1st Battalion, 8th Marines

1st Battalion, 8th Marines
ActiveApril 1, 1940 – November 18, 1947
November 1, 1950 – present
Country United States of America
Branch United States Marine Corps
TypeLight infantry
RoleLocate, close with and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver
Part of8th Marine Regiment
2nd Marine Division
Garrison/HQMarine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Nickname(s)The Beirut Battalion
Foul Weather Warriors
More Than Duty
Motto(s)“Never Quit”
EngagementsWorld War II

Operation Blue Bat
Cuban Missile Crisis
Operation Power Pack
Multinational Force in Lebanon

Gulf War
Operation Restore Hope
Global War on Terror

Commanders
Current
commander
LtCol. William T. Kerrigan
Notable
commanders
John H. Miller Jan C. Huly Michael W. Hagee

1st Battalion, 8th Marines (1/8) is an infantry battalion in the United States Marine Corps based out of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The battalion consists of approximately 1000 Marines and sailors and is nicknamed "The Beirut Battalion." The battalion falls under the command of the 6th Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Division.

The unit's history dates back to World War II where it fought in numerous campaigns in the Pacific including Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian and Okinawa. During the Cold War, it was part of Operation Blue Bat in Lebanon in 1958, the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the intervention in the Dominican Republic in 1965, and the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing in Lebanon where 241 Marines, sailors and soldiers lost their lives. In 1991, it took part in operations during the Gulf War. Since 2001, 1/8 has fought the Global War on Terrorism by serving numerous tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.