1st Battalion, 2nd Marines

Unit Lineage

Activated on 1 January 1933 at Camp Haitien, Haiti, the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines is an infantry battalion assigned to the 2nd Marine Regiment under the 2nd Marine Division at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Known by the callsign "Typhoon," 1/2 has fought in every major American conflict from World War II forward and completed five combat deployments to Iraq and multiple deployments to Afghanistan. The 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Alfred M. Gray, served with the battalion. Colonel John W. Ripley, the only Marine inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame, commanded 1/2 from 1979 to 1981.

World War II

Reactivated in June 1942, 1/2 deployed to the Pacific and fought at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. At Tarawa in November 1943, the 2nd Marine Division assaulted one of the most heavily fortified atolls in the Pacific, seizing Betio Island in 76 hours of fighting that reshaped American amphibious doctrine for the rest of the war. After the Japanese surrender, 1/2 served on occupation duty in Nagasaki before returning to Camp Lejeune.

An Nasiriyah

On 23 March 2003, 1/2 attacked into the city of An Nasiriyah as part of Task Force Tarawa during the opening days of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The mission was to seize bridges over the Euphrates River and open a corridor for the 1st Marine Division to push north toward Baghdad. The battalion ran into fierce resistance from Iraqi paramilitaries using RPGs, mortars, and tanks hidden behind buildings. Eighteen Marines from 1/2 were killed on 23 March alone, including casualties from a friendly fire incident when A-10 aircraft mistakenly strafed Charlie Company's assault amphibious vehicles. Sergeant Major Justin D. LeHew earned the Navy Cross for his actions under fire during the battle. Nasiriyah was the first major ground engagement of the Iraq War for the Marine Corps.

Iraq and Afghanistan

After Nasiriyah, 1/2 deployed to Iraq four more times between 2004 and 2009, operating across Babil Province, Hit, Al Anbar, Al Habbaniyah, and Sinjar. In March 2010, the battalion deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Operating across Now Zad, Musa Qala, and the Musa Qala Wadi south to Sangin, 1/2 took heavy casualties while pushing the Taliban out of contested territory and doubling the size of the area under coalition control. The battalion earned the Presidential Unit Citation for the Helmand deployment.

Gear for Typhoon

This collection is for the Marines who served with 1/2 and the families who carry their legacy. Every t-shirt, hoodie, flag, and accessory honors the battalion's history from Tarawa to Nasiriyah to Helmand. Veteran-owned and made in the USA.

Browse our 1/2 Marines t-shirts, long sleeves, hoodies, tank tops, flags, decals, drinkware, and more below. OIF and OEF veteran designs available. Every order ships free at $75+.