2nd Battalion 24th Marines Mad Ghosts — Embroidered Patch
Chicago's Own — The Mad Ghosts
The insurgents in Iraq's Triangle of Death gave them the name: Mad Ghosts. They earned it through relentless night raids, constant patrols, and an aggressive operational tempo that crushed enemy activity from an average of 12-18 hostile acts per day down to one per week. This patch honors the reserve Marines of 2/24 who proved that citizen warriors fight just as hard as any active duty battalion.
2nd Battalion, 24th Marines traces its origins to the 9th Reserve Battalion established in Chicago in 1922. The unit fought across the Pacific in World War II — the Marshall Islands, Saipan, Tinian, and Iwo Jima — earning a Medal of Honor through Captain Joseph McCarthy's gallantry. Mobilized for Korea, Desert Shield, and then Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004, the battalion deployed to Mahmudiyah in the North Babil Province — the dreaded Triangle of Death. There, 2/24 made Marine Corps history as the first reserve infantry battalion of OIF to operate independently from their own forward operating base. The Mad Ghosts killed around 400 insurgents, detained over 950, and provided security for Iraq's first democratic elections. Fourteen Mad Ghosts made the ultimate sacrifice.
Perfect For:
2/24 Mad Ghost veterans and families, 4th Marine Division Marines, Chicago-area reservists, OIF veterans, and Marine Corps Reserve infantry collectors.
Mad Ghosts — Chicago's Own.
