Combat Logistics Battalion 24

Combat Logistics Battalion 24, commonly abbreviated CLB-24, is a logistics battalion of the United States Marine Corps. It is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina and is assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 2 within 2nd Marine Logistics Group. The battalion provides direct logistics support to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, an expeditionary Marine formation capable of conducting amphibious, crisis-response, security, evacuation, humanitarian, and combat missions. CLB-24 is not a commercial brand or independent company. It is a military organization whose principal function is to sustain deployed Marine forces. Its responsibilities include the movement and distribution of supplies, maintenance and recovery of equipment, transportation, engineering and infrastructure support, field services, and medical support. The unit's mission is intended to ensure that the 24th MEU can operate continuously in austere or contested environments, often with limited external infrastructure. The battalion traces its institutional lineage to Headquarters Company, 8th Field Depot, which was activated in Hawaii on 1 August 1944. During the Second World War, the organization participated in the Iwo Jima campaign. After the war, it moved through a succession of redesignations and organizational assignments, including service with the 2d Marine Division, Force Troops, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, and the 2d Force Service Support Group. These changes reflected the Marine Corps' continuing adjustments to its combat-service-support structure rather than the creation of a conventional consumer-facing brand. Across the Cold War and post-Cold War periods, elements associated with the unit's lineage supported operations connected with the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Persian Gulf, refugee operations involving Haiti and Cuba, disaster relief after Hurricane Andrew, and humanitarian activity in Bosnia. The organization also supported Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Provide Promise, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom. One of the unit's most prominent modern deployments occurred in 2008, when CLB-24 deployed personnel to Afghanistan in support of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit. During the advance toward Forward Operating Base Bastion, a convoy was struck by an improvised explosive device near Kandahar. The attack killed Battalion Sergeant Major First Sergeant Luke J. Mercardante and Corporal Kyle Wilks and wounded two other Marines. The deployment continued into Helmand Province, including operations around Garmsir and nearby forward operating bases. Combat operations concluded in September 2008, with Marines beginning to return home the following month. The battalion's stated mission also includes conducting non-combatant evacuation operations, large-scale medical treatment and casualty evacuation, and humanitarian aid and assistance when directed. Its identity is therefore centered on operational reliability, mobility, sustainment, and support to Marine expeditionary forces rather than on products, retail channels, or commercial positioning.

Combat Logistics Battalion 24's lineage begins on 1 August 1944, when Headquarters Company, 8th Field Depot, Supply Service, Fleet Marine Force, was activated on Oahu in the Territory of Hawaii. The organization supported Marine operations during the Second World War and is recorded as participating in the Iwo Jima campaign. In April 1945 it relocated to Hilo, Hawaii, and in June of that year was redesignated Headquarters Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, 8th Service Regiment, Service Command, Fleet Marine Force. The lineage record also places the organization in Sasebo, Japan, during the postwar transition. During 1946 the organization moved to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and was reassigned to the 2d Marine Division. On 15 December 1946 it became Headquarters Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, 2d Combat Service Group, Medium, 2d Marine Division, Fleet Marine Force. It underwent further redesignation in 1950, 1956, and 1957 as the Marine Corps refined its service-support and force-structure arrangements. By 1957 it was identified as Headquarters and Service Battalion, 2d Force Service Regiment, Force Troops, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic. The unit's lineage organizations supported or contributed elements to several Cold War activities. Elements participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis from October through December 1962. In 1975 the organization was redesignated as Headquarters and Service Battalion, Force Troops/2d Force Service Support Group, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic, and in 1978 it became Headquarters and Service Battalion, 2d Force Service Support Group, Fleet Marine Force Atlantic. An element also participated in Persian Gulf operations in April 1988. The post-Cold War period brought a broad range of operational and humanitarian assignments. From December 1990 through March 1991, the organization participated in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Southwest Asia as the direct-support command of 1st Force Service Support Group. Elements supported Haitian refugee operations involving Cuba during several periods between 1991 and 1994. They also provided disaster-relief support in Dade County, Florida, after Hurricane Andrew in September and October 1992, and participated in Operation Provide Promise in Bosnia from March through August 1994. The lineage continued into the major Middle Eastern conflicts of the early twenty-first century. The unit deployed to Kuwait in December 2002 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq from March through June 2003. Its modern role is tied to direct support of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the expeditionary logistics requirements of that formation. In February 2008, CLB-24 began deploying Marines to Afghanistan. Combat operations commenced on 15 April. During an advance toward Forward Operating Base Bastion, a convoy encountered a powerful improvised explosive device concealed in a culvert near Kandahar. The explosion created a large crater, stopped the convoy, killed First Sergeant Luke J. Mercardante and Corporal Kyle Wilks, and injured two additional Marines. Canadian personnel from a nearby outpost helped fill the crater so the convoy could continue. The deployed Marines subsequently moved toward Forward Operating Base Dyer and Garmsir in Helmand Province. The operation was described as an important early American push in the area. By 1 June, Taliban forces had been driven from Garmsir, and by mid-July Marine reporting described extensive fighting and substantial Taliban casualties in the area. Combat operations ended in September 2008, with Marines beginning to return to the United States in October. Today, CLB-24's mission is to provide timely, dependable, and continuous support to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit in accordance with the MEU commander's tactical plan. On order, it can also conduct non-combatant evacuation operations, large-scale medical treatment and casualty evacuation, and humanitarian assistance. The unit's history is therefore best understood as a record of military lineage, organizational redesignation, expeditionary sustainment, and operational support rather than as the history of a commercial brand.

• 2008

  Afghanistan deployment

  [1]Combat Logistics Battalion 24en.wikipedia.org

  CLB-24 deployed to Afghanistan and supported combat operations in Kandahar and Helmand Province, including activity around Garmsir.

• 2003

  Operation Iraqi Freedom

  [1]Combat Logistics Battalion 24en.wikipedia.org

  The organization participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom from March through June.

• 1992

  Hurricane Andrew disaster relief

  [1]Combat Logistics Battalion 24en.wikipedia.org

  Elements provided disaster-relief support in Dade County, Florida, following Hurricane Andrew.

• 1990

  Desert Shield and Desert Storm support

  [1]Combat Logistics Battalion 24en.wikipedia.org

  The organization served in Southwest Asia as a direct-support command during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

• 1962

  Cuban Missile Crisis participation

  [1]Combat Logistics Battalion 24en.wikipedia.org

  Elements of the lineage organization participated in activities associated with the Cuban Missile Crisis from October through December.

• 1946

  Relocated to Camp Lejeune

  [1]Combat Logistics Battalion 24en.wikipedia.org

  The organization relocated to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and was reassigned to the 2d Marine Division.

• 1945

  World War II support and redesignation

  [1]Combat Logistics Battalion 24en.wikipedia.org

  The organization participated in the Iwo Jima campaign and was redesignated in June as Headquarters Company, Headquarters and Service Battalion, 8th Service Regiment.

• 1944

  Activated in Hawaii

  [1]Combat Logistics Battalion 24en.wikipedia.org

  Headquarters Company, 8th Field Depot, Supply Service, Fleet Marine Force, was activated on 1 August 1944 at Oahu, Hawaii.

An expeditionary combat-service-support unit designed to provide continuous, reliable logistics and emergency support to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

• 2008Afghanistan deployment

  Afghanistan · Kandahar · Helmand Province

  The battalion supported the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit during combat operations in southern Afghanistan, including the advance to Forward Operating Base Bastion and operations around Garmsir.

  Outcome. Combat operations concluded in September 2008, and Marines began returning home in October.

  Source
• 2003Operation Iraqi Freedom

  Iraq

  The battalion participated in operations in Iraq from March through June 2003.

  Source
• 1990Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm

  Southwest Asia

  The organization served as a direct-support command for 1st Force Service Support Group during the Gulf War period.

  Source
• 1945Iwo Jima campaign

  Pacific theater

  The unit's predecessor organization participated in the Iwo Jima campaign during World War II in a logistics-support role.

  Source

1. 1Combat Logistics Battalion 24en.wikipedia.org