1st Battalion 7th Marines

The 1st Battalion, 7th Marines (1/7) is an infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. It is based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, consists of approximately 1,000 Marines, and is part of the 1st Marine Division.

Famous Marines who have served in 1/7 include Lieutenant General Lewis "Chesty" Puller and Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone.

History

The 1st Battalion, 7th Marines was created on 1 April 1921 in San Diego, California. In September 1924, the Battalion was deactivated with its personnel being absorbed by the newly organized 4th Marine Regiment. For the next twenty years the Battalion was activated, re-designated and disbanded on numerous occasions until being reborn on 1 January 1941.

World War II

Just over a year after its rebirth, the Battalion deployed to take part in the Pacific Theater during World War II, where its personnel saw their first action of the war at Guadalcanal. Under its commander, Lieutenant Colonel Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, the Battalion distinguished itself many times over for valor and bravery as it valiantly held its positions against the onslaught of a regiment of seasoned Japanese attackers. It was also during this campaign that the legendary Sgt "Manila John" Basilone was awarded the Medal of Honor for defending the regiment from a comprehensive Japanese assault using only a machine gun. Throughout the remainder of the war, the "First Team" distinguished itself throughout many campaigns, including the Battle of Cape Gloucester, the Battle of Peleliu and the Battle of Okinawa.

1st Battalion (Australia)

The 1st Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Australian Army. Although its numerical name was designated during the First World War, the 1st Battalion can trace its lineage back to 1854, when a unit of the Volunteer Rifles was raised in Sydney, New South Wales. This unit has since been redesignated a number of times, but through its links with the units of the colonial NSW defence force, the battalion's history includes services in the Sudan and South Africa. During the First World War, the 1st Battalion was raised for overseas service in 1914 as part of the First Australian Imperial Force. Attached to the 1st Brigade, the battalion served in Egypt initially before taking part in the fighting in Gallipoli against the Turks. Later the battalion was sent to the Western Front where it fought in the trenches in France and Belgium as part of the Australian Corps. Following the end of the war the battalion was disbanded in 1919.

7th Marine Regiment (United States)

The 7th Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps based at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. Nicknamed the "Magnificent Seventh", they fall under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force.

Mission

Conduct mechanized, combined-arms operations and other expeditionary operations in order to support theater engagement plans and contingency operations. The regiment will be prepared to deploy within 48-hours of the receipt of an execute order as either the ground combat element for the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade (1st MEB) or as a major subordinate element of the 1st Marine Division. As directed, the regiment will prepare infantry battalions for deployment to the Pacific Command (PACOM AOR) in order to support III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) operations and training

Subordinate Units

Battalion

A battalion is a military unit. The use of the term "battalion" varies by nationality and branch of service. Typically a battalion consists of 300 to 800 soldiers and is divided into a number of companies. A battalion is typically commanded by a lieutenant colonel. In some countries the word "battalion" is associated with the infantry.

The term was first used in Italian as battaglione no later than the 16th century. It derived from the Italian word for battle, battaglia. The first use of battalion in English was in the 1580s, and the first use to mean "part of a regiment" is from 1708.

Independent operations

A battalion may be the smallest military organization capable of independent operations, though this depends on the definition of "independent operations". It must have a source of re-supply to sustain operations for more than several days. In addition to comprising sufficient personnel and equipment (usually at least two primary mission companies and one mission support company) to perform significant operations, as well as a limited self-contained administrative and logistics capability, the commander is provided with a full-time staff whose function is to coordinate current operations and plan future operations. A battalion's subordinate units (companies and their organic platoons) are dependent upon the battalion headquarters for command, control, communications, and intelligence and the battalion's organic service and support structure to perform their mission. The battalion is usually part of a regiment, brigade, or group, depending on the organizational model used by that service. Battalions generally can operate for no greater than 10 days without higher echelon support, and are unable to operate away from a supported location without their higher headquarters regiment, brigade, or group's logistical support structure.

Silver Star

The Silver Star, officially the Silver Star Medal, is the third-highest military decoration for valor awarded to members of the United States Armed Forces. Any uniformed servicemember may receive the medal, which is awarded for gallantry in action against an enemy of the United States.

History

The Silver Star is the successor award to the "Citation Star" (³⁄₁₆ silver star) which was established by an Act of Congress on July 9, 1918. On July 19, 1932, the Secretary of War approved the conversion of the "Citation Star" to the Silver Star Medal. The original "Citation Star" is incorporated into the center of the medal.

Authorization for the Silver Star Medal was placed into law by an Act of Congress for the U.S. Navy on August 7, 1942 and an Act of Congress for the U.S. Army on December 15, 1942. The current statutory authorization for the medal is Title 10 of the United States Code, 10 U.S.C. § 3746 for the U.S. Army, 10 U.S.C. § 8746 for the U.S. Air Force, and 10 U.S.C. § 6244 for the U.S. Navy.