3rd Battalion, 7th Marines

Unit Lineage

Activated on 1 January 1941 at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines is a light infantry battalion assigned to the 7th Marine Regiment under the 1st Marine Division. 3/7 is based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California. The battalion's rifle companies are India, Kilo, and Lima. During the Global War on Terror alone, 3/7 completed eleven combat deployments. Five to Iraq. Three to Afghanistan. Three more under Operation Inherent Resolve. No other battalion in the 7th Marines has a combat record that deep in the GWOT era.

World War II

3/7 landed on Guadalcanal on 18 September 1942 alongside the rest of the 7th Marines and earned a Presidential Unit Citation for its actions during the campaign. The battalion went on to fight at Cape Gloucester in late 1943 and then at Peleliu in September 1944 under the command of Colonel Herman H. Hanneken. On 18 September 1944 at Peleliu, Captain Arthur J. Jackson of India Company single-handedly assaulted a series of fortified Japanese positions, destroying twelve pillboxes and killing at least fifty enemy soldiers. He was awarded the Medal of Honor. The battalion fought on Okinawa beginning 1 April 1945, then moved to North China for occupation duty after the war ended.

Korea

Reactivated in August 1950, 3/7 deployed to Korea and fought through the Inchon-Seoul campaign and into the Chosin Reservoir. At the Chosin, 3/7 provided the rearguard for the 5th and 7th Marines as they broke out from Yudam-ni. The roughly 300 Marines left in the battalion were the last to leave the perimeter as Chinese forces overran their positions. After consolidating at Hagaru-ri, the battalion fought through the breakout to Koto-ri and the evacuation at Hungnam. In October 1951, 3/7 executed the first battalion-sized combat helicopter assault in Marine Corps history. The battalion produced four Medal of Honor recipients during the Korean War: Sergeant James E. Johnson, Staff Sergeant William E. Shuck Jr., Private Jack W. Kelso, and Staff Sergeant Lewis G. Watkins.

Vietnam

3/7 deployed to Vietnam and operated across I Corps from 1965 through 1970. The battalion fought in Operation Texas near Quang Ngai in March 1966 and Operation Oklahoma Hills southwest of Da Nang in 1969. Six members of 3/7 received the Medal of Honor during the war: Lance Corporal Roy M. Wheat, Hospital Corpsman Third Class Wayne M. Caron, Lance Corporal Kenneth L. Worley, Lance Corporal Lester W. Weber, Lance Corporal Jose F. Jimenez, and Lance Corporal James D. Howe. The 1968 documentary "A Face of War" was filmed with 3/7 in Quang Ngai Province. Half the company and members of the film crew were wounded during the shoot.

Desert Storm

As part of Task Force Grizzly with 2/7, 3/7 became the lead element of all U.S. forces along the Saudi-Kuwaiti border. The battalion moved into Kuwait three days before the ground offensive began on 24 February 1991 and was the first allied infantry force to enter the country. After breaching two Iraqi minefields, 3/7 seized Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base, which served as the main command post for all enemy forces in Kuwait.

Iraq

3/7 was part of the main effort during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The battalion deployed in January, crossed into Iraq in March, and reached Baghdad by April, securing cities, military installations, and objectives along the route. After taking Baghdad, the battalion moved south to Karbala for five months of stability operations. In February 2004, 3/7 redeployed to Al Qaim in western Al Anbar Province along the Syrian border. On 14 April 2004, Corporal Jason L. Dunham of Kilo Company was conducting a patrol near Karabilah when his squad came under fire. During the engagement, Dunham wrestled an insurgent to the ground and saw the man release a grenade. He covered the grenade with his Kevlar helmet and his body, absorbing the blast to shield his Marines. Dunham died eight days later. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the first given to a Marine since the Vietnam War. The Navy destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109) was named in his honor. The battalion returned to Iraq twice more, serving in Ar Ramadi from September 2005 to March 2006 and again in the Al Qaim region from August 2008 to March 2009.

Afghanistan

From March through October 2010, 3/7 deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. The battalion faced daily attacks while operating in Musa Qaleh, Marjah, and Sangin. 3/7 returned to Afghanistan for a subsequent deployment focused on retrograde operations and transitioning combat outposts to the Afghan National Army. The battalion later completed three rotations under Operation Inherent Resolve across Syria, Iraq, Kuwait, and Jordan, conducting anti-ISIS operations through 2018.

Gear for the Cutting Edge

This collection is for the Marines who served with 3/7 and the families who carry their names. Every t-shirt, hoodie, flag, and accessory represents the battalion's history from Guadalcanal to Helmand. Whether you served with India, Kilo, Lima, or Weapons Company, this gear is built to honor what you did. Veteran-owned and made in the USA.

Browse our 3/7 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+.