3rd Battalion, 1st Marines

1st Marine Division

Camp Pendleton, California

Mission
History
Chaplain
Deployment Readiness Coordinator
Contact
Equal Opportunity
Logo History

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:

LTJG Mukhtar A Haddad Belem

Office: 760-763-0540

E-MAIL the Chaplain

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

Lieutenant Junior Grade Haddad Belem was born in Burkina Faso, West Africa. He memorized the entire Holy Quran with meaning in Tunisia in 1998. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Islamic Study and Quranic Science, and a Master's of Divinity in 2006 from the Islamic University of Madinah, Saudi Arabia. He earned a second Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science and a Ph.D. in Quran and Sunnah Studies in 2011 from the International Islamic University Malaysia. He graduated from Officer Development School in September 2023, and graduated the Professinal Naval Chaplaincy Basic Leadership Course in November 2023. He is endorsed by Mr. Qaseem Ali Uqdah from the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veteran Affairs Council.

Chaplain Haddad Belem was commissioned as a United States Naval Active Duty Chaplain in May 2023. He currently serves as the Battalion Chaplain of the 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment of the 1st Marine Division in Camp Pendleton, CA.

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) 390-5157
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

MARINE CORPS EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

MCO 5354.1F PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES AND CONDUCT PREVENTION AND RESPONSE

If you have been subject to or been witness to Hazing, Bullying, Sexual Harassment, Unlawful Discrimination, or Wrongful Distribution or Broadcasting of Intimate Images, contact your trained Equal Opportunity Representative.

HM1(FMF) Williams

H&S Company Battalion Aid Station

+1 (832) 509-9478

Glen.Williams@usmc.mil

Conflict Management

Attempt at resolution within 30 days.
Resolution between parties = Case Closes.
No Resolution between parties = Formal Resolution process begins.

Formal Resolution

Command Investigation within 30 Days.
Command investigation within 14 Days for Sexual Harassment.
Legal Review = 10 Days.
Notification to subjects = 3 Days.

"The effectiveness of the Marine Corps relies on the trust and teamwork shared between individual Marines, regardless of grade or position. Inherent in this trust is the understanding that fair and equitable treatment is the Marine Corps leadership standard.” (MCO 5354.1F)

The incredible story and sacrifice of William A. Foster, and his last words, “Make them count,” will accompany the BN in every clime and place it might be called too.

Foster enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserves in April 1944. Up to this point in Foster’s life, he was employed as a planner and shaper at Cleveland’s Star Machine and Tool Company in Cleveland, Ohio, and served in the Ohio National Guard for six years.

Upon enlisting, Foster left for Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, California, for bootcamp. In late September, after completing combat training, PFC Foster embarked on the USS General C. G. Morton (AP 138) on its way to the Russell Islands in the Pacific. Once there, Foster checked in with his new unit, Kilo Company, 3rd Bn., 1st Marines. A short time later, in April 1945, Foster and his brothers in arms began their push into Okinawa, Japan.

After getting dug into a perimeter defensive position, Foster and a fellow Marine began to engage in a hand grenade duel with infiltrating enemy soldiers. A few moments later, an enemy grenade landed beyond their reach in their foxhole. With no regard for his own safety, Foster dove on the grenade and absorbed the entirety of the explosion.

Through this selfless act of heroism, Foster protected his fellow Marine from serious injury and possible death. Although mortally wounded, Foster refused to give up and be taken out of the fight. He quickly grabbed his two remaining grenades and gave them to his comrade. With his last breath, Foster told him to “make them count.” Later that day, May 2, 1945, Foster succumbed to his wounds.

3rd Battalion, 1st Marines Command Team

Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marines

LtCol Benjamin Gallo

LtCol Benjamin Gallo was born in Jacksonville, Florida and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He commissioned in 2009 from the United States Naval Academy....

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Official Photo

Sergeant Major, 3rd Battalion 1st Marines

SgtMaj M.D. Reynolds

Sergeant Major Reynolds was born in Sidney, Ohio and graduated from recruit training in May of 2004 from Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, South Carolina....

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Official Photo