28th Marines

28th Marines
Unit name	28th Marines
Dates	1944–1946; 1967–1969
Country	United States of America
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Infantry
Role	Amphibious assault
Size	Regiment
Battles	Battle of Iwo Jima
Notable commanders	Harry S. Truman (indirect), William G. Thrash, Leland C. Hobbs

28th Marines The 28th Marines was an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps that saw prominent combat in the Pacific Theater during World War II, particularly at Iwo Jima, and later experienced postwar deactivation and brief reactivation during the Vietnam era. The regiment trained with and deployed alongside units such as the 5th Marine Division, the 4th Marine Division, and the 3rd Marine Division and interacted with formations like the United States Navy amphibious forces and Seabees. Its actions influenced doctrines studied by institutions including the Naval War College and the Marine Corps University.

Formation and Early History

Activated in 1944, the regiment formed within a rapid expansion of Marine forces responding to campaigns such as the Guadalcanal Campaign, the Solomon Islands campaign, and planning for operations like the proposed invasion of the Japanese home islands. The regiment assembled personnel who had served in theaters that included the New Georgia campaign, the Bougainville Campaign, and the later Philippine campaign (1944–45), integrating NCOs and officers from training commands such as Parris Island Recruit Depot and Quantico, Virginia. Early cadre often had prior service with units like the 1st Marine Division, the 2nd Marine Division, and elements transferred from Marine Aircraft Wing support units. Training emphasized combined arms coordination seen previously at the Battle of Tarawa and Battle of Saipan.

World War II: Training and Deployment

The regiment conducted intensive preparation on bases including Camp Pendleton, Camp Lejeune, and the Hawaii Marine Corps Base, executing amphibious rehearsals with LVT (Landing Vehicle Tracked) units, coordinating naval gunfire with Battleship Iowa-class screens and destroyer escorts from Task Force 58, and rehearsing close air support with squadrons from Marine Aircraft Group 24. Training doctrine drew on lessons from commanders such as Alexander Vandegrift and tactics refined after Operation Galvanic. Logistics involved coordination with Military Sea Transportation Service assets and construction support from United States Naval Construction Battalions. In staging areas like Saipan and Tinian, the regiment integrated intelligence from Joint Chiefs of Staff assessments and rehearsed beach-capture tactics employed in operations influenced by the Pacific Ocean Areas command.

Battle of Iwo Jima

During the Battle of Iwo Jima, the regiment landed as part of an assault force coordinated by V Amphibious Corps and attached to the 5th Marine Division. The unit participated in the famous seizure of strategic high ground including positions on ridgelines and volcanic ash beaches while opposing entrenched units of the Imperial Japanese Army and defenses organized under commanders associated with the Imperial Japanese Navy. Its operations were supported by naval gunfire from elements of Task Force 58 and close air strikes by carrier aircraft from groups such as Carrier Air Group 5. Battalion-level engagements referenced tactics used in earlier confrontations like the Battle of Okinawa and were adjusted to counter fortifications similar to those at Peleliu.

Elements of the regiment achieved objectives amid heavy casualties, coordinating with adjacent units from the 26th Marines and 27th Marines as well as armor detachments and pioneer companies. The intense combat led to awards drawn from decorations such as the Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, and Purple Heart, and attracted reporting by correspondents from outlets like Associated Press and United Press International. After securing its primary objectives, the regiment consolidated positions and aided in mopping-up operations against remaining defenders before occupation duties transitioned to garrison units.

Postwar Activity and Reactivation

Following Japan's surrender and demobilization processes guided by the War Department and directives from the United States Department of Defense, the regiment was deactivated in the immediate postwar drawdown that affected formations including the 1st Marine Division and 3rd Marine Division. During the Cold War era, periodic reactivation plans reflected strategic shifts influenced by the Cuban Missile Crisis and requirements studied at the Pentagon. The regiment briefly reformed in the late 1960s during force expansions related to the Vietnam War mobilization, aligning with reserve elements coordinated through the Marine Corps Reserve and supporting training with institutions like the Armed Forces Staff College. It was ultimately disbanded again as part of force restructuring and the transition to modern Marine Corps organization.

Unit Organization and Commanders

The regiment mirrored standard Marine organization with three infantry battalions, a weapons company, and supporting logistics and medical detachments comparable to those found in units such as the 23rd Marines and 24th Marine Regiment. Commanders during its operational history included officers who had served alongside leaders like Holland Smith and Thomas Holcomb and who coordinated with staff from commands including I Marine Amphibious Corps. Command teams integrated tactics developed in seminars at the United States Naval Academy and planning conferences involving the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Senior NCOs had experience across campaigns like Wake Island, the Aleutian Islands campaign, and the New Britain campaign.

Honors and Legacy

The regiment’s actions at Iwo Jima contributed to honors awarded to the 5th Marine Division and to individual citations within the Marine Corps register of valor. Its operational record influenced doctrine discussed at the Army War College and memorialization at sites such as the Iwo Jima Memorial (Marine Corps War Memorial), where sculptural representations commemorated the broader struggle. Veterans and historians affiliated with institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the National Archives have preserved after-action reports, oral histories, and artifacts that continue to inform scholarship in works published by presses including the Naval Institute Press and the University Press of Kansas. The regiment’s legacy endures in study collections at the Marine Corps History Division and commemorative events hosted by organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion.

Category:United States Marine Corps regiments