![]() ![]() ![]() Major engagements included Operations HASTINGS and UNION I and II. Between March 1966 and May 1967, the division conducted 44 named and unnamed operations. Its zone of operation included the southern two provinces of I Corps Quang Tin and Quang Ngai. By June, the entire division was in South Vietnam. March 1966 saw 1st Marine Division Headquarters established at Chu Lai. In 1965, 7th Marines participated in the first major engagements for American ground troops in South Vietnam. More than 11,000 Marines of the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade participated in the naval blockade, which forced the withdrawal of the missiles from Cuba. The 2d Battalion, 1st Marines deployed to Guantanamo Bay for two months in 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The Chinese Communists suffered more than 37,500 casualties trying to stop the Marines’ march out of the “Frozen Chosin.” The division received its fourth, fifth, and sixth PUCs for its actions in Korea. The division subsequently fought into the mountains around the Chosin Reservoir. The division was then chosen to land at Inchon on 15 September 1950. “The Old Breed,” as the division became known, provided the Pusan Fire Brigade when war broke out in Korea. While in China, the division had numerous encounters with the Chinese Communists. Three weeks after Japan surrendered, the division was dispatched to North China for occupation duty. 1st Marine Division also received PUCs for the battles of Peleliu and Okinawa. The division received its first PUC for its actions and sacrifices on Guadalcanal. The Guadalcanal campaign in 1942 was the first major American Pacific campaign in World War II and the first time the 1st Marine Division conducted combat operations as a division. These units represent a combat-ready force of more than 22,000 Marines and Sailors. The 1st Marine Division comprises a Headquarters Battalion, the 1st, 5th, 7th, and 11th Marine Regiments, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Combat Engineer Battalion, 1st and 3d Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalions, 1st Tank Battalion, and 3d Assault Amphibian Battalion. It is the oldest, largest, and most decorated division in the United States Marine Corps, with nine Presidential Unit Citations (PUCs). The 1st Marine Division was activated aboard the battleship USS Texas on 1 February 1941. ![]()
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