The 26th Marine Regiment (26th Marines) is an inactivated infantry regiment 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 ...

. The 26th Marines were activated in 1944 and fought in the

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 ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and were activated again on 1 March 1966, and fought in the

Battle of Khe Sanh The Battle of Khe Sanh (21 January – 9 July 1968) was conducted in the Khe Sanh area of northwestern Quảng Trị Province, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), during the Vietnam War. The main US forces defending Khe Sanh Combat Base ( ...

during the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

Subordinate units

The 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 company:

History

World War II

Commissioning and training

The 26th Marine Regiment was commissioned on January 10, 1944 at

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 California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Iwo Jima

On D-Day at Iwo Jima, the 26th Marine Regiment was originally the

V Amphibious Corps The V Amphibious Corps (VAC) was a formation of the United States Marine Corps which was composed of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Marine Divisions in World War II. The three divisions were the amphibious landing force for the United States Fifth Fl ...

' reserve. Relieved of the mission with the arrival of the 21st Marine Regiment, the regiment came ashore on the afternoon of February 19, 1945 and established defensive positions on the southwestern end of

South Field (Iwo Jima) South Field was a World War II airfield on Iwo Jima in the Volcano Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean Areas (command), Central Pacific. The Volcano Islands are part of Japan. The airfield was located on the southern corner of Iwo Jima locat ...

. The next day when the 5th Marine Division went into the assault, the regiment remained in place as the regimental reserve. On February 22, under a heavy rain and while receiving heavy enemy fire, the regiment relieved the 27th Marine Regiment on the Division's left flank and continued attacking to the north in an attempt to secure the airfield. During the battle the 26th Regiment suffered 622 Marines killed and 2025

wounded in action Wounded in action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...

Post-war activities

The Regimental Headquarters returned from the Pacific Theater on February 19, 1946 when the USS Sarasota (APA-204) docked at

Naval Base San Diego Naval Base San Diego is a United States Navy base in San Diego, California. It is the world's second largest surface ship naval base. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the United States Pacific Fleet, consisting of over 50 ships ...

. The 26th Marines was decommissioned on March 5, 1946.

Vietnam

On 1 March 1966 the 26th Marine Regiment was activated 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 ...

initiating the formation of the 5th Marine Division. The regimental headquarters arrived in

South 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 Diplomatic recognition, international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the ...

on 26 April 1967. In mid-May 1967, following the conclusion of

The Hill Fights The Hill Fights (also known as the First Battle of Khe Sanh) took place during the Vietnam War between the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) 325C Division and United States Marines on several hill masses north of the Khe Sanh Combat Base in northw ...

, the 26th Marines took over responsibility for the area around

Khe Sanh Khe Sanh () is the district capital of Hướng Hoá District, Quảng Trị Province, Vietnam, located 63 km west of Đông Hà. During the Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict ...

from the

3rd Marines The 3d Marine Littoral Regiment (3d MLR) is a regiment of the United States Marine Corps that is optimized for littoral maneuver in the Indo-Pacific Theater. Based at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, the regiment falls under the command of the 3rd Marin ...

Operation Crockett Operation Crockett was an operation during the Vietnam War conducted by the United States Marine Corps against People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces around Khe Sanh Combat Base in northwest Quảng Trị Province that took place from 13 May to ...

. The 26th Marines conducted Operation Ardmore a

search and destroy Seek and destroy (also known as search and destroy, or S&D) is a military strategy which consists of inserting infantry forces into hostile territory and directing them to search and then attack enemy targets before immediately withdrawing. Fi ...

mission in the Khe Sanh area from 17 July-31 October 1967. At the conclusion of Operation Ardmore the Marines commenced Operation Scotland, the defense of

Khe Sanh Combat Base Khe Sanh Combat Base (also known as Ta Con) was a United States Marine Corps outpost south of the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) used during the Vietnam War. History US Army Special Forces (Detachment A-101, Company C, 5th Special Forces Gr ...

and search and destroy missions against

People's Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), officially the Vietnam People's Army (VPA; , , ), also recognized as the Vietnamese Army (), the People's Army () or colloquially the Troops ( ), is the national Military, military force of the Vietnam, S ...

(PAVN) infiltration. From 21 January 1968 the 26th Marines were under siege at Khe Sanh until the conclusion of

Operation Pegasus Operation Pegasus was a military operation carried out on the Lower Rhine near the village of Renkum, close to Arnhem in the Netherlands. Overnight on 22–23 October 1944, Allied military forces, Britain's MI9 intelligence organisation, an ...

on 14 April 1968 and were replaced by the

1st Marines The 1st Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The regiment is under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force. The ...

on 15 April 1968. The 26th Marines were awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for their actions during the Battle of Khe Sanh as were the Seabees that supported them. The 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines participated in

Operation Kingfisher Operation Kingfisher was a U.S. Marine Corps operation that took place during the Vietnam War. The operation was carried out in the western part of " Leatherneck Square" near Con Thien, lasting from 16 July to 31 October 1967. Prelude Followi ...

around

Con Thien Con Thien (Vietnamese: Cồn Tiên, meaning the "Hill of Angels") was a military base that started out as a U.S. Army Special Forces camp before transitioning to a United States Marine Corps combat base. It was located near the Vietnamese De ...

from 7–11 September 1967. The 1st and 3rd Battalions, 26th Marines participated in

Operation Mameluke Thrust Operation Mameluke Thrust was a US Marine Corps operation that took place in Happy Valley southwest of Danang, lasting from 19 May to 23 October 1968. Background On 9 May the 1st Marine Division commander MG Donn J. Robertson was ordered to ...

from May–June 1968. The 1st Battalion, 26th Marines participated in

Operation Allen Brook Operation Allen Brook was a US Marine Corps operation that took place south of Da Nang, lasting from 4 May to 24 August 1968. Background Go Noi Island was located approximately 25 km south of Danang to the west of National Route 1 (Vietnam), ...

from 26 May to 6 June 1968. The 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines fought in

Operation Oklahoma Hills Operation Oklahoma Hills was a clear and search operation during the Vietnam War mounted by the 1st Marine Division and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 51st Regiment from 31 March to 29 May 1969. Background The objective was to clear ...

from 1 March to 29 May 1969. At the beginning of 1970 the 26th Marines were responsible for the defense of the northern and western approaches to

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 ...

. As part of Operation Keystone Bluejay the regiment stood down for deactivation in late February to early March with the 1st Marines taking over most of their tactical area of responsibility. From 11 to 19 March 1970 the regiment redeployed from South Vietnam and was inactivated.

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. The 26th Marine Regiment has been presented with the following awards: "Unit Awards & Citations "
26th Marine Regiment, 5 July 2011

Citations

References

;Bibliography * *

External links

About the 26th Marines Insignia

26th Marine Regiment

26th Marines Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:026 Infantry26 Inactive units of the United States Marine Corps Infantry units and formations of the United States Marine Corps