World War I 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, along with the rest of the 5th Marine Regiment, was first organized on June 8, 1917, as the
United States prepared for
World War I. The battalion was composed of four companies: the
16th,
20th,
45th and
47th. Six days later, manned by
Spanish–American War and
Boxer Rebellion veterans along with a large number of raw recruits, they set sail for
France. They participated in campaigns and battles such as
Bois de Belleau, Vierzy,
Château-Thierry, Pont-a-Mousson, Limey Sector, Fleury,
Meuse-Argonne, Blanc Mont,
St Michiel, Leffincourt and
Soissons. The French Government recognized the young battalion by presenting it the
Croix de Guerre along with the
Fourragère and changing the name of a French landmark, Belleau Wood, to
"Bois de la Brigade de Marine" or "Wood of the Marine Brigade".
Interwar period In August 1919, the battalion was deactivated following World War I and less than two years later, in May 1921, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines was reactivated. For the next several years, men of the 3rd Battalion served in the Caribbean and at home, guarding the
U.S. Mail. All eight faced additional charges of kidnapping, conspiracy, larceny, assault and housebreaking or unlawfully entering a dwelling. Five of the men were accused of making a false official statement. On May 19, 2006, Darkhorse Marines captured three insurgents responsible for the kidnapping and detention of
Jill Carroll, an American journalist with
The Christian Science Monitor. In June 2006, Lance Corporal Reginal Dutt avenged the death of four 2/4 Marines Scout Snipers who had been killed on a rooftop in Ramadi in 2004. 3/5's mission in Habbaniyah killed the insurgent sniper and driver of a vehicle. The sniper rifle was demilitarized and now resides at the 5th Marines Regimental Command Post.
Afghanistan Members of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, conducted operations in the
Sangin District of
Helmand Province,
Afghanistan in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom between September 2010 and April 2011. The area was handed over by 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines. Twenty-five of the battalion's Marines were killed in action and 200 were wounded, many losing limbs. The 3rd Battalion are using
Alternative Energy sources. A couple of forward combat bases use only solar power. One of the Marine foot patrols uses roll-up solar blankets to generate power for their radios and GPS. 3/5 was deployed as the Battalion Landing Team (BLT) for the 15th MEU. The 15th MEU is deployed with the Peleliu Amphibious Ready Group as a theater reserve and crisis response force throughout the U.S. Central Command and the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. In 2013, a Marine veteran Logan Stark of 3/5 released a documentary following the STA (Surveillance and Target Acquisition) platoon of the battalion. Featuring interviews and combat footage from the engagements in Sangin, the documentary named
For the 25 memorializes the 25 lost Marines during the battalion's seven-month deployment. Detailing the experiences of the Marines within the platoon,
For the 25 recounts the adverse conditions and immense casualties sustained by the battalion and the personal struggles overcome by surviving members of the Scout Sniper platoon. =="Darkhorse" nickname==