the Al Anbar province. The battalion also spent a portion of its 5th deployment to Iraq in Sinjar, located in the Ninawa province. Operation Enduring Freedom The battalion deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in March 2010. Their area of operations (AO) included Now Zad, Salaam Bazaar, Karamanda, Kunjak, Musa Qala, and the Musa Qala Wadi down to Sangin. The battalion took heavy casualties but was able to push out a large portion of the Taliban in the AO and double the size of the AO that they were responsible for. For their exceptional actions, First Battalion Second Marines, along with several attachments were awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation. 1/2 came home in late September 2010 when they were relieved by 1st Battalion 8th Marines. 1/2 deployed again in support of OEF in 2014. Charlie Company manned Patrol Base Boldak and conducted operations in Boldak, Habibibad, Showal, and Mataque, denying the Taliban the ability to conduct attacks on Camp Bastion-Leatherneck during retrograde operations. Bravo company patrolled the surrounding area of the Bastion-Leatherneck complex. Operations conducted in the Central Wadi and Nad-I-Ali were conducted to push back the Talibans ability to conduct attacks on coalition forces until full security responsibility of the area was transferred to the Afghan National Security Forces in October 2014. 1/2 was the last U.S. ground combat unit on Camp Leatherneck, flying out on helicopters hours after control of the base was transferred to ANSF. 10 days after 1/2 turned over security to ANSF the Taliban conducted an attack on the Bastion- Leatherneck Complex Notable Former Members Major General Wood B. Kyle, Executive officer and later battalion commander at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan and Tinian; received two Silver Stars for that service Colonel John W. Ripley, battalion commander from 1979-1981, and the only Marine to be inducted into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame Sergeant Major Justin D. LeHew, recipient of the Navy Cross for action during the Battle of Nasiriyah in 2003, and the Bronze Star for heroic actions during the Battle of Najaf in 2004 Alfred M. Gray, 29th Commandant of the Marine Corps See also List of United States Marine Corps battalions Organization of the United States Marine Corps References Notes Web 1/2 Official Website Infantry battalions of the United States Marine Corps