Paramarine in training at NAS Lakehurst in 1942

The Paramarines (also known as Marine paratroopers) was a short-lived specialized unit of the United States Marine Corps, trained to be dropped by parachute. The first Paramarines were trained in October 1940, but the unit was disbanded in 1944. The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military responsible for providing power projection from the sea,[1] utilizing the mobility of the U.S. Navy to rapidly deliver combined-arms task forces to global crises. ... The Apollo 15 capsule landed safely despite a parachute failure. ...

The first cohort of Marines paratroopers trained at NAS Lakehurst in New Jersey in October 1940, followed by a second group in December 1940, forming the 2nd Marine Parachute Battalion. A third class trained at Camp Kearney in Santee near San Diego in early 1941, eventually forming the 3rd Marine Parachute Battalion. After the US joined the Second World War, the training program was stepped up, and a special training camp was opened temporarily at Camp Elliot in May 1942, next to Camp Kearney, moving to purpose-built accommodation nearby at Camp Gillespie in September 1942. A second training camp opened at Hadnot Point on the New River in North Carolina in June 1942, but closed in July 1943. Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... Santee can refer to: Several towns in the United States Santee, California Santee, Nebraska Santee, South Carolina Two different ships The USS Santee (1855) The USS Santee (CVE-29) The Santee River This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the... Flag Seal Nickname: Americas Finest City Location Location of San Diego within San Diego County Coordinates , Government County San Diego Mayor City Attorney         City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Jerry Sanders (R) Michael Aguirre Scott Peters Kevin... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... The New River may refer to: The New River, a man-made watercourse in England The New River that flows into the Atlantic Ocean in southeastern North Carolina in the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ...

Paramarines received a significantly increased salary after completing their training, so there was no shortage of volunteers, although all were required to be unmarried. Standards of fitness were high, and 40% failed the course. The unit ended up as a regiment-sized unit, the 1st Marine Parachute Regiment, with around 3,000 men in three battalions, in I Marine Amphibious Corps. However, the need for a parachute corps in the Marines was questioned, as was its cost. The Marine Corps also lacked the transport aircraft required for a massed parachute drop. The Commandant ordered 1st Marine Parachute Regiment to be disbanded on December 30, 1943, and it officially ceased to exist on February 29, 1944. A regiment is a military unit, consisting of a group of battalions, usually four and commanded by a colonel. ... The Commandant of the United States Marine Corps is the highest ranking officer of the United States Marine Corps and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reporting to the Secretary of the Navy but not to the Chief of Naval Operations. ... December 30 is the 364th day of the year (365th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 1 day remaining. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... February 29th, or bissextile day, is the 60th day of a leap year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 306 days remaining. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ...

Apart from a small group who were parachuted into France as part of an Office of Strategic Services team to support the French Resistance, the Paramarines were never dropped by parachute into combat, but were utilized during beach raids in the Pacific campaign, including at Guadalcanal. The men at San Diego were transferred to the 5th Marine Division, and landed at Iwo Jima. Two, Corporals Harlon H. Block and Ira H. Hayes, famously assisted in the raising of the US flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, depicted in Joe Rosenthal's iconic photograph, and a third, Sergeant Henry O. "Hank" Hansen, was involved in the first flag-raising earlier that day. Five of the 81 Marines to receive the Medal of Honor in World War II were Paramarines; all were honored for their actions on Iwo Jima. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime (but not direct) precursor to the Central Intelligence Agency. ... Bold textItalic textLink title // Headline text Headline text Headline text == The cross of Lorraine used by the French Resistance as a symbolic reference to Joan of Arc. ... Operation Watchtower On August 7, 1942, the 1st Marine Division performed an amphibious landing east of the Tenaru River. ... The 5th Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps was created during World War II for the Battle of Iwo Jima and the planned invasion of the Japanese home islands. ... Combatants United States Empire of Japan Commanders Holland Smith Tadamichi Kuribayashi † Strength 110,000 marines 22,000 infantry Casualties 6,825 dead 20,000 wounded 21,000 dead 1,083 survived The Battle of Iwo Jima (Operation Detachment) was fought between the United States of America and the Empire of... Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, by Joe Rosenthal / The Associated Press Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a historic photograph taken on February 23, 1945 by Joe Rosenthal. ... Iwo Jima (Japanese 硫黄島 Iōjima, meaning sulfur island) is a volcanic island in Japan, part of the Volcano Islands (also known as the Ogasawara Islands), approximately 650 miles (1046 km) south of Tokyo (24. ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... With the U.S. fleet off Iwo Jima in the background, Joe Rosenthal strikes a pose on the summit of Mount Suribachi Joe Rosenthal (October 9, 1911 – August 20, 2006) was an American photographer who received the Pulitzer Prize for his iconic World War II photograph Raising the Flag on... The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. ... Combatants Major Allied powers: United Kingdom Soviet Union United States Republic of China and others Major Axis powers: Nazi Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Harry Truman Chiang Kai-Shek Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tojo Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead... Landsat photo of Iwo Jima, circa 2006 Iwo Jima   (Japanese 硫黄島 Iōtō, or Iōjima, meaning sulfur island) is a volcanic island in Japan, part of the Volcano Islands (the southern part of the Ogasawara Islands), approximately 650 nautical miles (1200 km) south of Tokyo (24°472N, 141...

The Marine Corps still trains parachutist Marines. Once a Marine has completed Airborne School with the sister services, they are authorized to wear the coveted "Jump Wings" on their camouflage utilities while in garrison. Marines who earn Jump Wings often do so as part of their MOS/billet training, as Marine Recon, EOD, Air deployment, or as part of a reenlistment incentive. Airborne School is an advanced Infantry School for training of airborne infantry. ... The Parachutist Badge is a military badge awarded by the Armed Forces of most countries in the world to soldiers who receive the proper parachute training and accomplish the required number of jumps. ...

Paramarines in fiction

Though never actually used as such in reality, the Paramarines were mentioned in the 1965 John Wayne movie In Harm's Way. In the movie, a Paramarine airborne assault on a fictional Pacific island sets up the climactic battle at the end. John Wayne (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), born Marion Robert Morrison, popularly known as The Duke, was an iconic, Academy Award winning, American film actor whose career began in silent movies in the 1920s. ... In Harms Way is a 1965 film, produced and directed by Otto Preminger and distributed by Paramount Pictures. ...

See also

United States Marine Corps Portal

• List of United States Marine Corps battalions

Image File history File links USMC_logo. ... This is a list of current United States Marine Corps battalions, sorted by major subordinate commands: // 1st Marine Division 2nd Marine Division Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Marine Division Headquarters Company 2nd Marines 1st Battalion 2nd Marines 2nd Battalion 2nd Marines 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines Headquarters Company 6th Marines 1st Battalion 6th...

References

• Marine Corps Auxilary Air Facility, Gillespie, from California State Military Museum
• ParaMarines
• SILK CHUTES AND HARD FIGHTING: US Marine Corps Parachute Units in World War II