2nd Marine Division

2nd Marine Division
2nd Marine Division insignia
Founded	1 February 1941 (82 years, 5 months)
Country	United States
Branch	United States Marine Corps
Type	Ground combat element
Size	Marine Division (approximately 20,000)
Part of	II Marine Expeditionary Force
Garrison/HQ	Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune
Nickname(s)	The Silent Second
Motto(s)	Follow Me
Engagements	Banana Wars World War I (6th Marines) Western Front German spring offensive Battle of Belleau Wood Battle of Soissons Hundred Days Offensive Battle of Saint-Mihiel Battle of Blanc Mont Ridge Meuse-Argonne offensive World War II Pacific War Solomon Islands campaign Guadalcanal Campaign Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo Actions along the Matanikau Battle of Henderson Field Matanikau Offensive Battle of Mount Austen Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign Battle of Tarawa Mariana and Palau Islands campaign Battle of Saipan Battle of Tinian Volcano and Ryukyu Islands campaign Battle of Okinawa Cold War 1958 Lebanon crisis Cuban Missile Crisis Dominican Civil War Operation Urgent Fury Operation Just Cause Lebanese Civil War Multinational Force in Lebanon Gulf War Battle of Khafji Battle of Kuwait International Airport Somali Civil War Operation Restore Hope Yugoslav Wars Bosnian War Operation Provide Promise NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina Operation Deny Flight 1997 Albanian civil unrest Operation Silver Wake Operation Uphold Democracy First Liberian Civil War Operation Sharp Edge Sierra Leone Civil War Operation Noble Obelisk War on Terror Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom 2003 invasion of Iraq Battle of Nasiriyah Anbar campaign (2003–2011) Operation Vigilant Resolve Operation Phantom Fury Battle of Al-Qa'im (2005) Operation Spear Battle of Haditha Operation Dagger Battle of Ramadi (2006) Operation Badlands Second Battle of Habbaniyah Operation Phantom Thunder Operation Alljah Operation Valiant Guardian Operation Mawtini War in Afghanistan Helmand province campaign Battle of Garmsir Operation Moshtarak Operation Strike of the Sword 2021 Taliban offensive Fall of Kabul (2021) Operation Allies Refuge First Libyan Civil War Operation Unified Protector Operation Odyssey Dawn War against the Islamic State Operation Inherent Resolve
Website	2ndmardiv.marines.mil
Commanders
Commanding General	Maj Gen. Calvert L. Worth Jr.
Notable commanders	Lt. Gen Thomas E. Watson Gen. LeRoy P. Hunt Maj Gen. Clayton Barney Vogel Gen. Randolph M. Pate Gen. James L. Jones Lt. Gen. Julian C. Smith Maj. Gen. Alphonse DeCarre Lt. Gen. Chesty Puller Gen. Alfred M. Gray Jr.

The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and headquartered at Julian C. Smith Hall.

The 2nd Marine Division earned renown in World War II, distinguishing itself at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa.