3rd Battalion 12th Marines
Encyclopedia
3rd Battalion 12th Marines (3/12) is an artillery
battalion comprising three firing batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The firing batteries are all on 6 month rotations in Okinawa
from the 10th Marine Regiment and the 11th Marine Regiment (known as the Unit Deployment Program (UDP)). The battalion is stationed at Camp Hansen
, Okinawa
, Japan
and its primary weapon system is the M777 lightweight howitzer with a maximum effective range of 30 km. The battalion utilizes the Unit Deployment Program
to fill its three firing batteries with detachments from artillery units across the Marine Corps.
(CMO). CMO is defined as the activities of the commander that establish, maintain, influence, or exploit relations between military organizations, Government and civilian organizations and the civilian populace.
as part of the 3rd Marine Division.
Deployed during January - February 1943 to Auckland, New Zealand
Participated in the following World War II Campaigns
Bougainville
Northern Solomons
Guam
Iwo Jima
Deactivated 28 December 1945
Redeployed during August 1953 to Camp Gifu, Japan
Redeployed during February 1956 to Camp Courtney, Okinawa
Redeployed during April - May 1965 to the Republic of Vietnam
Participated in the war in Vietnam, April 1965 - November 1969, operating from
Quang Tri Province
Quang Nam Province
Thua Thien Province
Redeployed during November 1969 to Camp Courtney, Okinawa
Elements participated in evacuation operations in Vietnam and Cambodia, March - May 1975
Elements participated in Operations Sea Angel, Bangladesh, May - June 1991
Elements Participated in Operation Fiery Vigil, Republic of the Philippines, June - July 1991
Elements participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq, 2003 into 2006
Elements participated in Operation Unified Assistance, Southeast Asia, December 2004 - February 2005
Elements participated in humanitarian relief efforts, Philippines, February - March 2006
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
battalion comprising three firing batteries and a Headquarters Battery. The firing batteries are all on 6 month rotations in Okinawa
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
from the 10th Marine Regiment and the 11th Marine Regiment (known as the Unit Deployment Program (UDP)). The battalion is stationed at Camp Hansen
Camp Hansen
Camp Hansen is a United States Marine Corps base located in Okinawa, Japan. The camp is situated in the town of Kin, near the northern shore of Kin Bay, and is the second-northernmost major installation on Okinawa, with Camp Schwab to the north...
, Okinawa
Okinawa Prefecture
is one of Japan's southern prefectures. It consists of hundreds of the Ryukyu Islands in a chain over long, which extends southwest from Kyūshū to Taiwan. Okinawa's capital, Naha, is located in the southern part of Okinawa Island...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and its primary weapon system is the M777 lightweight howitzer with a maximum effective range of 30 km. The battalion utilizes the Unit Deployment Program
Unit Deployment Program
To reduce the number of unaccompanied tours and improve unit continuity, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, established the Unit Deployment Program to provide for the deployment of units to the Western Pacific for periods of approximately six months...
to fill its three firing batteries with detachments from artillery units across the Marine Corps.
Mission
Provide direct support of the 3rd Marine Division in time of conflict. That support may come in the traditional fashion of artillery support to maneuver forces, or by providing batteries to serve as provisional rifle companies. They also have the secondary mission of being the primary providers of civil-military operationsCivil-military operations
Civil-military operations or CMO are activities of a military force to minimize civil interference on and maximize civil support for military operations to facilitate accomplishing the mission. CMO is conducted in conjunction with combat operations during wartime and becomes a central part of a...
(CMO). CMO is defined as the activities of the commander that establish, maintain, influence, or exploit relations between military organizations, Government and civilian organizations and the civilian populace.
Current units
- Headquarters Battery
- Three rotating batteries from the 10th and 11th Marine Regiments.
World War II
3rd Battalion 12th Marines was activated on September 16, 1942 at Camp Elliott, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
as part of the 3rd Marine Division.
Deployed during January - February 1943 to Auckland, New Zealand
Participated in the following World War II Campaigns
Bougainville
Northern Solomons
Guam
Iwo Jima
Deactivated 28 December 1945
Reactivation and the Vietnam War
Reactivated 7 January 1952 at Camp Pendleton, California, as the 3rd Marine DivisionRedeployed during August 1953 to Camp Gifu, Japan
Redeployed during February 1956 to Camp Courtney, Okinawa
Redeployed during April - May 1965 to the Republic of Vietnam
Participated in the war in Vietnam, April 1965 - November 1969, operating from
Quang Tri Province
Quang Nam Province
Thua Thien Province
Redeployed during November 1969 to Camp Courtney, Okinawa
Elements participated in evacuation operations in Vietnam and Cambodia, March - May 1975
1970s - 1990s
Elements participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Southwest Asia, 1990–1991Elements participated in Operations Sea Angel, Bangladesh, May - June 1991
Elements Participated in Operation Fiery Vigil, Republic of the Philippines, June - July 1991
War on Terror
Elements participated in Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan and Philippines, 2001 into 2006Elements participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq, 2003 into 2006
Elements participated in Operation Unified Assistance, Southeast Asia, December 2004 - February 2005
Elements participated in humanitarian relief efforts, Philippines, February - March 2006
See also
- List of United States Marine Corps battalions
- Organization of the United States Marine CorpsOrganization of the United States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is organized within the Department of the Navy, which is led by the Secretary of the Navy . The most senior Marine officer is the Commandant of the Marine Corps, responsible for organizing, recruiting, training, and equipping the Marine Corps so that it is ready for...