Verified answer

Great question!

Aside from our recon/MARSOC units, we do not have airborne capabilities in the USMC except to align with our Army counterparts. So, if airborne operations are going on and Marines are involved...they are either very small groups of recon/SOF and have HALOed in. If it's a regular static line jump they will be with an Army unit

It's entirely possible that we'd send Recon/MSOTs in to sabatoge comms, blow up radar, etc.

But by and large, the Army does the jumping. For better or worse, they've made it such an inseperable part of their culture that you can't mention a combat jump without them sporting a visible erection.

The only paratroopers that the USMC has is Force Reconnaissance, and they are not even considered paratroopers, they just have Airborne Training and Freefall training. Other than that, no they didnt. Army only had the 82nd and 101st Airborne units. and now 101st is Air Assualt (helicopter drops)

Simple answer: No. Marines do not preform large-scale parachute drops, only MARSOC Marines are trained to do that, and they are not large-scale.

Complicated answer: ...BUT Marines DO have a strong tradition of insertion by air (Part of the MAGTF), we just do it by rotary wing (Helos) and we fast rope, Spie Rig, or rappel out of the choppers.

When airborne tropps are dropped prior to a beach landing, the airborne troops will be Army.

Richard