Australian, U.S. Marines Pay Respects at Battle of Samichon Dawn Service

Photo By Jarrod Mulvihill | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, Hawaii (July 25, 2022) Australian Army officers and Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, stand for the Last Post during a memorial service for the 69th anniversary of the Battle of Samichon River at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, July 25. The Battle of the Samichon River was fought during the final days of the Korean War. Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, three submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971. (Photo by Royal Australian Navy Leading Seaman Jarrod Mulvihill)  

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HAWAII, UNITED STATES

07.25.2022

Story by Lily Lancaster 

Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet           

The dawn of the July 26, 1953 – the day before the Korean War ended – was an important moment for 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment. It was the day of victory at the Battle of the Samichon River. Sixty-nine years later on the beaches of Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Battalion members remembered their fallen Battalion members while training at Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022, where they are proudly wearing the title of Battlegroup Samichon.

Standing by the side of their Australian counterparts during the service were representatives from 7th Marine Regiment, the unit with whom 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment fought the battle. The event marked an important reunion for the two units to come together and honor this anniversary.

Commanding Officer 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Tutton was proud to present the address for the service.

“This important date in our history ensures we remember those who have come before us, commemorate our fallen and reminds us of what service to nation means,” Lieutenant Colonel Mark Tutton said.

The service was just one of three held across the world on the same dawn. In the United States, the Solomon Islands and Australia, 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment members came together to pay their respects to those who came before.

Australian Army and United States Marines together held the line to the west of the Samichon River for three days under enemy fire. 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment were given the task of holding the left forward position of a hill, known as the ‘Hook’. Nowhere did the enemy penetrate the Australian trenches. In the two weeks they held their positions at the Battle of the Samichon River, the Battalion lost 17 killed and 31 wounded; the enemy lost 2000 causalities.

The battle honor The Samichon was awarded to 2nd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment for participation in the defense of the United Nations position on the ‘Hook’. Now at RIMPAC, working alongside the United States Marine Corps, they proudly wear that honor.

Twenty-six nations, 38 ships, three submarines, more than 170 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in RIMPAC from June 29 to Aug. 4 in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity while fostering and sustaining cooperative relationships among participants critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2022 is the 28th exercise in the series that began in 1971.

(Story by Royal Australian Air Force Flying Officer Lily Lancaster)

• Date Taken: 07.25.2022
• Date Posted: 07.29.2022 00:46
• Story ID: 425963
• Location: MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HAWAII, US