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| E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines |
| Dates | 1944–1946 |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Type | Infantry |
| Size | Company |
| Command structure | 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division |
| Garrison | Camp Pendleton |
| Battles | Battle of Iwo Jima |
E Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines was an infantry company of the United States Marine Corps assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 28th Marine Regiment, 5th Marine Division during World War II. E Company trained at Camp Pendleton and saw combat in the Battle of Iwo Jima, participating in the assault on Mount Suribachi and operations across Iwo Jima. The company’s actions have been referenced in histories of the Pacific War, United States military history, and accounts of the Iwo Jima flag raisings.
E Company’s lineage began with activation during the World War II expansion of the United States Armed Forces in 1944, as part of the 28th Marine Regiment organized to serve in the Pacific Theater. The company trained alongside other units at Camp Pendleton, Camp Tarawa, and conducted amphibious rehearsals influenced by doctrines from the Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, Amphibious Training Command, and tactics developed after Guadalcanal Campaign and Tarawa. During preparation, E Company integrated lessons from the Battle of Kwajalein, Battle of Saipan, and Battle of Tinian while coordinating with naval gunfire support elements of the United States Navy and close air support from the United States Army Air Forces and later the United States Marine Corps Aviation.
The company was constituted under the table of organization and equipment used by the United States Marine Corps in 1944, organized into rifle platoons, a weapons platoon, and a company headquarters led by a company commander drawn from the Marine Corps officer corps. Its structure reflected lessons codified by the Amphibious Corps and the Fleet Marine Force with integration of Browning Automatic Rifle teams, M1 Garand riflemen, M1919 Browning machine gun crews, 60 mm M2 mortar squads, and bazooka teams equipped with the M1 Bazooka. Logistics and medical support incorporated elements from the Medical Department, United States Navy, Quartermaster Corps, and Seabees for engineering tasks in fortification and beachhead consolidation.
E Company landed in February 1945 during the Battle of Iwo Jima, part of the broader Iwo Jima campaign under the command of the V Amphibious Corps and coordinated with the Third Fleet and Task Force 51. The company engaged entrenched defenders of the Empire of Japan who utilized networks of bunkers, caves, and tunnel systems developed from lessons of Okinawa and earlier Pacific fortifications. E Company’s operations were concurrent with the iconic flag raising on Mount Suribachi and the battalion’s fight to secure high ground overlooking South Field and Motoyama Airfield. Combat saw close coordination with naval gunfire from battleship and cruiser fire missions, smoke screens provided by destroyer bombardment, and evacuation of casualties to USS Consolation (AH-15) and other hospital ships.
Tactical actions involved assaulting fortified positions, clearing spider trenches, neutralizing concealed Type 92 machine gun positions and dug-in artillery, and countering infiltration by remnants of the Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces. E Company’s engagements reflected combined arms doctrine practiced by the Fleet Marine Force Pacific and influenced postwar studies in infantry tactics and amphibious warfare by institutions such as the Naval War College and Marine Corps University.
Commanders and personnel of E Company included company officers commissioned from the United States Naval Academy pipeline and Officer Candidate School graduates who later interacted with figures associated with the 5th Marine Division leadership, including commanders of the 28th Marine Regiment and staff officers from the V Amphibious Corps. Individual Marines from E Company appear in battalion rosters alongside contemporaries who received awards such as the Medal of Honor, Navy Cross, and Purple Heart for actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima; these decorations are reflected in official Navy Department and Marine Corps award records. Veterans later participated in reunions organized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, and Marine Corps League, and some contributed oral histories to archives at the National Archives and Records Administration and the Marine Corps History Division.
While company-level insignia followed regimental heraldry from the 28th Marine Regiment and divisional symbols of the 5th Marine Division, E Company adopted esprit de corps practices common across United States Marine Corps units, including unit marches, challenge coins influenced by tradition within the Military Order of the Purple Heart veterans’ communities, and memorialization ceremonies aligned with Marine Corps Birthday observances. Traditions included participation in commemorative events at Arlington National Cemetery, memorials such as the United States Marine Corps War Memorial, and local monuments near training bases like Camp Pendleton and Camp Lejeune.
E Company’s service on Iwo Jima contributed to scholarly and public accounts of the Pacific War, appearing in historical works, documentaries, and museum exhibits at institutions including the National Museum of the Marine Corps and the Smithsonian Institution. Veterans and historians have linked the company’s actions to analyses in publications by the Naval Institute Press, studies at the United States Naval Academy and Marine Corps University, and oral histories preserved by the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. Commemorative actions include participation in ceremonies marking anniversaries of the Battle of Iwo Jima, contributions to battlefield preservation by groups associated with the National Park Service, and representation in collections at the National Archives. The company’s wartime record informs modern discussions of amphibious operations and is preserved in regimental records, unit diaries, and veterans’ associations across the United States.
Category:Companies of the United States Marine Corps Category:Military units and formations of the United States in World War II Category:5th Marine Division (United States)