Personnel of the First Battalion, 24th Marines.

From its earliest incarnation as the First Separate Battalion (Reinforced) in December 1942 until it formally disbanded in October 1945, the First Battalion was home to thousands of Marines and Navy corpsmen. The Personnel & Administration section – also known as 1-Section – was responsible for all things related to these men and their records, ranging from classification by specialty to maintaining the muster rolls.

From 1942 to early 1944, the battalion was structured with five companies: one Headquarters company (the “nerve center” of the battalion), three rifle companies (Able, Baker, and Charlie), and one heavy weapons company (Dog). A Corps-wide reorganization in March 1944 saw the deletion of Dog Company and the expansion of the remaining units. At times, especially in combat, they were joined by replacements who were temporarily or permanently attached.