1914-1979
Revolutionary trouble in Mexico precipitated the activation of the 4th
Regiment of Marines at Marine Barracks, Puget Sound, Washington,
16 April 1914 under the command of Colonel Joseph A. Pendleton.
Three times during its first two years the 4th Regiment embarked, stood
by afloat off various Mexican west coast ports prepared to land on order.
In each case no landing was required, nor did the regiment engage in
combat.
In the spring of 1916, civil war broke out in the Dominican Republic.
Fears for the safety of American and other foreign citizens in the country
convinced the American government that intervention in the situation was
necessary. Colonel Pendleton’s 4th Regiment departed San Diego by rail
for New Orleans on 6 June where it boarded the USS Hancock. The
Regiment arrived in the Dominican Republic on 21 June 1916. In the
vigorous campaigning that followed immediately, the 4th Regiment won its
battle honors and sustained its first battle casualties. As additional
Marines were committed, it became one component of the three-regiment 2nd
Provisional Brigade. The 4th Regiment was destined to spend eight years
in the Dominican Republic. As in most ‘bush’ or ‘banana’ wars, Marines
performed a variety of tasks from policing the hinterland to running the
railroads. They also trained a native constabulary to take over their chore
of maintaining order once a stable civil government could be established.
This occurred in October 1922, and the 4th Regiment sailed for San Diego
in the summer of 1924.
Following a period of routine garrison duties and a tour guarding the U. S.
mails during the robbery epidemic of 1926-27, the regiment drew the
assignment which was to win it fame and the descriptive nickname, the ‘China
Regiment.’ The cause for alarm in the Far East in early 1927 stemmed from
the threat that the Chinese Nationalists would seize Shanghai and endanger
the foreign residents there. After standing by on 24-hour alert, the 4th
Regiment, under Colonel Charles S. Hill, embarked in the USS Chaumont and
sailed from San Diego on 3 February 1927. With the declaration on a state
of emergency on 21 March, the 4th Regiment went ashore. The regiment’s
initial mission became one of reinforcing the Marines already in Shanghai
in the prevention of rioting and mob violence within the American sector.
A few days after the landing of the 4th Regiment, Brigadier General Smedley
D. Butler arrived in Shanghai to take command of all Marine forces ashore.
His command was designated as the 3d Brigade.
Shanghai for the next few years was relatively peaceful and garrison duty
for the 4th Regiment passed uneventfully. The 3d Brigade left China in
early 1929 leaving the 4th Regiment behind. In February 1930 the regiment’s
designation was officially changed to the 4th Marines. The security of
Shanghai was once again threatened in early 1932 after hostilities broke
out between the Chinese and the Japanese. In 1937 the fighting became so
intense that the 4th Marines, now commanded by Colonel Charles F. B. Price,
and other foreign troops manned the barricades of the International
Settlement in Shanghai. The 1937 situation developed into a series of
potentially explosive crises as both sides resorted to aerial bombing with
considerable carelessness and accompanying indiscriminate antiaircraft and
artillery fire. Again reinforcements were rushed in to support the
4th Marines. The 2d Brigade arrived in Shanghai in September 1937. The
brigade was withdrawn early in 1938 when a shift of the scene of Sino-
apanese hostilities left Shanghai relatively safe. The 4th Marines once
again remained behind.
As the threat of war between Japan and the United States became greater, the
4th Marines, now commanded by Colonel Samuel L. Howard, departed Shanghai
for the Philippines in November 1941. A few days after the Japanese attack
on the Philippines on 8 December, the 4th Marines, under tactical command of
the Army, moved to Corregidor. Marines in the regiment worked feverishly
throughout the protracted siege of the island fortress on defense measures
and installations. The Japanese made their assault landing during the dark
hours of 5-6 May 1942. In spite of dogged resistance by the defenders,
the Japanese gained a toehold on the island. At noon on 6 May 1942 the
Americans on Corregidor surrendered. The men of the 4th Marines burned
their colors and went into captivity. The regiment temporarily went out of
existence.
The 4th Marines was reborn on 1 February 1944 when it was reconstituted
from units of the 1st Raider Regiment on Guadalcanal under the command of
Lt. Colonel Alan Shapley. The Raider regiment’s battalions had fought at
Guadalcanal, New Georgia, and Bougainville. Following its initial operation
in its new capacity, an unopposed seizure of Emirau Island, the regiment
returned to Guadalcanal where it was integrated into the 1st Provisional
Marine Brigade on 19 April 1944.
The 1st Provisional Brigade was assigned to southern beaches in the Agat-
Bangi Point area for the assault on Guam. Lieutenant Colonel Shapley’s
4th Marines was in the first assault waves that hit the beaches on 21 July
1944. As the regiment moved inland it encountered stiff resistance and
the heavy fighting continued throughout the day. During the ensuing
night the 4th Marines successfully withstood several enemy counterattacks.
The following day the regiment reached the top of Mount Alifan across
difficult terrain and secured the entire ridge line. Shortly before daybreak
on 26 July, the 4th Marines led off the offensive on the Orote Peninsula.
This objective was finally taken on the 29th. The end of organized
resistance on Guam was announced on 10 August. The job of mopping
up Japanese survivors remained and the regiment stayed on Guam for nearly
three weeks to aid in this task. It then moved back to its Guadalcanal base.
The 1st Provisional Marine Brigade was redesignated as the 6th Marine
Division on 7 September 1944. The division’s initial combat mission was to
secure the northern half of Okinawa. Lack of opposition during the landing
on 1 April 1945 enabled the Marines to make significant gains in the first
few days. The division reached Motobu Peninsula on 8 April and encountered
its first serious opposition. Mount Yaetake formed the core of the Japanese
defense and was the primary target of the 4th Marines. The struggle for the
mountain was bitterly contested until 16 April when Marines from the 3d
Battalion secured the summit. The 6th Marine Division moved south after
northern Okinawa was declared secured. During the opening phase of the drive,
the 4th Marines remained in division reserve. On 19 May, the regiment
relieved the exhausted 29th Marines and played a major role in the advance
that resulted in the capture of Naha. The next assignment of the 6th
Division was the seizure of Oroku Peninsula. For a week the 4th Marines,
with the 29th Marines, fought a well-entrenched enemy. Finally on 13 June
the peninsula was undisputedly in American hands.
The 6th Marine Division returned to Guam to set up a new base and trained for
the planned invasion of Japan. It was during this time that Japan surrendered.
The 4th Marines received the honor of spearheading the U.S. occupation of
Japan, while the 6th Division was slated for occupation duty in North China.
The regiment, now commanded by Lt. Colonel Fred D. Beans, landed at
Yokosuka on 30 August 1945 to take over naval and air facilities. Early in
1946 the regiment redeployed to Tsingtao, China for Norfolk, Virginia
leaving behind the 3d Battalion which was deactivated there on 1 October 1947.
The rest of the 4th Marines was assigned to the 2d Marine Division at
Camp LeJeune and reassigned to the 2d Provisional Marine Regiment in
early 1949. The 4th Marines was deactivated on 17 October 1949.
The 4th Marines, under the command of Colonel Robert O. Bowen, was
reactivated at Camp Pendleton, California on 2 September 1952 as part
of the 3d Marine Division. The division was deployed to Japan in August
1953. While stationed there the 4th Marines was engaged in numerous
exercises to maintain its combat efficiency. Less than 18 months after
its arrival in Japan, the regiment was transferred to the Territory of
Hawaii in February 1955 to become the ground echelon of the 1st Provisional
Marine Air-Ground Task Force which was located at Kaneohe Bay.
Redesignation of the task force to the 1st Marine Brigade took place
on 1 May 1956.
The 4th Marines’ combat readiness was put to the test in early 1965,
when the American involvement in the war in Viet Nam was enlarged.
After arriving at Chu Lai in May 1965, the regiment, now commanded
by Colonel Edward P. Dupras, Jr., rejoined its parent 3d Marine Division.
The first major engagement for the regiment was Operation Starlite.
The remainder of 1965 saw elements of the 4th Marines engaging the enemy
mostly in small unit actions. During the spring of 1966, the regiment
shifted its operations from the southern to the northern part of the I Corps
Tactical Zone of South Viet Nam.
During the TET OFFENSIVE, launched in January 1968, Viet Cong and
North Vietnamese attacked cities and military installations throughout
South Viet Nam. The 2d Battalion in April 1968 was involved in especially
bitter clashes near Dong Ha and along the Cua Viet River. Contact with
enemy forces tapered off for the 4th Marines in the fall of 1968, although
the regiment continued to conduct operations into the middle of 1969.
With the announced withdrawal of American troops in 1969, the 4th Marines,
now commanded by Colonel Gilbert R. Hershey, was ordered to Okinawa.
All elements were redeployed by the end of November.
During the early 1970’s the 4th Marines was involved with intensive training
programs for amphibious warfare, civil disturbance, air mount-out, weapons
requalification, and physical readiness.
The 4th Marines Headquarters was activated as REGIMENTAL LANDING
TEAM - 4, 9TH MARINE AMPHIBIOUS BRIGADE from 18 April to
to 12 May 1975 to aid in the evacuations of Americans, Vietnamese, and
Cambodians from Saigon and the surrounding areas. Under the command
of Colonel Alfred M. Gray, the unit provided battalion landing teams and
air contingency battalion landing teams for operations during this period.
In April 1979, the 4th Marines relocated from Camp Hansen to Camp
Schwab, Okinawa.
Submitted by:
Lonnie 'Red' Young
Charlie Co. 1969.
From: History and Museums Division
Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps
Washington, D.C.
1983