MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- The Marines of 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 7th Marine Regiment, unveiled their new command post aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California. Aug. 7, 2015.
The battalion was deactivated in May, 2014 after the Marine Corps began decreasing its footprint in order to comply with lowering its force size to about 175,000 as directed by congress.
Due to the increasing operational requirements around the world, Headquarters Marine Corps authorized the reactivation of 3/4 starting October 1, 2015. The official activation ceremony will take place Sept. 17, 2015, aboard Twentynine Palms.
"The reactivation of 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines offers the Marines and Sailors, veterans, and friends of the battalion an opportunity to celebrate the return of one of the Marine Corps' most deployed units in Marine Corps history,” said Maj. Jonathan Kenney, executive officer, 3/4.
“Whether one considers the battalion's experiences in China, the unparalleled challenges endured during WWII, the savage fighting in the jungles of Vietnam, or the iconic downing of the Saddam Hussein statue in Baghdad's Firdos Square, members of 3/4 always performed beyond expectation,” he added.
The battalion was first activated in 1925 in Naval Base San Diego. It has since been deactivated and reactivated seven other times to help the Corps tailor its forces to the mission at hand, including operations during World War II, the Vietnam War, Libya, Panama, Iraq, and Afghanistan.