World War I The battalion was activated on 20 November 1917 at Quantico, Virginia as the 9th Regiment. During December 1917 they were deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and attached to the 3rd Provisional Brigade. They were relocated during August 1918 to Fort Crockett, Galveston, Texas, and detached from 3rd Provisional Brigade. They moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during April 1919 and deactivated 25 April 1919.
World War II The battalion was activated on 1 March 1942 at
San Diego,
California and were assigned to the
2nd Marine Regiment of the
2nd Marine Division. They were reassigned during August 1942 to Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet and shortly thereafter relocated during September 1942 to
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California and reassigned to the
3rd Marine Division. They deployed during January–February 1943 to
Auckland, New Zealand and from there participated in the following World War II Campaigns: •
Bougainville Campaign (1 November 1943 – 21 August 1945) •
Northern Solomons (January 1942 – 21 August 1945) •
Battle of Guam (21 July – 10 August 1944) •
Battle of Iwo Jima (19 February – 26 March 1945) Following the
surrender of Japan the battalion was detached during December 1945 from the 3rd Marine Division and returned during December 1945 to Camp Pendleton, California. They were formally deactivated on 31 December 1945.
Vietnam War During the
Vietnam War, the unit earned the name "The Walking Dead" for its high casualty rate. The battalion endured the longest sustained combat and suffered the highest
killed in action (KIA) rate in Marine Corps history, especially during the
Battle of July Two. The battalion was engaged in combat for 47 months and 7 days, from 15 June 1965 to 19 October 1966 and 11 December 1966 to 14 July 1969. Based on a typical battalion strength of 800 Marines and Navy hospital
corpsmen, 2,892 Marines passed through the unit over those 47 months; 25.89% (747) were killed in action (KIA) and 0.0007% (2) were missing in action (MIA). 1/9 participated in the following operations during the Vietnam War: • Blastout I August 65 • Golden Fleece Sep–Oct 65 • County Fair Sep–Dec 65 • Rice Straw Oct–Nov 65 • Independence February 1966 • Ky Lam Campaign May 1966 • Liberty July 1966 •
Macon Jul–Oct 1966 • Suwannee Aug 1966 •
Deckhouse V January 1967 •
Prairie II Feb–Mar 1967 • Chinook II Feb–Apr 1967 • Operation Beacon Hill Mar–Apr 1967 •
Prairie III Mar–Apr 1967 •
Prairie IV Apr–May 1967 • Operation Cimarron Jun–Jul 1967 •
Buffalo July 1967 • Fremont Jul–Oct 1967 (became Neosha) •
Kentucky November 1967–Feb 1969 •
Neosho November 1967–January 1968 •
Scotland November 1967–March 1968 • Checkers December 1967–January 1968 • Ballistic Armor January 1968 •
Napoleon/Saline April–May 1968 •
Kentucky Apr–Jun 1968 •
Lancaster July 1968 •
Scotland II Apr–Sep 1968 • Pegasus/LamSon 207 April 1968 26 Mar • July Action July 1968 • Dawson River November 1968–January 1969 • Dawson River South January 1969 • Dawson River West January 1969 •
Dewey Canyon January–March 1969. On 22 February elements of 1/9 Marines operated in the vicinity of FSB Erskine and came into contact with 3rd Battalion, 9th NVA Regiment. •
Apache Snow May–June 1969 •
Utah Mesa June-Jul • Cameron Falls JunAug 1969 • Direct Combat Support 11-18-1969-1-8-1970 21-29June 1970 24–26 July 1970 19–21 May 1971 • Heroic Action 11 May 1972 • Song Thanh 5-72 13 May 1972 • Song Thanh 6-72 24 May 1972 • ReadyOp 27-June 1972 • LamSon 72(I) 29 June 1972 • LamSon 72 (II) 11 July 1972 •
Frequent Wind 20–30 April 1975
1980s and 1990s During most of the 1980s and 1990s, the battalion rotated between
Camp Pendleton,
California and
Camp Hansen,
Okinawa, Japan. This consisted of twelve months overseas and 18 months in
California. 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, Fleet Marine Force(REIN), Camp Pendleton, California, served on several overseas deployments. 1/9 was re-designated as Battalion Landing Team One Slant Nine (BLT 1/9) and deployed as the infantry element of the 13th MEU/SOC and 11th MEU/SOC. During its deployments, the Marines and Sailors of 1/9 became a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) that was Special Operations Capable (MEU/SOC). The Marines and Sailors were trained in Counter Terrorism, Downed Airman Rescue, Embassy evacuations,
SPIE rigging,
fast roping, rubber raiding in their inflatable boats for boarding and insertion, and
rappelling. Much of the training was spent on foreign Soviet weapons and Soviet military doctrine. The battalion served in the Gulf War.
Operation Restore Hope In September 1993, 1st Battalion 9th Marines commanded by LtCol. Silva were the battalion deployed as the
ground combat element of the
13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The 13th MEU arrived off the coast of
Somalia in early October onboard warships from Amphibious Squadron 5
USS ''New Orleans LPH-11,
USS Denver LPD-9,
USS Cayuga LST-1186 and
USS Comstock LSD-45 in direct response to the
Battle of Mogadishu fought on 3 and 4 October 1993. The 13th MEU and
22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit formed the
1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade (1st MEB) commanded by
General Peter Pace. 1st MEB remained on station ready to provide support to United States and United Nations forces. 1st MEB was disestablished when the 22nd MEU (SOC) was reassigned to the Mediterranean area of operations in mid-November. The 13th MEU remained as the principle rapid response force in support of the joint task force and participated in
Operation Restore Hope and
Operation Continue Hope. They also developed and executed two humanitarian assistance operations. The first, Operation Show Care took place in the cities of Marka and Qoryooley from 11 to 14 November. From 1–3 December 1993, Operation More Care was conducted in the Old Port of Mogadishu. Both operations provided needed medical and dental assistance to Somali citizens. The 13th MEU (SOC) continued its presence mission through January, providing aircraft for the "Eyes Over Mogadishu" missions as well as sniper support at the United States Embassy compound. On 2 February 1994, the 24th MEU (SOC) relieved the 13th MEU (SOC). The battalion was deactivated on 9 September 1994 and redesignated
2nd Battalion 1st Marines. The battalion remained inactive from 1994 through 2007.
Global war on terror In April 2005, the Marine Corps began reactivating 1st Battalion, 9th Marines starting with Alpha Company as an initial evaluation. In April 2006, after only a 30-day work-up cycle, Alpha Company deployed in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom and completed a successful six-month deployment to
Forward Operating Base Grizzly in
Camp Ashraf,
Iraq. During this time, the company conducted security and stabilization operations north of
Al Khalis in the
Diyala Governorate, working jointly with
Military Police,
Cavalry and
Field Artillery units from the
National Guard. Alpha Company returned in October 2006 without the loss of any Marines. Due to Alpha Company's success, 1/9 was officially reactivated in April 2007. In March 2008, the battalion deployed to the
Anbar province on a 7-month deployment, and took over sole responsibility of
Ar Ramadi and all security missions in the immediate area. The battalion was divided into Police Transition Teams (PTT) and worked directly with Iraqi Police developing them into a more efficient professional police force to provide a more safe and secure living environment for the local populace. 1/9 returned from deployment in October 2008. From May, 2011 to December, 2011, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines deployed to
Helmand province,
Afghanistan. This would be the first time the "Walking Dead" would fight in
Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The battalion detached Alpha Company and attached it to
3rd Battalion, 6th Marines in the city of
Marjah while under 1/9, Weapons Company operated separately in
Nawa-I-Barakzayi District. Bravo and Charlie Company remained with the rest of 1/9 including H&S Company in
Nawa District. Though there were casualties, no Marines were killed in action. From September, 2012 to December, 2012, Alpha Company deployed to
Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base,
Kuwait, providing security forces for
MAG-40. 1/9 deployed to Helmand province Afghanistan from Sept 2013 to May 2014 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and shortly after returning from this deployment the unit cased their colors again. ==Medal of Honor recipients==