The Marine Raiders Live Again!

70 years after the United States Marine Corps disbanded the 4 Raider Battalions in World War Two they announced the Raiders would live again in 2014. Ten months later this became a reality as the three Special Operations Battalions of MARSOC were officially named Raiders.

We will be adding information about today's Marine Raiders as it becomes available. My father Dan Marsh was a huge supporter of the Raiders returning to the Corps and becoming part of the Association, and this site will continue to support them in his memory.

Read the story of the re-flagging ceremony taken from DIVDS below, with pictures just below that.

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. – “United States Marine Corps Forces, Special Operations Command is proud and honored to adopt the name Marine Raider, carrying on the rich heritage and legacy passed along to us by the Raiders of World War II,” said Maj. Gen. Joseph L. Osterman, commander, MARSOC.

MARSOC officially re-designated its subordinate commands as Marine Raiders during a ceremony at Stone Bay, aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., June 19, 2015. The re-designations make official the use of the Marine Raider moniker for all of MARSOC.

The ceremony was especially monumental for original Raiders seeking to keep their heritage alive. Three Raiders and family members of other Raiders who are deceased were in attendance, representing all original Marine Raiders and the U.S. Marine Raider Association, a non-profit organization supporting scholarships in the Solomon Islands, the Marine Raider Museum located at Raider Hall aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Speaker Forums and Memorial Visitations.

“This is a proud moment for me, and my fellow Raiders who can’t be here today,” said Charles H. Meacham, an original Marine Raider who served as a machine gunner with the Raiders during World War II. “We are grateful to know that our legacy will not be forgotten, and is being carried on by the extraordinary Marines of MARSOC.”