Activated with the 5th Marines during the United States build-up for World War I. The battalion deployed to France and took part in major AEF-era Marine actions including Belleau Wood, Soissons, St. Mihiel, Blanc Mont, and Meuse-Argonne.
Unit History / Infantry Battalion
3rd Battalion, 5th Marines
“Darkhorse” is the infantry-battalion reference lane for the command archive. The public lineage traces organization to 8 June 1917, service in France during World War I, and later campaigns across the Pacific, Korea, Vietnam, Southwest Asia, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
Parent Formation5th Marine Regiment · 1st Marine Division
Home StationCamp Pendleton, California
HISTORY
Public Historical Breakdown
Reactivated in the early 1920s, served in Caribbean and mail-guard missions, and deployed to Nicaragua during the late 1920s before a later deactivation and pre-World War II reactivation.
Served in the Pacific campaigns, including Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Peleliu, and Okinawa, before postwar deactivation.
Reactivated in 1949 and deployed to Korea in 1950, adding Pusan Perimeter, Inchon, Seoul, and Chosin Reservoir to its record. From 1966 to 1971 the battalion fought in Vietnam across locations including Chu Lai, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Que Son, An Hoa, and Ross Combat Base.
Deployed as a Battalion Landing Team in 1990, distinguished itself in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm, and then supported Operation Sea Angel relief efforts in Bangladesh.
Deployed to Iraq in 2003 and 2004, including Fallujah and Operation Phantom Fury. Its Afghanistan record includes Operation Enduring Freedom service in 2010–2011.
MOS
Common MOS Lanes
3/5 serves as the infantry foundation: rifle companies, weapons Marines, infantry leaders, infantry officers, and green-side corpsmen attached to Marine ground units. The 3/5 Darkhorse infantry side is treated as part of the 3/5 Darkhorse lane, not as a separate Unit History page.
0302 Infantry Officer0311 Rifleman0331 Machine Gunner0352 Antitank Missile Gunner0365 Infantry Small Unit Leader0369 Infantry Unit LeaderField Medical Service TechnicianFMF Corpsman
PFC Mohammad “Carl” Kline0621 Radio Operator
Junior enlisted communications Marine attached to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines with rifle marksman qualification and command counseling/corrective-training record.
PFC Drake “Wiggles” Spigelmyer0331 Machine Gunner
Junior enlisted machine-gunner attached to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines with rifle and pistol expert badges and RSAT-approved reconnaissance-training record.
PIPELINE
Training Pipeline Overview
Enlisted Infantry
Recruit training is followed by infantry training at the School of Infantry. Public SOI material describes ITB as training and certifying Marines as riflemen, machine gunners, mortarmen, infantry assaultmen, and anti-tank missilemen for service in the operating forces.
Weapons MOS
Weapons-track Marines build from common infantry foundations into crew-served weapons, anti-armor, and unit weapons employment before joining a line or weapons company.
Infantry Officers
Officer candidates commission, complete The Basic School, then progress into infantry officer training before leading platoons or serving on infantry battalion staffs.
Green-Side Corpsmen
Navy corpsmen assigned to Marine units complete Marine-oriented field medical training, then support rifle companies, weapons elements, battalion aid stations, and deployed ground formations.
ATTACHED
Chain of Command Attached To This Unit
Sgt William “Moto” Silvia8411 Recruiter · 0352 Anti-Tank Missile Gunner
Active 3/5 Darkhorse profile assigned through the 3/5 Darkhorse infantry side; squad leader, recruiter, combat instructor, and Afghanistan deployment record.
LCpl Rosette Surus0621 Radio Operator
1st Platoon radio operator attached to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines with Afghanistan service, static-line airborne qualification, and RSAT recycle record.
LCpl Sean Peters0331 Machine Gunner
Team leader attached to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines with Afghanistan service, Purple Heart award entry, and rifle sharpshooter qualification.
HM3 Mark JacksonFleet Marine Force Corpsman · Platoon Corpsman
Navy corpsman attached to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines with RSAT-approved medical support, navigation, patrol, aid, and aquatics evaluation record.
HM2 Bryan “Chappy” YorkFleet Marine Force Corpsman · Sniper Platoon Senior Corpsman
Navy corpsman attached to 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines with Afghanistan service, sniper-platoon medical support, FMF qualification, and RSAT-approved reconnaissance-training record.
SOURCES