The 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines, trains qualified units or individuals that reinforce the active components of the Marine Corps in the event of war, as well as a national emergency or any other threat to national security.
The battalion was first activated on May 1, 1943, at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, as the 2nd Battalion, 25th Marines. It was relocated during August–September 1943 to Camp Pendleton, California. In September 1943, 2/25 was assigned to the 4th Marine Division. The battalion was deployed to combat during January 1944 to Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. It participated in the following World War II campaigns: Kwajalein, Saipan, Tinian and Iwo Jima while under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Lewis C. Hudson. In October 1945, it relocated to Camp Pendleton, California and was deactivated on October 31, 1945.
Post-war Years
The battalion was reactivated on July 1, 1962, at Garden City, New York, and assigned to the 4th Marine Division, Marine Forces Reserve. The battalion was mobilized piecemeal between November 1990 and January 1991 in support of Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. The majority of the battalion trained at Camp Pendleton and 29 Palms, CA for possible deployment overseas, while Fox Company 2/25 deployed to the Persian Gulf and participated directly in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. 2nd Platoon of Fox Company deployed as part of 5th Marine Regiment, on the 5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade participating in combat operations in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, while the remainder of the company supported 2nd Marine Division operations with the 2nd Light Armored Infantry Battalion. With the cessation of hostilities in the Persian Gulf, the 2nd platoon of Fox Company was subsequently diverted to Bangladesh for participation in Operation Sea Angel, in May 1991. The battalion demobilized during March/April 1991 and returned to Garden City, New York. The elements of Fox Company that remained active returned to the Bronx, NY on July 3, 1991, just before the 4th of July weekend of 1991. These Marines were subsequently assigned to other 2/25 elements as the Fox Company headquarters was moved from its former home in New Rochelle, NY to Albany, NY during their deployment. In September/October 1994, 2/25 participated in Operation Sea Signal in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In the summers of 1995 and 1996, they participated in JTF-6 Counter-drug missions in the Southwest United States. In 1997, they participated in a CAX at 29 Palms, CA. In July 1998, parts of the Battalion deployed to Lithuania to participate in a CJT known as "Baltic Challenge 98". In February 1999, the battalion deployed to Norway for Operation Battle Griffin. They also participated in Operation Rescue Eagle, Romania in July 2000.
The battalion was enlisted from January 2002 to January 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. It was demobilized in January 2003 and returned to Garden City, New York. In March 2003, it mobilized again in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom briefly, before demobilizing in August 2003. During the summer of 2004, the battalion was deployed to Mount Fuji, Japan for Annual Training. During the winter of 2005, it was deployed to Norway for Annual Training in support of Battle Griffin '05. In March 2005, 75 members of the battalion were deployed to Iraq as individual augments with 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines. In December of that year, more than 250 individual members of the battalion were mobilized to augment the 1st Battalion 25th Marines for deployment in Iraq. During the summer of 2007, the battalion was joined by medical and veterinary civil affairs units and traveled to Senegal for Operation Shared Accord. The battalion split its time between training with Senegalese commandos and fire support companies and providing veterinary and medical care to the towns surrounding the training area. In September 2008, 2/25, with individual augments from 1/25 and 3/25, the battalion was deployed to Al Anbar Province in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. It was split into two 500 Marines "half-battalion" units to pursue separate missions: Force protection of Al Asad Air Base and counterinsurgency operations in the area around Camp Korean Village, Iraq. The battalion demobilized and returned to Garden City, New York, on April 10, 2009, after turning over the security of Al Asad Air Base to 1st Battalion, 8th Marines; the operations neighboring Camp Korean Village were turned over to elements of the 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion. In the summer of 2010, over 400 Marines from the battalion were stationed in Mozambique to train with the local military and conducted humanitarian medical Civil Affairs in towns near the capital. The 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine regiment’s partner-based training concentrated on small arms tactics and hasty mine clearing in one of the most heavily mined countries in the world.
