2ND BN 3RD MARINES

2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines (2/3) was an infantry battalion based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. It consisted of approximately 1,000 Marines and sailors. It was activated in 1942, and officially decommissioned January 21, 2022.

In April 1965, 2/3 deployed to Da Nang in the Republic of Vietnam.

During the night of 12 August 1965, the battalion made a night helicopter assault into the Elephant Valley south of Da Nang, shortly after Marine ground troops arrived in the country. In April 1967, 2/3 was flown to Khe Sanh and walked north up into the DMZ and participated in one of the bloodiest fights, later to be known as The Hill Fights (also known as the first battle of Khe Sanh), which left 155 dead and 425 wounded. In October 1969, the battalion left South Vietnam and relocated to Camp Pendleton.