1st Battalion, 3rd Marines

Third Littoral Combat Team
FoundedMay 1, 1942; 82 years ago (1942-05-01)
Country United States of America
Branch United States Marine Corps
TypeLight infantry
RoleLocate, close with and destroy the enemy with fire and maneuver
Part of3d Marine Regiment
3d Marine Division
Garrison/HQMarine Corps Base Hawaii
Nickname(s)"Lava Dogs & Chicha Jima Marines”
Motto(s)"Fortuna Fortes Juvat"
"Fortune Favors the Brave"
EngagementsWorld War II

Vietnam War
Operation Desert Storm
War on Terror

Website1st Battalion 3d Marines
Commanders
Current
commander		 Lieutenant Colonel Mark A. Lenzi
Notable
commanders		George O. Van Orden
Ronald R. Van Stockum
U.S. Marines with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines fire a 60mm mortar system during platoon attacks as part of Large Scale Exercise 2021, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Aug. 6, 2021. LSE21 is a live, virtual, and constructive exercise employing integrated command and control, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and sensors across the joint force to expand battlefield awareness, share targeting data, and conduct long-range precision strikes in support of naval operations in a contested and distributed maritime environment. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Juan Carpanzano)
U.S. Marines with Company A, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment, 3d Marine Division, carry a simulated casualty at the Jungle Warfare Training Center, Okinawa, Japan, August 6, 2020. The Marines were participating in an air assault to increase their proficiency at air insertions and maneuvering through simulated enemy terrain. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Savannah Mesimer)

The Third Littoral Combat Team (formerly 1/3) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Hawaii. Nicknamed the "Lava Dogs", the battalion consists of approximately 800 Marines and sailors and falls under the command of the 3rd Marine Regiment of the 3rd Marine Division.