3rd Battalion, 5th Marines

Unit Lineage

Organized on 8 June 1917, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines is an infantry battalion assigned to the 5th Marine Regiment under the 1st Marine Division. Known as "Darkhorse," the battalion is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. The nickname traces to the Korean War, when Colonel Robert Taplett used "Darkhorse Six" as his radio callsign. It fell out of use for decades until a battalion commander revived it before the 2004 Iraq deployment. The name stuck. 3/5 has fought in every major American conflict since World War I and carries one of the heaviest combat records of any battalion in the Marine Corps.

World War I

3/5 sailed for France in 1917 and fought at Belleau Wood, Chateau-Thierry, and Soissons as part of the 4th Marine Brigade under the Army's 2nd Division. The French government recognized the battalion's service with the Croix de Guerre and the Fourragere, and renamed the forest "Bois de la Brigade de Marine" in honor of the Marines who fought there.

World War II

3/5 fought across the Pacific at Guadalcanal, Peleliu, and Okinawa. The battalion earned multiple unit citations for its actions during the island-hopping campaign.

Korea

As part of the "Chosin Few," 3/5 fought at the Chosin Reservoir in some of the most brutal conditions of the Korean War. The battalion helped lead the breakout against overwhelming Chinese forces and earned a Presidential Unit Citation. Corporal Jack A. Davenport and Private First Class Fernando Luis Garcia both received the Medal of Honor posthumously for their actions with the battalion in Korea.

Vietnam

From 1966 to 1971, 3/5 saw extensive combat across I Corps. The battalion fought at Hue City during the Tet Offensive and in the Que Son Valley, where it earned two Presidential Unit Citations. 3/5 also operated around An Hoa and Firebase Ross throughout the war.

Iraq

3/5 deployed for the 2003 invasion of Iraq and returned in 2004 to participate in Operation Phantom Fury, the Second Battle of Fallujah, alongside 3/1 and other units. First Lieutenant Brian Chontosh received the Navy Cross during the 2003 invasion for leading his platoon through a near-ambush, dismounting his vehicle and clearing an enemy trench line with a combination of weapons including captured enemy arms.

Sangin

From September 2010 to April 2011, Darkhorse deployed to Sangin District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan. It was the deadliest assignment for any Marine battalion in the ten-year Afghan war. The area was saturated with IEDs, and the battalion faced over a hundred firefights in the first three weeks alone. When the Secretary of Defense suggested pulling the Marines out, Commandant General James Amos refused. Instead, the Marine Corps sent hundreds of additional Marines and mine-clearing equipment. By the end of the seven-month deployment, 3/5 had lost 25 Marines and a Navy Corpsman. 184 were wounded. 34 lost at least one limb. The documentary "For the 25" memorializes the battalion's sacrifice. At the memorial service at Camp Pendleton, 25 combat crosses stood in a row.

Gear for Darkhorse

This collection exists for the Marines who served with 3/5 and the families who carry their names. Every t-shirt, hoodie, flag, and accessory honors the battalion's history from Belleau Wood to Sangin. Veteran-owned and made in the USA.

Browse our 3/5 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+.