Marines had multiple firefights while defending US embassy in Haiti, commander says

Marines deployed to Haiti found themselves under fire and shooting back, several times last year, their commander recently told reporters at a media roundtable. 

“There were multiple engagements at the embassy in Haiti, in which we received and returned fire,” Col. Tom “Banshee” Trimble said on Tuesday. Trimble served as commanding officer of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), which recently returned to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, after a 10-month deployment. 

During that time, Marines with the unit were dispatched to Haiti from August to December 2025 to protect the U.S. embassy amid growing violence from criminal gangs, which are estimated to control up to 90% of the country’s capital city, Port-au-Prince.

A Marine Corps spokesman confirmed in November that Marines helping to secure the embassy returned fire after being shot at by “suspected gang members.” [MORE]