M-3rd BN/2nd MARINE RGT-BETIO BASTARDS

They are a battalion born in fire—defined forever by a strip of sand and shattered coral where the Marine Corps proved its resolve to a watching world. 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines, the legendary “Betio Bastards,” takes its name from the savage fight for Betio Island during the Battle of Tarawa in November 1943. That battle did not merely test the battalion’s strength; it forged their identity for every generation that followed.

When the Marines of 2nd Marine Division approached Betio’s reef under a storm of machine-gun fire, many landing craft never made it to shore. Marines were forced to wade hundreds of yards through chest-deep water while Japanese guns tore into the waves around them. Chaos and carnage filled the surf—but the Marines kept moving. Step by brutal step, they pushed toward the seawall, pulling wounded men forward and returning fire whenever they could. It was one of the bloodiest amphibious assaults in Marine Corps history, and yet the battalion prevailed. From that victory—and that sacrifice—came the name Betio Bastards, carried with pride ever since.

After Tarawa, 3/2 fought through the Pacific: Saipan, Tinian, and the nightmare ridges of Okinawa. War ended, but the battalion did not slow. They deployed again during Korea, stood watch through the Cold War, and answered new crises as America’s rapid-response force. When Marines were sent to Beirut to hold fragile ground, 3/2 was there. When operations surged in the Middle East, they deployed again—supporting Desert Shield, Desert Storm, and later Operation Provide Comfort, delivering aid to Kurdish refugees.

The 1990s and early 2000s brought new missions. Elements of 3/2 supported operations around Kosovo, contributing to stability in a fractured region. Then came the post-9/11 era. The Betio Bastards fought in the brutal cities and deserts of Iraq—Al-Qaim, Haditha, Fallujah—where urban combat demanded the same grit their predecessors showed on Tarawa’s reef. They later deployed to Afghanistan, patrolling valleys cut with danger and battling insurgents in unforgiving terrain.

Across every decade, the battalion carried forward the spirit born on Betio: aggressive, unyielding, and bonded by the kind of brotherhood only earned in the worst conditions. Their unofficial motto—“Betio or Bust”—remains a reminder of where their story began and what it still demands.

The 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines Betio Bastards patch honors that legacy. It represents the Marines who charged through surf under fire, the warriors who fought in every conflict since, and the battalion that still carries the name with fierce pride.