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| 23rd Marines | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | 23rd Marines |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps Reserve |
| Type | Infantry Regiment |
| Role | Regiment-level ground combat |
| Size | ~2,000 (WWII peak) |
| Garrison | Federal City locations (historic) |
| Nickname | "The Pride of Midwest United States" |
| Battles | Bougainville Campaign, Battle of Guam (1944), Battle of Iwo Jima, Battle of Saipan |
| Notable commanders | Major General Allen H. Turnage, Colonel John R. Lanigan, Colonel Harry K. Pickett |
23rd Marines is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps Reserve with a distinguished combat record dating to World War II. The regiment served in major Pacific campaigns, underwent multiple postwar reactivations, and contributed personnel to later conflicts and humanitarian missions. Its lineage ties to both active duty and reserve organizations, reflecting shifts in doctrine from amphibious assault to contemporary expeditionary operations.
The regiment was activated in 1942 at Camp Lejeune, drawing cadre and recruits from Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, and reserve units in the Midwestern United States. During World War II the unit trained under the oversight of Fleet Marine Force planners and amphibious doctrine developed by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and General Holland M. Smith. Following wartime service in the Pacific, the regiment was deactivated during post–World War II demobilization and later reconstituted in the Marine Corps Reserve system, aligning with commands such as 4th Marine Division and Marine Forces Reserve. The unit's postwar history intersects with Cold War readiness initiatives under Secretary of Defense George C. Marshall-era reorganizations and with mobilizations for the Vietnam War, Gulf War, and the Global War on Terrorism through individual augmentations and battalion-level activations.
At full strength in World War II the regiment comprised three infantry battalions (1st, 2nd, 3rd), a regimental headquarters, and regimental weapons company, mirroring structure promulgated in doctrine by Brigadier General Holland M. Smith and reinforced in manuals such as the Tentative Landing Operations Manual. The battalion organizations included rifle companies, weapons companies with machine guns and mortars, and logistics detachments coordinating with Naval Construction Battalions and Marine Corps Logistics Command elements. In the reserve era the regiment's battalions were geographically dispersed, drawing reservists from metropolitan centers such as Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and Minneapolis, and reporting administratively to 4th Marine Division and operationally to Marine Forces Reserve for mobilization.
The regiment participated in major amphibious operations in the Pacific Theater under task forces commanded by leaders like Admiral Raymond A. Spruance and General Alexander A. Vandegrift. Elements of the regiment fought in the Bougainville Campaign supporting operations to secure Emperor Island approaches and airfields critical to Operation Cartwheel. The unit later assaulted Guam (1944), contributing to the liberation of the Mariana Islands alongside units from the 3rd Marine Division. Marines from the regiment also took part in diversionary and support actions during the Battle of Saipan and furnished replacements and cadre for the Battle of Iwo Jima operations coordinated by Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith. Casualties and combat experience influenced postbattle doctrine revisions in the Naval War College and in USMC amphibious assault training.
After deactivation during the 1946 postwar drawdown, the regiment was reactivated in the reserve component to provide strategic depth during the Cold War. During the Korean War and Vietnam War periods, its personnel were mobilized as individual augmentees to active duty regiments such as 1st Marine Division and 2nd Marine Division, and for training at installations like Camp Pendleton. The 23rd Marines also supported domestic operations during natural disasters, coordinated with agencies such as Federal Emergency Management Agency, and participated in multinational exercises with NATO partners including Royal Marines and Canadian Forces. Periodic reorganizations reflected Base Realignment and Closure decisions and evolving force posture under the Goldwater-Nichols Act era reforms.
Commanders and officers associated with the regiment include wartime leaders and notable Marines who later held senior commands. Leaders with ties to the regiment include Major General Allen H. Turnage, who influenced amphibious doctrine, and regimental commanders such as Colonel John R. Lanigan and Colonel Harry K. Pickett. Enlisted Marines and junior officers went on to serve in higher headquarters such as Marine Corps Combat Development Command, and produced recipients of awards including the Navy Cross and Silver Star for actions in Pacific engagements. Alumni also influenced Marine Corps Reserve policy at Headquarters Marine Corps and contributed to studies at Marine Corps University.
The regiment's insignia and colors draw on Marine Corps heraldry codified by the Institute of Heraldry and reflect campaign honors from Pacific operations. Unit traditions include a regimental march linked to ceremonials at National Museum of the Marine Corps and memorial observances at battleground commemorations such as the National World War II Memorial. Annual reunions and alumni associations maintain ties with museums including the Smithsonian Institution and regional veterans’ organizations like the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
During World War II the regiment employed standard infantry equipment of the era including the M1 Garand, Browning M1919 machine gun, Browning M2 machine gun, M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle, M1917 Enfield (limited), M1911 pistol, 60mm and 81mm mortars, and coordination with armored support such as the M4 Sherman and amphibious vehicles like the LVT (amphibious vehicle). Postwar training emphasized combined arms integration, small unit tactics, and expeditionary skills at ranges like Camp Lejeune and Twentynine Palms, with modern training incorporating systems such as the M16 rifle, M4 carbine, M249 SAW, M240 machine gun, anti-armor weapons like the AT4, and coordination with aviation assets including the CH-46 Sea Knight and MV-22 Osprey for vertical envelopment exercises.