USMC 3rd Bn 2nd Marines Betio Bastards Patch — Embroidered Patch
The Betio Bastards — Tarawa's Toughest
3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines earned their unofficial nickname the hard way — on the blood-soaked coral of Betio Island at Tarawa, where the battalion fought one of the most brutal beach assaults in Marine Corps history. This patch represents the Marines who stormed Tarawa and every generation of 3/2 Marines who have lived up to that ferocious legacy since.
On November 20, 1943, the 2nd Marine Division assaulted Betio Island at Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands. Low tides stranded landing craft on the coral reef, forcing Marines to wade hundreds of yards through chest-deep water under devastating Japanese fire. 3/2 was among the assault battalions that fought their way ashore against crushing odds, clearing fortified positions in 76 hours of savage close combat. The battalion took enormous casualties but helped secure an island that would provide a vital airbase for the advance across the Central Pacific. The "Betio Bastards" nickname has been carried with pride ever since, a badge of honor earned in the worst conditions imaginable.
Perfect For:
3/2 Marines past and present, Tarawa veterans and families, 2nd Marines regiment personnel, 2nd MARDIV veterans, WWII Pacific historians, and anyone who honors the Marines who waded through hell to take Betio.
Betio Bastards — they waded through fire and kept fighting.
