View source for 5th Marine Regiment

{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox military unit
| unit_name                     = 5th Marine Regiment/"5th Marines"
| image                         = 5th Marine Regiment Logo.jpg
| image_size                    = 125px
| caption                       = 5th Marine Regiment insignia
| dates                         = 1917–1919; 1920–1930; 1934–present
| country                       = {{Flag|United States of America}}
| allegiance                    = 
| branch                        = {{flag|United States Marine Corps}}
| type                          = [[Light infantry]]
| role                          = 
| size                          = 4,800
| command_structure             = [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]]<br />[[I Marine Expeditionary Force]]
| current_commander             = Colonel B. T. MULVIHILL
| commander1_label              = Commander
| garrison                      = [[Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton|MCB Camp Pendleton]]
| ceremonial_chief              = 
| colonel_of_the_regiment       = 
| nickname                      = "The Fighting Fifth"
| patron                        = 
| motto                         = 
| colors                        = 
| march                         = 
| mascot                        = 
| battles                       = {{Tree list}}
* [[World War I]]
** [[Battle of Belleau Wood]]
** [[Battle of Soissons (1918)|Battle of Soissons]]
** [[Battle of Saint-Mihiel]]
** [[Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge]]
** [[Meuse-Argonne Offensive]]
* [[Banana Wars]]
** [[United States occupation of Nicaragua|Occupation of Nicaragua]]
* [[World War II]]
** [[Guadalcanal Campaign]]
** [[Battle of Cape Gloucester]]
** [[Mariana and Palau Islands campaign]]
*** [[Battle of Peleliu]]
** [[Volcano and Ryukyu Islands campaign]]
*** [[Battle of Okinawa]]
* [[Korean War]]
** [[Battle of Pusan Perimeter]]
** [[Battle of Inchon]]
** [[Battle of Chosin Reservoir]]
** [[Battle of Hwacheon]]
** [[Battle of the Punchbowl]]
** [[Battle of Bunker Hill (1952)]]
** [[First Battle of the Hook]]
** [[Battle for Outpost Vegas]]
** [[Battle of the Samichon River]]
* [[Vietnam War]]
** [[Operation Swift]]
** [[Operation Union|Operation Union I]] & [[Operation Union II|II]]
** [[Battle of Hue]]
* [[Operation Desert Storm]]
* [[Operation Restore Hope]]
* [[War on Terror]]
** [[Iraq War]]
** [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|War in Afghanistan]]
** [[Operation Inherent Resolve]]
{{Tree list/end}}
| notable_commanders            = [[Charles A. Doyen]]<br/>[[Hiram I. Bearss]]<br/>[[Wendell Cushing Neville|Wendell Neville]]<br/>[[Logan Feland]]<br/>[[Samuel Milby Harrington|Samuel Harrington]]<br/>[[Julian C. Smith]]<br/>[[Charles D. Barrett|Charles Barrett]]<br/>[[Alfred H. Noble]]<br/>[[LeRoy P. Hunt]]<br/>[[Merritt A. Edson]]<br/>[[Oliver P. Smith]]<br/>[[John H. Griebel]]<br/>[[Victor H. Krulak]]<br/>[[John T. Selden]]<br/>[[Harold D. Harris]]<br/>[[Lewis W. Walt]]<br/>[[Fred E. Haynes Jr.]]<br/>[[Martin Brandtner]]<br/>[[Lawrence D. Nicholson]]<br/>[[Thomas V. Draude]]<ref name="1stMarDiv">{{cite book|last1=Crawford|first1=Danny J.|last2=Aquilina|first2=Robert V.|last3=Ferrante|first3=Ann A.|last4=Gramblin|first4=Shelia P.|title=The 1st Marine Division and its Regiments|date=1999|publisher=History and Museums Division, United States Marine Corps|location=Washington, DC|pages=39–41|url=http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/The%201st%20Marine%20Division%20and%20its%20Regiments%20%20PCN%2019000314800_2.pdf|access-date=12 January 2017}}</ref> <br/> Kenneth R. Kassner<ref>{{cite web |title=Colonel Kenneth Kassner |url=https://www.1stmardiv.marines.mil/Leaders/1st-Marine-Division-Leaders/Article/606461/colonel-kenneth-r-kassner/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029051813/https://www.1stmardiv.marines.mil/Leaders/1st-Marine-Division-Leaders/Article/606461/colonel-kenneth-r-kassner/ |archive-date=2020-10-29 |website=marines.mil |access-date=2017-05-06}}</ref> <br/> Christopher T. Steele<ref>{{cite web |title=Colonel Christopher T. Steele |url=https://www.1stmardiv.marines.mil/Leaders/Biography/Article/1125890/colonel-christopher-t-steele/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240912024453/https://www.1stmardiv.marines.mil/Leaders/Biography/Article/1125890/colonel-christopher-t-steele/ |archive-date=2024-09-12 |website=marines.mil |access-date=2025-05-05}}</ref>
| anniversaries                 = 
}}

The '''5th Marine Regiment''' (also  referred to as "5th Marines") is an infantry [[regiment]] of the [[United States Marine Corps]] based at [[Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton]], [[California]].  It is the most highly decorated regiment in the Marine Corps<ref>{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Ronald J.|title=A Few Good Men The Fighting Fifth Marines: A History of the USMC's Most Decorated Regiment|date=2001|publisher=Presidio Press, Inc|location=Novato, CA|oclc=46462729}}</ref> and falls under the command of the [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]] and the [[I Marine Expeditionary Force]] (I MEF).

==Organization==
The Regiment comprises four [[infantry]] [[battalion]]s and one headquarters company:
* Headquarters Company 5th Marines (HQ/5th Marines)
* [[1st Battalion, 5th Marines]] (1/5)
* [[2nd Battalion, 5th Marines]] (2/5)
* [[3rd Battalion, 5th Marines]] (3/5)
* [[2nd Battalion, 4th Marines]] (2/4) – (assigned to the 5th Marine Regiment for the purpose of facilitating 4th Marines as a "host" regimental headquarters for battalions on unit deployment program assignments to 3rd MARDIV in Okinawa.)

==History==

===World War I===
The unit was activated on 8 June 1917, in [[Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]], as the 5th Regiment of Marines.  They immediately deployed to France, arriving on 26 June, and were assigned to the [[1st Infantry Division (United States)|1st Infantry Division]] of the [[United States Army]].  Later that year, in October, they were reassigned to 4th Brigade of Marines under the [[2nd Infantry Division (United States)|2nd Infantry Division]].

In spring 1918, the regiment, commanded by Colonel [[Wendell Cushing Neville|Wendell C. Neville]], a [[Medal of Honor]] recipient, was involved in the fierce battle of [[Battle of Belleau Wood|Belleau Wood]] and was given the nickname [[Devil Dogs]].

The Fifth subsequently participated in the offensive campaigns at [[Chemin des Dames|Aisne]], [[Battle of Saint-Mihiel]] and in the [[Meuse-Argonne offensive]].  They also participated in the defensive campaigns at Toulon-Troyon, Château-Thierry, Marbache and Limey.  From 1918 until 1919 the regiment participated in the occupation of the German Rhineland.  In August 1919 it relocated back to [[Marine Corps Base Quantico]], [[Virginia]].  It was inactivated on 13 August 1919.

The regiment's actions in France earned them the right to wear the [[Fourragère#France|Fourragère]] (seen in the outline of the unit's logo), one of only two in the Marine Corps (the other being the [[6th Marine Regiment]]). The award was a result of being the only regiments in the [[American Expeditionary Force]] to receive three [[Croix de Guerre]] citations: two in the order of the army and one in the order of the corps—[[Fourragère]] and [[Croix de Guerre]] with two Palms and Gilt Star. The Fourragère became part of the uniform of the unit, and all members of the organization are authorized to wear the decoration on the left shoulder of the uniform while members of the organization.

[[File:French Fourragère, 5th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, California.jpg|thumb|left|5th Marines is one of two USMC regiments authorized to wear the French Fourragère for actions during World War I.]]

Three Marines of the regiment were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the war. Sergeant [[Louis Cukela]], Gunnery Sergeant [[Ernest A. Janson]], and Sergeant [[Matej Kocak]] each received two Medals of Honor (one from the Navy and one from the Army) for a single action, making them three of only nineteen double recipients of the medal. In addition, two U.S. Navy officers attached the 5th Marines received the Medal of Honor: Lieutenant Commander [[Alexander Gordon Lyle]] of the [[United States Navy Dental Corps|Navy Dental Corps]] and Lieutenant [[Orlando H. Petty]] of the [[Medical Corps (United States Navy)|Medical Corps]].<ref name="moh">{{cite web |url= http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/worldwari.html |title=Medal of Honor Recipients - World War I |work= Medal of Honor Citations |publisher=[[United States Army Center of Military History]] |date=3 August 2009 |access-date=9 May 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100607221950/http://www.history.army.mil/html/moh/worldwari.html| archive-date= 7 June 2010 <!--DASHBot-->| url-status= dead}}</ref>

===Inter-war years===
Unit was reactivated on 8 July 1920.  Elements of the regiment participated in mail guard duty in the eastern United States from November 1921 through May 1922 and once again from October 1926 through February 1927.

They then deployed to [[Nicaragua]] from January 1927.  They continuously fought Nicaraguan rebels until they were again inactivated on 11 April 1930.

5th Marines was reactivated for the last time on 1 September 1934, at [[Quantico, Virginia]] and were assigned to the 1st Marine Brigade.  In 1940 they were deployed to [[Guantánamo Bay]], [[Cuba]] and reassigned to the [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]] in February 1941.  They were garrisoned at [[Marine Corps Air Station New River|New River]], [[North Carolina]].

===World War II===

[[File:GuadNovCasualty.gif|thumb|left|250px|5th Marine Regiment wounded are carried back from the front line during the November 1942 U.S. offensive against Japanese forces around the [[Matanikau River]]]]

After the outbreak of war, the 5th Marines deployed to [[Wellington, New Zealand]] in June 1942.  During World War II they fought on [[Battle of Guadalcanal|Guadalcanal]], [[New Britain]], Eastern [[New Guinea]], [[Peleliu]] and [[Battle of Okinawa|Okinawa]].  Immediately following the war in September 1945 they deployed to [[Tianjin, China]] and participated in the occupation of North China until May 1947.  They were redeployed to [[Guam]] in May 1947 and reassigned to the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade.  In 1949 they were relocated to [[Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton]].

[[File:American Marines in Korea.jpg|thumb|right|During the allied advance into Seoul, American and Korean Marines crossed the Han River in an LVT-3c of the Marines' 1st Amphibian Tractor Battalion.]]

===Korean War and early 1950s===
On 5 August 1950, 5th Marines were deployed to the [[Battle of Pusan Perimeter|Pusan Perimeter]] as part of the [[1st Provisional Marine Brigade]].  From there, they participated in the [[Battle of Inchon|Inchon Landing]], [[Battle of Chosin Reservoir]] and fighting on the East-Central Front and Western Front until the end of hostilities.  Immediately after the war, they participated in the defense of the [[Korean Demilitarized Zone]] from July 1953 until February 1955. The regiment returned to Camp Pendleton in March 1955.

===Vietnam War===
On 5 March 1966, 5th Marines deployed to the [[Republic of Vietnam]].  They remained in Vietnam for the next five years, fighting at [[Rung Sat Special Zone|Rung Sat]], [[Chu Lai Base Area|Chu Lai]], [[Battle of Hue|Hue]], [[Operation Houston|Phu Loc]], [[Que Son Valley]], [[An Hoa Combat Base|An Hoa]], [[Tam Kỳ Base Camp|Tam Kỳ]] and [[Da Nang]]. The 5th Marines finally left Vietnam in April 1971.  In 2003, former 5th Marine sniper–turned–Vietnam War author, John J. Culbertson,<ref>{{cite news|magazine=TIME|title=World: The 13-cent Killers|date=27 Oct 1967|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,841103,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081215145113/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,841103,00.html |archive-date=15 December 2008 }}</ref> documented in ''13 Cent Killers: The 5th Marine Snipers in Vietnam'', the stories of 5th Marine Regiment marksmen who, as the publisher describes, "fought with [[Bolt action|bolt rifle]]s and [[Bounty (reward)|bounties]] on their heads during the fiercest combat of the war, from 1967 through the Tet battle for Hue in early 1968."<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X1XlypiYwHUC | title=13 Cent Killers: The 5th Marine Snipers in Vietnam | publisher=Presidio Press | date=1 January 2003 | author=Culbertson, John | isbn=0-345-45914-8}}</ref>

===Post-war years through 1990s===
Elements of the regiments participated in [[Operation New Arrivals]], the relocation of Vietnamese refugees to [[Camp Pendleton]], [[California]], from July through December 1975.  Their next major action was [[Operation Desert Shield (Gulf War)|Operation Desert Shield]] and [[Operation Desert Storm]] from August 1990 through April 1991.  Combat operations in Southwest Asia were quickly followed by [[Operation Sea Angel]] in [[Bangladesh]] in May–June 1991.December 1992 BLT 2/9 assigned to the 15TH MEU(SOC) landed in Somalia and conducted combat operations.

===Global War on Terrorism===

On 5 February 2003, 5th Marines deployed to [[Kuwait]] with its 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Battalions (1/5, 2/5, 3/5) as part of the force that would be part of the [[2003 invasion of Iraq|invasion of Iraq]].  They were supported by elements of the [[1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion]], [[2nd Tank Battalion]], various firing batteries of the [[11th Marine Regiment (United States)|11th Marines]],  [[2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion|2nd]] and [[3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion]]s, Company B from the [[1st Combat Engineer Battalion]], and [[Combat Service Support Company 115]] (CSSC–115). These attachments brought regimental strength up to more than 6,000 personnel on any given day.  This was the largest the regiment had been in its history.<ref name=Gazette_Brown_2005>{{cite journal
|title=A Proud Legacy Continues: The Fighting 5th Marines in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM
|first=Ronald J. |last=Brown
|url= http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/2005/05brown.html
|journal=Marine Corps Gazette |publisher=Marine Corps Association
|year=2005
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060106104317/http://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/2005/05brown.html
|archive-date=2006-01-06
}}</ref>

On 21 March, the regiment became the first unit to cross into Iraq{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} as it moved to seize the Rumayllah oil fields.  For the drive north, RCT-5 advanced up a four-lane highway before swinging east toward the [[Tigris River]] until the 1st Marine Division reunited to push into the red zone that encompassed [[Baghdad]] and its suburbs. After all objectives had been secured, the Marines occupied assigned security sectors and conducted follow-on combat operations.  During much of the attack north, the regiment led the [[1st Marine Division (United States)|1st Marine Division]] in the deepest attack in Marine Corps history.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}}  The regiment suffered 12 killed and 126 seriously wounded in 33 days of combat.{{fact|date=March 2023}}

[[File:Commandant and Sgt Major of the Marine Corps visit 5th Marines' Iraq and Afghanistan Memorials.jpg|thumb|left|The 35th commandant of the Marine Corps, General James F. Amos, visits the 5th Marine Regiment Memorial during a tour of Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, CA, on 19 May 2014.]]

From October 2004 to March 2005 the regimental headquarters staff, led by Colonel Stuart Navarre, was deployed to Iraq in order to take over the role of the Iraqi Security Forces training directorate in support of 1st Marine Division at Camp Blue Diamond.  Because the regiment wasn't deployed as a regimental combat team the headquarters staff took on the responsibility of working with the [[Al Anbar]] [[Iraqi National Guard]] (ING) and the Iraqi Police in [[Ramadi]].

====Fallujah Deployment, 2006–2007====
In February 2006, the regiment deployed as Regimental Combat Team 5 to the Al Anbar Province, Iraq and assumed control of the greater [[Fallujah]] area from the [[8th Marine Regiment (United States)|8th Marine Regiment]]. They conducted combat operations, which included the training and advising of Iraqi forces in conjunction with military transition teams (MiTT) and police transition teams (PiTT). RCT-5 was camped in Camp Fallujah under the command of I Marine Expeditionary Force(Fwd) until January 2007 when they were relieved in place by the [[6th Marine Regiment (United States)|6th Marine Regiment]] (RCT 6), the first time in 94 years that the two regiments have been together on the battlefield.<ref name=MCNews_Braden_20060307>{{cite news
| first = Nathan |last=Braden
| title = RCT-5 partners with Iraqi brigade
| work = Marine Corps News
| publisher = 1st Marine Division, United States Marine Corps
| date = 7 March 2006
| url = http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/8294CA40FEDFE6E98525712B00346DFB?opendocument
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930203623/http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/8294CA40FEDFE6E98525712B00346DFB?opendocument
|archive-date=2007-09-30 }}</ref>

As of December 2007, the 5th Marine Regiment had lost 221 members during combat operations in Iraq.  This includes members of the regiment and of other battalions that served under 5th Marines.<ref name=MCN_Coolman_20071211>
{{cite news
| last = Coolman
| first = Shawn
| title = RCT-5 remembers fallen
| work = Marine Corps News
| publisher = 1st Marine Division, United States Marine Corps
| date = 11 December 2007
| url = http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/AED019DF2760F714852573AD00677A0C?opendocument
| access-date = 2007-12-11
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123141822/http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/AED019DF2760F714852573AD00677A0C?opendocument
|archive-date=2008-01-23 }}</ref>

In early December 2007, 5th Marines dedicated a memorial for the 221 men killed in Iraq.  The names include those of seven Army soldiers attached to the regiment.  A group of Orange County residents formed a group called the 5th Marine Regiment Memorial fund in early 2007 and raised more than $72,000 to pay for the memorial.  Modeled after barriers in Iraq to help prevent car and truck bombings, the memorial carries an inscription at the top reading "Fallen and Never Forgotten," and one at the bottom reading "Freedom Fighter Fallen Warrior."  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2007/Dec/08/memorial-pays-tribute-to-5th-marine-regiment/|title=Memorial pays tribute to 5th Marine Regiment troops killed in battle|work=U-T San Diego}}</ref><!-- Deleted image removed:  [[File:5th Marines Iraq Memorial.jpg|thumb|left|The Iraq memorial pays tribute to the 221 men who lost their lives while fighting for 5th Marine Regiment.]] -->

====Al Asad Deployment, 2008–2009====
In late December 2007 and early January 2008, the regiment deployed again as Regimental Combat Team 5 (RCT-5) to the Al Anbar Province, Iraq and assumed control of the greater Al Asad area and western portion of the province from the 2nd Marine Regiment (RCT-2).  They conducted combat operations, which included the training and advising of Iraqi forces, and along with RCT-1 and Multi National Forces-West (MNF-W), oversaw Anbar's pacification and eventual transfer to provincial Iraqi control.  RCT-5 also participated in the initial stage of the retrograde of thousands of pieces of equipment out of Iraq.  RCT-5 was in Camp Ripper, Al Asad, under the command of I Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd) and led by Colonel Patrick J. Malay.  In January 2009, RCT-5 was relieved in place by the 8th Marine Regiment (RCT-8).  Throughout the deployment, RCT-5 lost one Marine and one Soldier who served in units under the regiment while conducting combat operations.

In early 2009, 5th Marines was designated as a contingency force due to back-to-back 13 month deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).  The regiment continued to participate in exercises and contingency deployments with the 1st Marine Division and prepared forces for deployment.

[[File:5th Marines Regimental Command Post.jpg|thumb|right|Regimental Command Post entrance in 2009.]]

====Afghanistan Deployment, 2011–2012====
In August 2011, 5th Marines deployed as Regimental Combat Team 5 (RCT-5), for the first time to [[Helmand province]], [[Afghanistan]] in support of [[War in Afghanistan (2001–present)|Operation Enduring Freedom]].  They conducted a Relief-In-Place (RIP) with the 1st Marine Regiment (RCT-1) and under the command of Colonel Roger Turner, assumed control of their area of operations of Marjah, Garmsir and Nawa districts.  RCT-5 was based out of [[Camp Dwyer]].  Their focus was on developing local defense forces in Garmsir and Nawa, mentoring and expanding the police force across southern [[Helmand]], providing further training to the Afghan National Army and supporting the retrograde of thousands of pieces of equipment out of [[Afghanistan]].  In early July 2012, RCT-5 conducted a RIP with RCT-6.  RCT-5 returned to [[Camp Pendleton]], California, in early August 2012.

In August 2012, LtCol Jason Bohm was selected to be the next regimental commander.

====Exercise Desert Scimitar, spring 2013====
In April through early May 2013, 5th Marines participated in Exercise Desert Scimitar at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, 29 Palms, California.  The purpose of the exercise was to command and control a Marine air ground task force (MAGTF) as part of the Marine Corps' shift from counterinsurgency back to conventional, linear warfare in light of the war in Afghanistan winding down.  The training exercise included units from ground combat, aviation and logistics elements.  Fifth Marine Regiment formed as a regimental combat team, focusing on practicing traditional warfare command and control tactics directing infantry, artillery and armored assets.  The regiment practiced direct small and medium arms fire with infantrymen serving with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, and 1st Bn, 7th Marines; high-explosive indirect fires with the artillery of 2nd Battalion, 11th Marines; armored support assets of 1st Tank Battalion; and 3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion during the exercise.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Lopez |first1=Alfred V. |title=Fighting Fifth conducts command, control tactics training during Exercise Desert Scimitar |url=http://www.1stmardiv.marines.mil/News/NewsArticleDisplay/tabid/8585/Article/142649/fighting-fifth-conducts-command-control-tactics-training-during-exercise-desert.aspx |publisher=United States Marine Corps |date=8 May 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130626170349/http://www.1stmardiv.marines.mil/News/NewsArticleDisplay/tabid/8585/Article/142649/fighting-fifth-conducts-command-control-tactics-training-during-exercise-desert.aspx |archive-date=26 June 2013 }}</ref>

[[File:5th Marines' Operation Enduring Freedom Memorial.jpg|thumb|left|The memorial honors Marines and sailors who served with 5th Marines or under Regimental Combat Team 5 who died in Afghanistan.]]
In late May 2013, Marines of 5th Marine Regiment participated in a training exhibition with the French 21st Marine Infantry Regiment in Frejus, France.  The Marines learned about and fired French weapons systems, including the FAMAS G2 assault rifle. They also used kayaks to venture into the Mediterranean Sea, providing the Marines with an opportunity to learn about the French Marines' reconnaissance tactics.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.iimef.marines.mil/News/NewsArticle/tabid/472/Article/143408/5th-marines-trains-with-french-marines-on-the-mediterranean-sea.aspx |title=5th Marines trains with French Marines on the Mediterranean Sea > II Marine Expeditionary Force > News Article |access-date=2013-05-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609114903/http://www.iimef.marines.mil/News/NewsArticle/tabid/472/Article/143408/5th-marines-trains-with-french-marines-on-the-mediterranean-sea.aspx |archive-date=2013-06-09 }}</ref>

In June 2013, Marines serving with 5th Marine Regiment gathered for the regiment's Operation Enduring Freedom Memorial Dedication ceremony.  More than a hundred Marines, veterans and Gold Star Mothers gathered at the San Mateo Memorial Garden to join the regiment at the ceremony.  The names of the Marines and sailors who fought and died serving with a 5th Marines battalion or under Regimental Combat Team 5 in Afghanistan are etched into the 7-ton, granite memorial.    The 7-foot tall, 8-foot, 4-inch wide memorial was created in Barre, Vt., and traveled to Camp Pendleton in a 10-day journey where it was escorted every mile of the trip by Patriot Guard Riders, a motorcycle club that strongly supports service members by welcoming them home from deployments.  Etched into the bottom of the memorial stone are the words, "FALLEN BUT NEVER FORGOTTEN."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.1stmardiv.marines.mil/News/NewsArticleDisplay/tabid/8585/Article/144124/5th-marines-dedicate-memorial-to-their-fallen.aspx |title=5th Marines dedicate memorial to their fallen > 1st Marine Division > News Article Display |access-date=2014-02-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220195913/http://www.1stmardiv.marines.mil/News/NewsArticleDisplay/tabid/8585/Article/144124/5th-marines-dedicate-memorial-to-their-fallen.aspx |archive-date=2014-02-20 }}</ref>

====Special purpose marine air-ground task force, May 2014 – December 2016====
In May 2014, 5th Marine Regiment was named the Headquarters Element of a Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force (SP-MAGTF).<ref name="marines.mil">{{cite web|url=http://www.1stmardiv.marines.mil/News/NewsArticleDisplay/tabid/8585/Article/601910/kassner-assumes-command-of-5th-marine-regiment.aspx|title=Kassner assumes command of 5th Marine Regiment > 1st Marine Division > News Article Display|work=marines.mil}}</ref>  The SP-MAGTF will act as CENTCOM's crisis response unit with Colonel Jason Bohm commanding it.  It will also prove CENTCOM's ability to support theater security cooperation events such as exercises as well as respond to contingencies.  The task force will be located in Kuwait, but will eventually operate from several different locations in the Middle East.  The SP-MAGTF is composed of 2,300 Marines from Headquarters Company, 5th Marine Regiment, Camp Pendleton, California, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, Twentynine Palms, Calif., Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 363, Miramar, Calif. and Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 234, Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas.  Most units will be deployed for six or seven months, although the regimental headquarters may see a longer rotation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20140930/NEWS08/309300066/5th-Marine-Regiment-will-lead-new-crisis-response-unit-Middle-East|title=5th Marine Regiment will lead new crisis response unit in Middle East|work=Marine Corps Times|access-date=2014-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006174006/http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/article/20140930/NEWS08/309300066/5th-Marine-Regiment-will-lead-new-crisis-response-unit-Middle-East|archive-date=2014-10-06}}</ref>

By January 2015, the SPMAGTF was operating in six countries within CENTCOM. For security concerns and out of deference to foreign partners in the region, it was not given a proper name. The task force flew both kinetic and non-kinetic missions daily in support of [[Operation Inherent Resolve]], the U.S.-led intervention against ISIS. The Marine Corps forces used existing infrastructure to create a partnership capacity site in Iraq designed to increase the capabilities of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). In addition, the SPMAGTF took advantage of bilateral training opportunities in theater. The unit participated in Exercise Red Reef with Navy, Marine Corps, and Royal Saudi Navy forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/story/military/careers/2015/01/02/crisis-response-force-training-iraqis/21061241/|title=New Marine crisis response force training Iraqis to fight Islamic State|author=Hope Hodge Seck |date=2 January 2015|work=Marine Corps Times}}</ref>

On 30 March 2015, the Advance Party (ADVON) returned to Camp Pendleton, California. On 12 April 2015, the main body returned.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.840902155956768.1073741911.118279948218996&type=1|title=SPMAGTF-CR-CC Main Body 1 Return from Deployment |website=Facebook}}{{rs|date=November 2023}}</ref>  [[5th Marines]] relinquished command to [[7th Marines]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://breakingdefense.com/2015/05/past-magtf-commander-details-isil-air-strikes-notes-1st-marines-could-clear-iraq/|title=SP-MAGTF Commander Details ISIL Strikes; Notes 1st Marines 'Could Clear' Iraq|work=Breaking Defense|date=20 May 2015 }}</ref>

In April 2016, 5th Marines again led the command element for the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force–Crisis Response–Central Command on a 9-month deployment into harm's way.  The SPMAGTF conducted combat operations against ISIS in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, with lines of effort focused on conducting theater security cooperation, contingency operations, crisis response, and advancing the force in the Central Command area of operations, returning in December 2016 after a successful deployment

====March 2017 to present====
On 2 March 2017, Colonel George C. Schreffler III took command of [[5th Marines]].<ref name="marines.mil"/>

==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 5th Marine Regiment has been presented with the following awards:

{|class=wikitable
! Streamer
! Award
! Year(s)
! Additional Info
|-
||[[File:U.S. Navy Unit Commendation streamer.svg|200px]]
||[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation Streamer]] with two Silver Stars
||1942, 1944, 1945, 1950, 1950, 1950, 1951, 1966–1967, 1967, 1967–1968, 2003
||Guadalcanal, Peleliu-Ngesebus, Okinawa, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq
|-
||[[File:Streamer JMUA.PNG|200px]]
||[[Joint Meritorious Unit Award|Joint Meritorious Unit Award Streamer]]
||1991
||Bangladesh
|-
|| [[File:NUC 4B.PNG|200px]]
||[[Navy Unit Commendation|Navy Unit Commendation Streamer]] with four bronze stars
||1952–1953, 1968–1969, 1990–1991, 2006–2007, 2010-2011
||Korea, Vietnam, Southwest Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan
|-
||[[ File:Meritorious Unit Commendation (Navy-Marine) Streamer.jpg |200px]]
||[[Meritorious Unit Commendation|Meritorious Unit Commendation Streamer]]
||1968
||Vietnam
|-
||[[File:Streamer WWI V.PNG|200px]]
||[[World War I Victory Medal (United States)|World War I Victory Streamer]] 
||<br />
||<br />
|-
||[[File:Streamer AOG.PNG|200px]]
|[[Army of Occupation of Germany Medal]]
||<br />
||<br />
|-
||[[File:Streamer SNC.PNG|200px]]
|[[Second Nicaraguan Campaign Medal]]
||<br />
||<br />
|-
||[[File:ADS 1B.PNG|200px]]
||[[American Defense Service Medal|American Defense Service Streamer]] with one Bronze Star
||1941
||World War II
|-
||[[File:Streamer APC.PNG|200px]]
||[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal|Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Streamer]] with one Silver and one Bronze Star
||<br />
||Guadalcanal, Eastern New Guinea, New Britain, Peleliu, Okinawa
|-
||[[File:Streamer WWII V.PNG|200px]]
||[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Streamer]]
||1941–1945
||[[Pacific War]]
|-
||[[File:WWIIV ASIA.PNG|200px]]
||[[Navy Occupation Service Medal|Navy Occupation Service Streamer]] with "ASIA"
||<br />
||<br />
|-
||[[File:Streamer CS.PNG|200px]]
||[[China Service Medal|China Service Streamer]] 
||<br/>
||North China
|-
||[[File:NDS 3B.PNG|200px]]
||[[National Defense Service Medal|National Defense Service Streamer]] with three Bronze Stars
||1950–1954, 1961–1974, 1990–1995, 2001–present
||[[Korean War]], [[Vietnam War]], [[Gulf War]], [[War on Terrorism]]
|-
||[[File:Korean Service Medal - Streamer.png|200px]]
||[[Korean Service Medal|Korean Service Streamer]] with two Silver Stars
||1950–1953
||Inchon-Seoul, Chosin Reservoir, East-Central Front, Western Front
|-
||[[File:SASM 2S 3B.PNG|200px]]
||[[Vietnam Service Medal|Vietnam Service Streamer]] with two Silver and three Bronze Stars
||July 1965 – April 1971, April–December 1975
||Chu Lai, Da Nang, Dong Ha, Qui Nhon, Huế, Phu Bai, Quang Tri, Operation New Arrival
|-
||[[File:Streamer SAS.PNG|200px]]
||[[Southwest Asia Service Medal|Southwest Asia Service Streamer]] with three Bronze Stars
||<br/>
||<br/>
|-
||[[File:Streamer AFGCS.PNG|200px]]
||[[Afghanistan Campaign Medal|Afghanistan Campaign Streamer]] with one bronze star
||<br/>
||<br/>
|-
||[[File:ICM 3B.png|alt=A multicolored streamer with (from outer to inner) red, white, green, white again, black (the colors of the Iraqi flag) horizontal stripes with a yellow horizontal stripe in the center|200px]]
||[[Iraq Campaign Medal|Iraq Campaign Streamer]] with three Bronze Stars
||<br />
||<br/>
|-
||[[File:Streamer gwotE.PNG|200px]]
||[[Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal|Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Streamer]]
||<br />
||March–May 2003
|-
||[[File:Streamer gwotS.PNG|200px]]
||[[Global War on Terrorism Service Medal|Global War on Terrorism Service Streamer]]
||2001–present
||<br />
|-
||[[File:Streamer FCDG WWII.png|200px]]
||[[Croix de Guerre|Croix de Guerre Streamer]]  with two Palms and one Gilt Star
||1918
||World War I
|-
||[[File:Streamer KPUC.PNG|200px]]
||[[Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation|Korea Presidential Unit Citation Streamer]]
||<br />
||<br />
|-
||[[File:VMUA PALM.PNG|200px]]
||[[Vietnam Gallantry Cross|Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Streamer]]
||<br />
||<br />
|-
||[[File:Streamer RVMUCCA.PNG|200px]]
||[[Vietnam Civil Actions Medal|Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation Civil Actions Streamer]]
||<br />
||<br />
|-
|}

==Notable former members==
*[[William W. Ashurst]], [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], USMC. Served with 18th Company, [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Joseph M. Baker]], Private in 67th Company, recipient of the Army Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross during the [[Battle of Belleau Wood]]
*[[Lewis K. Bausell]], [[corporal]], received [[Medal of Honor]] while serving with [[1st Battalion 5th Marines|1st Battalion]] during [[Battle of Peleliu]]
*[[Robert Blake (USMC)|Robert Blake]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Served with 17th Company, [[1st Battalion 5th Marines|1st Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Robert D. Bohn]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Commanded 5th Marines during the [[Vietnam War]].
*[[Harold D. Campbell]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Served with 23rd Company, [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Samuel C. Cumming]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Served with 51st Company, [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Alphonse DeCarre]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Commanded the Headquarters Company during [[World War I]].
*[[Lester A. Dessez]], [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], USMC. Commanded 18th Company, [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] in 1922.
* [[Duane E. Dewey]], MOH, [[Corporal (United_States)|corporal]], USMC.  Served with Company E, [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] during [[Korean War]]. [[Medal of Honor]] and [[Purple Heart]].
*[[Walter G. Farrell]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Served with 51st Company, [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[William S. Fellers]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Served as regiment's [[executive officer]] during [[World War II]].
*[[Joseph H. Fellows]], [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], USMC. Served with 20th Company, [[3rd Battalion 5th Marines|3rd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Julian N. Frisbie]], [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], USMC. Commanded 5th Marines during the occupation of [[North China]] in 1945.
*[[LeRoy P. Hunt]], [[Lieutenant general (United States)|lieutenant general]], USMC. Served with 17th Company, [[1st Battalion 5th Marines|1st Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Gilder D. Jackson Jr.]], [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], USMC. Served with 43rd Company, [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Ralph S. Keyser]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Commanded the [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Matthew H. Kingman]], [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], USMC. Served as regiment's executive officer in 1935-1937
*[[Henry Louis Larsen]], [[Lieutenant general (United States)|lieutenant general]], USMC. Commanded the [[3rd Battalion 5th Marines|3rd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[August Larson]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Commanded the regiment in 1946.
*[[Charles D. Mize]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Commanded George Company, [[3rd Battalion 5th Marines|3rd Battalion]] during [[Korean War]].
*[[Jonas M. Platt]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Commanded [[1st Battalion 5th Marines|1st Battalion]] during [[Korean War]].
*[[Bennet Puryear Jr.]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Served as regimental supply officer during [[World War I]].
*[[Leonard E. Rea]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Served with 17th Company, [[1st Battalion 5th Marines|1st Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Keller E. Rockey]], [[Lieutenant general (United States)|lieutenant general]], USMC. Served with 67th Company, [[1st Battalion 5th Marines|1st Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[William J. Scheyer]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Served with 16th Company, [[3rd Battalion 5th Marines|3rd Battalion]] during [[Fleet Problem III]].
*[[Maurice E. Shearer]], [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], USMC. Commanded the [[3rd Battalion 5th Marines|3rd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Lemuel C. Shepherd Jr.]], [[General (United States)|general]], USMC. Served with 55th Company, [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Amor L. Sims]], [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], USMC. Served with 17th Company, [[1st Battalion 5th Marines|1st Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Merwin H. Silverthorn]], [[Lieutenant general (United States)|lieutenant general]], USMC. Served with 16th Company, [[3rd Battalion 5th Marines|3rd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Eugene Sledge]], corporal, USMC. Served with [[3rd Battalion 5th Marines|3rd Battalion]] during [[World War II]].
* [[Laurence Stallings]], platoon commander with [[3rd Battalion, 5th Marines]] during the fighting at [[Château-Thierry]] during [[World War I]]. Playwright, author, screenwriter.
*[[Harold E. Rosecrans]], [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], USMC. Served with 55th Company, [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[John T. Walker (USMC)|John T. Walker]], [[Lieutenant general (United States)|lieutenant general]], USMC. Served with 51st Company, [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Richard G. Weede]], [[Lieutenant general (United States)|lieutenant general]], USMC. Commanded the regiment during [[Korean War]].
*[[Charles F. Widdecke]], [[Major general (United States)|major general]], USMC. Commanded the regiment in 1965 in the early phase of [[Vietnam War]].
*[[Roswell Winans]], [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]], USMC. Served with 17th Company, [[1st Battalion 5th Marines|1st Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Fred Becker]], second lieutenant, served with 18th Company, [[2nd Battalion 5th Marines|2nd Battalion]] during [[World War I]].
*[[Joseph F. Dunford, Jr.]], [[General (United States)|general]], USMC. Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Commanded 5th Marine Regiment during [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].
*[[Sergeant Reckless]]

==See also==

* ''[[With the Old Breed]]''
* [[History of the United States Marine Corps]]
* [[List of United States Marine Corps regiments]]

{{Library resources box}}

==References==
;Citations
:{{Marine Corps}}
{{Reflist}}

;Bibliography
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book | title = [[With the Old Breed|With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa]] | author = Eugene Sledge | year = 1990 |orig-date=1981 | publisher = Oxford University Press |location=New York | isbn = 978-0-19-506714-9 |oclc=22653690}}  {{Google books|Qttbd2dQUQIC|With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa}}.
* {{cite book | title = Brotherhood of Heroes: The Marines at Peleliu, 1944: The Bloodiest Battle of the Pacific War | author = Bill Sloan | year = 2005 | publisher = Simon & Schuster |location=New York | isbn = 978-0-7432-6009-1 |oclc=57236282 |url=https://archive.org/details/brotherhoodofher0000sloa| url-access = registration }}
{{Refend}}

;Web
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.i-mef.usmc.mil/div/5Mar/default.asp |title=5th Marine Regiment |publisher=[[United States Marine Corps]] |access-date=20 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206151052/http://www.i-mef.usmc.mil/div/5Mar/default.asp |archive-date=2012-02-06 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061125155959/http://www.imef-fwd.usmc.mil/imef/imef-public.nsf/sites/RCT5 Official RCT-5 website from Iraq]
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}

{{1stMarDiv}}
{{US Marine Corps navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:005}}
[[Category:1st Marine Division (United States)]]
[[Category:Infantry units and formations of the United States Marine Corps]]
[[Category:Military units and formations established in 1917]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the United States in the Gulf War]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the United States in the Iraq War]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the United States in the Banana Wars|5th Marine]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War]]
[[Category:Regiments of the United States Marine Corps|Infantry05]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps units and formations in the Korean War|InfReg0005]]