coast of Agat Bay. Its t ...
on Guam, the largest island of the
Mariana Islands The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, between the 12th and 21st pa ...
. 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 ...
landed north of the peninsula. The 1st Battalion, 22nd Marines landed on Beach Yellow 1 which was just north of the City of Agat, 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marines came ashore on Yellow 2, and the 3rd Battalion, 22nd Marines held in reserve landed on Yellow 1. In about 20 days of fighting the island was declared free of organized resistance. On August 23, the 4th and 22nd Marine Regiments sailed back to Guadalcanal.


Guadalcanal

The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was disbanded in September 1944 on Guadalcanal. The 4th Marines, 22nd Marines, and the 1st Battalion, 29th Marines along with supporting units and the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 29th Marines from the United States were joined in September to form the 6th Marine Division on Guadalcanal which was activated on September 25.


Ryukyu Islands (Japan): Battle of Okinawa

(''6th Marine Division: Presidential Unit Citation, April 1 to June 21, 1945'') On April 1, 1945, during the invasion of Okinawa, the 22nd Marines landed on Green Beach where they secured the left flank of the landing force. Following the landing they pushed north with the rest of the 6th Marine Division and secured the northern portion of the island. On 13 April, the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Marines reached Hedo-Misaki at the northernmost tip of the island. They were eventually pulled down south and placed in the line to the right of the
1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine (military), Marine Division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine E ...
where they would eventually secure the city of
Naha is the Cities of Japan, capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 people per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). ...
while taking very heavy casualties. On May 16, the 22nd Marines was ordered to capture Sugar Loaf Hill which was captured with the 29th Marines in two days. Commanding officer, Harold C. Roberts, was killed by Japanese sniper on the last day of attack on Sugar Loaf Hill. After the fighting on Okinawa on June 21, the 22nd Marines was moved to Guam to rest and refit.


Northern China

While recuperating on Guam, the war ended on September 2, 1945. The 22nd Marines received a warning order for it to prepare to move to China. The entire 6th Marine Division was sent to
Northern China Northern China () and Southern China () are two approximate regions that display certain differences in terms of their geography, demographics, economy, and culture. Extent The Qinling, Qinling–Daba Mountains serve as the transition zone ...
as elements of
Operation Beleaguer Operation Beleaguer was the codename for the United States Marine Corps' occupation of northeastern China's Hebei and Shandong provinces from 1945 until 1949. The Marines were tasked with overseeing the repatriation of more than 600,000 Japanes ...
. It was a two prong mission: one to accept the surrender of Japanese forces and two to repatriate those troops and other Japanese nationals back to Japan. The 22nd Marines landed in
Qingdao Qingdao, Mandarin: , (Qingdao Mandarin: t͡ɕʰiŋ˧˩ tɒ˥) is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to G ...
on October 11, 1945, and were still there on March 26, 1946, when the 6th division was officially inactivated.


Reactivation & inactivation

The 22nd Marines was reactivated as School Demonstration Troops at Marine Corps Schools, Quantico, Virginia, on 1 September 1947. Among its duties was training new Marine Corps Officers at The Basic School, Quantico, VA. The regiment was fully inactivated on 17 October 1949. During this period, 22nd Marines were commanded by Colonels Joseph C. Burger and Henry W. Buse Jr.


Medal of Honor recipients

Three Marines and one Navy corpsman who was assigned to the 22nd Marines were awarded the Medal of Honor: * James L. Day Posthumous * Henry A. Courtney, Jr. * Anthony Damato * Fred F. Lester, USN


Unit decorations & other awards

A unit citation or unit commendation are unit decorations bestowed upon an organization for the action cited. Members of the unit who participated in said actions are allowed to wear the appropriate unit award ribbon on their uniforms. Members of the 22nd Marine Regiment are entitled to the following service ribbons in the order of precedence:


See also

*
List of United States Marine Corps regiments This is a list of United States Marine Corps regiments, sorted by status and number, with the current or most-recent type and division. Some of the inactive regiments are succeeded by active battalions. Active 1st Marine Division (United States), ...
*
Organization of the United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps is organized within the Department of the Navy, which is led by the Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV). The most senior Marine commissioned officer is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, responsible for organizing, recr ...


Notes


References

;Bibliography * Lodge, Major O.R
''USMC Historical Monograph: The Recapture of Guam''
Historical Branch, United States Marine Corps, 1954. * * ;Web * *


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:022 Infantry22 Military units and formations established in 1942 Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps Infantry units and formations of the United States Marine Corps 1942 establishments in the United States