Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is a phenomenal trapezoidal wooden sign for use by the 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion of the United States Marine Corps. The sign is painted red with a tan border and a screaming skull painted in the middle surrounded by the phrase SWIFT SILENT DEADLY. It is signed ADAMCZYK ‘72 in the bottom right corner. The sign is roughly 39” long at the bottom and 29½” long at the top, 11¼” tall, and about ¾” thick.

The sign has some damage as shown including a large crack stretching from the left side to near the center, and it has about six holes from nailing, likely meaning it was used as a barracks or mess hall sign. The paint is nearly all retained without any serious damage, and the damage that is present provides a fantastic patina to the sign. The back of the sign shows some wood loss especially at the bottom, but as the red paint is painted over this loss, it likely happened during the period.

The large crack does not appear to be terribly serious but serious care should be taken when handling the sign so as to prevent any further damage.

This is an absolutely phenomenal piece of Marine Corps history and would bring some gorgeous color to any USMC collection. It’s truly one of a kind, and a unit that still exists today. Comes ready for further research and display!

The 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion (2nd Recon) is a reconnaissance battalion in the United States Marine Corps. Located at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the battalion falls under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF).

2nd Recon specializes in reconnaissance and surveillance, although its personnel are also trained in close quarters battle (CQB) tactics and other special missions. Recon Marines are sent to various schools to learn various special skills including: Scout Sniper, Jump, Military Free Fall, Combatant Dive, Ranger, various civilian run schools (i.e., McMillian sniper school), and other Department of Defense (DOD) and Special Operations Command (SOCOM) sponsored schools.

The 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion's mission is to conduct ground and amphibious reconnaissance and surveillance and other operations as directed in support of the 2d Marine Division and to provide reconnaissance forces to meet II MEF reconnaissance requirements.

When the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions were created in 1941, each had a Scout Company consisting of seven officers and 132 NCOs and enlisted men divided into a headquarters unit and three platoons. The unit was equipped with M3 Scout Cars and a motorcycle platoon. In 1949, the formation of an Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion on the East Coast was approved and the battalion was officially activated on 1 December 1950 at a tent camp area at Lejeune. It was later moved to Stone Bay Camp. The battalion's first commanding officer was Major Regan Fuller. Upon formation, the new battalion perpetuated the history of the marine scout companies that had served in the Pacific during World War II.

Elements participated in the intervention in the Dominican Republic, April–June 1965. Elements participated as part of the multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon, August 1982 – February 1984. Elements participated in the landing on Grenada-Carriacou, October–November 1983.