3rd Battalion, 1st Marines

1st Marine Division

Camp Pendleton, California

Mission
History
Chaplain
Deployment Readiness Coordinator
Contact

The primary mission of the infantry battalion is to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver or to repel his assault by fire and close combat.

FALLEN HEROES

This page is dedicated in memory of our Fallen Marines who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation in either Afghanistan or Iraq.

Third Battalion, First Marines deployed to Kuwait in 2002 and participated in an urban exercise as part of Exercise Eager Mace. The following Marine paid the ultimate sacrifice during this deployment:
LCpl Sledd, Antonio	Died Of Wounds	08-Oct-02
Third Battalion, First Marines deployed to Iraq in 2004. In November 2004, the battalion participated in Operation Al Fajr, the second assault on the city of Fallujah. The following Marines paid the ultimate sacrifice during this deployment:
Sgt Nachampassak, Krisna 27, of Burke, Virginia	Accident	10-Jul-04
PFC Reed, Christopher 20, of Craigmont, Idaho	Accident	10-Jul-04
Cpl Holmes, Terry 22, of Hollywood, Florida	Accident	10-Jul-04
SSgt Spink Trevor 36, of Farmington, Missouri	Accident	10-Jul-04
Sgt Calderon, Juan 26, of Weslaco, Texas	Killed In Action	2-Aug-04
LCpl Hannon, Fernando 19, of Wildomar, California	Died Of Wounds	15-Aug-04
LCpl Perez, Geoffrey 24, of Los Angeles, California	Killed In Action	15-Aug-04
Cpl Alvarez, Nicanor 22, of San Bernardino, California He was attached from First Combat Engineer Battalion, First Marine Division, First Marine Expeditionary Force	Killed In Action	21-Aug-04
Cpl Rintamaki, Steven 21, of Lynnwood, Washington	Killed In Action	16-Sep-04
Cpl Oliveira, Brian 22, of Raynham, Massachusetts	Died Of Wounds	25-Oct-04
Sgt James, William 24, of Huntington Beach, California	Killed In Action	9-Nov-04
LCpl Larson, Nicholas 19, of Wheaton, Illinois	Killed In Action	9-Nov-04
LCpl Segura, Juan 26, of Homestead, Florida	Killed In Action	9-Nov-04
SSgt Slay, Russell 28, of Humble, Texas He was attached from Second Assault Amphibian Battalion, Second Marine Division, Second Marine Expeditionary Force	Killed In Action	9-Nov-04
LCpl Wood, Nathan 19, of Kirkland, Washington	Killed In Action	9-Nov-04
LCpl Simpson, Abraham 19, of Chino, California	Killed In Action	9-Nov-04
Cpl Bowling, Theodore 25, of Casselberry, Florida	Killed In Action	11-Nov-04
Sgt Strader, Morgan 23, of Crossville, Indiana	Killed In Action	12-Nov-04
Sgt Norwood, Byron 25, of Pflugerville, Texas	Killed In Action	13-Nov-04
LCpl Bryan, Benjamin 23, of Lumberton, North Carolina	Killed In Action	13-Nov-04
LCpl McLeese, Justin 19, of Covington, Louisiana	Killed In Action	13-Nov-04
Cpl Burger, Dale 21, of Bel Air, Maryland	Killed In Action	14-Nov-04
Cpl Perez, Andres 21, of Santa Cruz, California	Killed In Action	14-Nov-04
LCpl Swain, James 20, of Kokomo, Indiana He was attached from Headquarters Battalion, First Marine Division, First Marine Expeditionary Force	Killed In Action	15-Nov-04
LCpl Ailes, Jeramy 22, of Gilroy, California	Killed in Action	15-Nov-04
LCpl Qualls, Louis 20, of Temple, Texas He was attached from Second Battalion, Fourteenth Marine Regiment, Fourth Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve	Killed In Action	16-Nov-04
Sgt Heflin, Christopher 26, of Paducah, Kentucky	Killed In Action	16-Nov-04
LCpl Hanks, Michael 22, of Gregory, Michigan	Killed In Action	17-Nov-04
LCpl Figueroa, Luis 21, of Los Angeles, California	Killed In Action	18-Nov-04
LCpl Arms, Bradley 20, of Charlottesville, Virginia He was attached from Fourth Combat Engineer Battalion, Fourth Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve	Killed In Action	19-Nov-04
LCpl West, Phillip 19, of American Canyon, California	Killed In Action	19-Nov-04
LCpl Welke, Joseph 20, of Rapid City, South Dakota	Died Of Wounds	20-Nov-04
LCpl Dickinson, Joshua 25, of New Port Richey, Florida	Killed In Action	12-Dec-04
The battalion re-deployed back to Iraq in September, 2005. While conducting security and stabilization operations in Western Iraq, the following Marines paid the ultimate sacrifice during this deployment:
Sgt Murray, Jeremy 27, of Atwater, Ohio	Killed In Action	16-Nov-05
LCpl Terrazas, Miguel 20, of El Paso, Texas	Killed In Action	19-Nov-05
Cpl Arellano-Pandura, Carlos 22, of Los Angeles, California	Killed In Action	20-Jan-06
LCpl Dewey, Brandon 20, of San Joaquin, California	Killed In Action	20-Jan-06
In 2007, Third Battalion, First Marines deployed as the ground combat element of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The battalion was ordered into Iraq as part of Operation Phantom Thunder. The following Marines paid the ultimate sacrifice during this deployment:
LCpl Villarreal, Emmanuel 21, of Eagle Pass, Texas He was attached from First Battalion, Eleventh Marines, First Marine Division, First Marine Expeditionary Force	Accident	27-May-07
LCpl Stacy, Steven 23, of Coos Bay, Oregon	Died Of Wounds	5-Jul-07
Cpl Stokes, Sean 24, of Auburn, California	Died Of Wounds	30-Jul-07
Cpl Woods, Travis 21, of Redding, California After deploying to Iraq, Cpl Woods was detached and served in Afghanistan during this deployment. He was assigned to First Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Pendleton, California.	Died Of Wounds	9-Sep-07
In 2010, Third Battalion, First Marines deployed to Afghanistan - Operation Enduring Freedom. The following Marines paid the ultimate sacrifice during this deployment:
Sgt May, Kenneth 26, of Kilgore, Texas	Killed In Action	11-May-2010
Cpl Johnson, Jeffery 21, of Tomball, Texas	Killed In Action	11-May-2010
HM3 Wood, Zarian 29, of Houston, Texas He was attached from Naval Branch Health Clinic, Naval Air Station, Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas.	Died Of Wounds	14-May-2010
Sgt Bury, Brandon 26, of Kingwood Texas	Accident	06-Jun-2010
Cpl Marler, Donald 22, of St. Louis, Missouri	Accident	06-Jun-2010
LCpl Hernandez, Derek 20, of Edinburg, Texas He was attached from Military Police Support Company, Headquarters Group, First Marine Expeditionary Force	Accident	06-Jun-2010
Sgt Rankel, John 23, of Speedway, Indiana	Died of Wounds	07-Jun-2010
HN Ortega, William 23, of Miami, Florida	Killed In Action	18-Jun-2010
Sgt Caskey, Joseph 24, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania	Killed In Action	26-Jun-2010
Cpl Harris, Larry 24, of Thornton Colorado	Killed In Action	01-Jul-2010
Cpl Donahue, Max 23, of Highlands Ranch, Colorado He was assigned from First Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group, First Marine Expeditionary Force	Died of Wounds	07-Aug-2010
Cpl Greer, Kristopher 25, of Ashland City, Tennessee He was assigned from Fourth Combat Engineering Battalion, Fourth Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve	Died of Wounds	08-Aug-2010
GySgt Holley, Floyd 36, of Casselberry, Florida He was assigned from Seventh Engineer Support Battalion, First Marine Logistics Group, First Marine Expeditionary Force	KIA	29-Aug-2010
Cpl Thomas, Matthew 24, of Great Britain He was attached from the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.	Died Of Wounds	25-Sept-2010

It is the battalion’s utmost desire to ensure accurate information is displayed in the testimony of each Marine and his family’s ultimate sacrifice and patriotic service. If any of the information displayed is incorrect, please contact 3/1 immediately through the unit email address: 1mardiv31bnmailbox@usmc.mil.

SEMPER FIDELIS!

3/1 Chaplain:

LT James Holliday

Office: 760-763-0540

E-MAIL the Chaplain

3rd Battalion, 1st Marines Command Religious Program (CRP)

Lieutenant James Holliday is a native of Zebulon, North Carolina. He was enlisted from 1996-2000, serving as a Radioman/Information Systems Technician aboard USS Nassau (LHA-4) fulfilling his enlistment as a Second Class Petty Officer. In 2009, he completed his baccalaureate degree at The College of Southeastern. He received his Masters of Divinity in Christian Ministry from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, in 2012. He is an ordained Southern Baptist minister and endorsed by Liberty Baptist Fellowship.

Prior to being commissioned as a U.S. Navy Chaplain, Chaplain Holliday served as a Police Telecommunicator (2001-2006), Student Ministry Pastor at Central Baptist Church in Wendell, NC (2006-2011), Student Ministry Pastor at Potomac Crest Baptist Church in Dumfries, VA (2011-2013), Family Life Pastor at Crievewood Baptist Church in Nashville, TN (2013-2014) and as Lead Pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Raleigh, NC (2015-2018), where he was commissioned as a Lieutenant Junior Grade in the U.S. Navy Chaplain Corps.

Chaplain Holliday previously served as Staff Chaplain at the U.S. Naval Submarine School in Groton, CT from June 2020-July 2021. He also served as Deputy Command Chaplain of Submarine Base New London from August 2018-June 2020. He is currently serving as the Battalion Chaplain of 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, CA.
Chaplain Holliday’s personal awards include the Navy Marine Corps Achievement Medal with 3rd Award, Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon with 2nd Award, Navy Marine Corps Unit Commendation Medal, Navy “E” Ribbon with 2nd Award, Navy Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Ribbon, Humanitarian Service Medal, Navy Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and Navy Rifleman Ribbon.

Camp Pendleton Religious Services

Marriage/Personal Enrichment Retreats (CREDO)

Chaplain Care Website

3rd Battalion 1st Marines Chaplain page

Deployment Readiness Coordinator
Lora Garcia
Phone #: (760) 763-0536
Cell #: (760) 468-0468

lora.garcia@usmc.mil

Welcome to 3d Battalion, 1st Marines and to the Brahma Family!

My name is Lora Garcia, and I am the Deployment Readiness Coordinator (DRC) for 3/1. Our military families are the most resilient of families and can adapt and overcome the many challenges this lifestyle can throw at us. I am here to ensure you are prepared for these challenges in the most supported way:

Communication
Information and Referral
Deployment Support

Please do not hesitate to ask me questions; it is part of my job to answer them. If you are a member of our Brahma Family and are NOT receiving emails from me, please let me know. I also want to encourage you to get involved! This is YOUR 3/1 Family so seize this opportunity to build a vibrant community and support our Marines and Sailors here with 3/1!

You can do this by:

attending briefs
becoming a volunteer
attending a family event
or even attending classes provided through Marine Corps Family Team Building.

I welcome any ideas/feedback/information you may have so please call, text, email, or stop by any time. I have an open-door policy so please do not hesitate to reach out.

“Welcome to the BRAHMA FAMILY”

Lora Garcia

3/1 Deployment Readiness Useful Links

BATTALION OFFICER OF THE DAY

(After Business Hours*)
Comm: (760) 763-0531
FAX: (760) 763-0551
DSN: 361-0531
**Business hours are 0730 - 1630, Monday - Friday
*After business hours are 1630 - 0730, Monday - Friday
to include all day Saturdays, Sundays, & Holidays

BATTALION S-1 ADMINISTRATION SECTION

(During Business Hours**)
Comm: (760) 763-0554
DSN: 361-0554

CHAPLAIN:

Comm: (760)763-0540
Cell #: (707)-416-6307
E-MAIL the Chaplain

DEPLOYMENT READINESS COORDINATOR:

Comm: (760)763-0536
Cell: (760)468-0468
E-MAIL the DRC

3rd Battalion, 1st Marines Command Team

Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment

Lieutenant Colonel Bart P. Lambert

A native of Lafayette, Louisiana, Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol) Lambert enlisted in the Marine Corps on 3 June 1991 from Houston, Texas. His formal military education includes The Basic School, Infantry Officers Course, Basic Reconnaissance Course, Marine Combatant Dive School, Military Free Fall...

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Sergeant Major, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment

Sergeant Major Douglas E. Gardner

Douglas E. Gardner enlisted in the Marine Corps in August of 2000 and completed recruit training at MCRD San Diego, CA in September of 2001. Following recruit training, Private Gardner reported to Marine Combat Training Battalion (Bn), School of Infantry (SOI) West, Camp Pendleton, CA. Upon...

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