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1st Battalion, 26th Marines Merchandise
"The Professionals" -
The 1st Battalion, 26th Marines (1/26) is an inactive infantry battalion of the United States Marine Corps. 1/26 Marines were part of the 26th Marine Regiment and 5th Marine Division and fought during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. 1/26 Marines were activated again for the Vietnam War but were deactivated after the war and remain inactive today.
The 26th Marine Regiment was activated on 1 March 1966 at Camp Pendleton, forming the battalion landing team (BLT) of the Special Landing Force (SLF) and conducted Operation Deckhouse IV, landing at Da Nang in September.
In May 1967, the 1-26 Marines moved to Khe Sanh to support The Hill Fights and took responsibility for the area around Khe Sanh Combat Base. Operations Ardmore and Scotland followed, focusing on search and destroy missions in the Khe Sanh area.
Starting from 21 January 1968, the 26th Marines were under siege at Khe Sanh until Operation Pegasus ended on 14 April. Transferred to the 1st Marine Division in May, 1/26 Marines participated in Operations Allen Brook, Mameluke Thrust, and Houston. They were then moved to the Da Nang tactical area of responsibility (TAOR).
In 1969, 1/26 Marines was responsible for security near Da Nang and joined various operations such as SLF Alpha, Daring Rebel, Pipestone Canyon, Bold Pursuit, Mighty Play, and Defiant Stand. The 5th Marine Division was deactivated on 21 September, but the 26th Marines were assigned to the 1st Marine Division.
In 1970, the 26th Marines defended the northern and western approaches to Da Nang and had a command post on Hill 10. 1/26 Marines stood down for deactivation in late February to early March, and the 1st Marines took over. The 26th Marine Regiment redeployed from South Vietnam and was inactivated from 11 to 19 March 1970.