On 18 October 1983, the MAU departed the United States, and less than two days into its trans-Atlantic voyage it was diverted to the southern Caribbean. On 25 October 1983, the MAU participated in Operation Urgent Fury, the invasion of the island of Grenada, which was at that time, the largest U.S. military operation since the Vietnam War. The 22nd MAU conducted numerous helicopter and surface landings over three days and occupied 75 percent of the island; though the Marines constituted less than 20 percent of the total invasion force. By 2 November of that same year, the unit transited to Beirut where it landed later that month. The MAU remained ashore until late February 1984, when the mission drew to a close, and evacuated hundreds of American citizens from the country. Throughout the rest of the 1980s, the 22nd MAU deployed on a rotation basis with the 24th and 26th MAUs, participating in numerous contingency operations and exercises. In 1986, the 22nd MAU was the third unit to deploy with the 'Special Operations-Capable' designation. On 5 February 1988, the word 'Amphibious' was replaced with 'Expeditionary' to reflect the Marine Corps' changing role in national defense and theater security. 1990s In late 1990 the 22nd MEU disbanded down to the command element during the Gulf war and reformed the summer of 1991. Saipan, Nashville, and the Harlan County were the ships they were on. In September 1991, the deployment the MEU participated in the first combined arms exercise in Kuwait following Operations Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. This deployment returned in March 1992. Conflict in the Balkans kept the MEU busy during subsequent deployments as the unit participated in operations Operation Provide Promise, Operation Deny Flight and Operation Sharp Guard. In 1993, the MEU also served during the United Nations’ mission to Somalia. In April 1996, the 22nd MEU (SOC) arrived off the coast of civil war torn Liberia in western Africa for Operation Assured Response. The unit remained at sea until 2 Aug. which the Marines went ashore to reinforce the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia and evacuated U.S. citizens and designated third-country nationals. The MEU (SOC) evacuated more than 1,600 civilians over the course of the next several weeks, until the 26th MEU arrived to provide relief. The MEU's deployments in 1996 and 1997 focused on West Africa as it answered the call to conduct reinforcement and evacuation