Marines Return From Haiti: Inside the 22nd MEU's Embassy Defense Mission

Marines with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) faced repeated engagements defending the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from August through December 2025 — and lived to talk about it.

Col. Tom "Banshee" Trimble, the commanding officer of the 22nd MEU, told reporters at a Tuesday roundtable that Marines stationed at the embassy came under fire multiple times and returned fire in self-defense. "There were multiple engagements at the embassy in Haiti, in which we received and returned fire," Trimble said. He could not confirm how many individual firefights occurred during the deployment, nor could he say whether any Haitians were killed in the exchanges.

The 22nd MEU's Haiti deployment was triggered by the collapse of security conditions in Port-au-Prince, where rival criminal gangs are estimated to control up to 90% of the capital city. The State Department requested the Marine deployment to reinforce embassy security as the situation deteriorated through mid-2025. A Marine Corps spokesman confirmed in November that Marines at the embassy had already returned fire once after being shot at by suspected gang members.

Training Paid Off

Trimble credited the unit's preparation for keeping Marines unharmed. "The Marines went unscathed because we went in there, we reinforced positions, and we were well trained to understand what the ROE was," he said. "When we received these engagements, we had a clear depiction of what the rules of engagement were. We followed the rules of engagement to a T and did exactly what the Department of State wanted us to do in order to defend the embassy in Haiti."

The Marines assigned to embassy security were also equipped with small drones, adding an intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability to the compound defense posture — a notable upgrade over traditional sentry-only guard missions.

After Haiti: Venezuela Operations

Following their Haiti mission, the 22nd MEU pivoted to U.S. military operations aimed at capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — part of the broader U.S. campaign against drug trafficking organizations operating across the Caribbean and South America. The unit also conducted a military exercise around the U.S. embassy in Caracas, Venezuela's capital city.

The 22nd MEU was eventually relieved in Haiti by a Fleet-Anti-terrorism Security Team (FAST) Company — a specialized Marine anti-terrorism unit designed for exactly this type of static security mission.

Awards Still Under Review

Marines who engaged hostile forces in Haiti may be eligible for the Combat Action Ribbon, a decoration awarded to Marines who actively participated in ground combat. Trimble said the award review process was still ongoing. "The award process was being worked out, but anything that was in accordance with the awards pub or the manuals, we did put the brief up for those awards," he said.

The 22nd MEU returned to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in June 2026 after its full 10-month deployment.

Source: Task & Purpose

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Sources: Task & Purpose