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UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS VIETNAM MEDALLION OR PAPERWEIGHT. MEASURES 3" IN DIAMETER & over 1/4" in depth. Very heavy. Made of some sort of medal maybe bronze. Nice desk piece or medallion challenge coin collector items. On one side a large EAGLE, GLOBE & ANCHOR USMC EMBLEM with "United States Marine Corps " and on the other side " Vietnam Campaign " with an image of the VIETNAM CAMPAIGN MEDAL.

The United States Marine Corps Birthday is an American holiday celebrated every year on 10 November with a traditional ball and cake-cutting ceremony. On that day in 1775, the Continental Marines were established.

Historical birthday

Tun Tavern, "birthplace" of the Marine Corps

The official birthday of the United States Marine Corps is on 10 November 1775. That was the day when the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Marines with the following decree:[1]

That two battalions of Marines be raised consisting of one Colonel, two lieutenant-colonels, two majors and other officers, as usual in other regiments; that they consist of an equal number of privates as with other battalions, that particular care be taken that no persons be appointed to offices, or enlisted into said battalions, but such as are good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve for and during the present war with Great Britain and the Colonies; unless dismissed by Congress; that they be distinguished by the names of the First and Second Battalions of Marines.

Tun Tavern, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is regarded as the birthplace of the Corps as the location of the first Marines to enlist under Commandant Samuel Nicholas,[2][3][4] though it is disputed if a recruiting drive may have occurred earlier at Nicholas's family tavern, the Conestoga Waggon [sic].[5] When the Revolutionary War ended in 1783, the Continental Navy was disestablished, and with it, the Continental Marines. The Corps was re-established on 11 July 1798, when the act for establishing and organizing a Marine Corps was signed by President John Adams.[6]

Celebration

John A. Lejeune, author of Marine Corps Order 47

Prior to 1921, Marines celebrated the recreation of the Corps on 11 July with little pomp or pageantry.[7] On 21 October 1921, Major Edwin North McClellan, in charge of the Corps's fledgling historical section, sent a memorandum to Commandant John A. Lejeune, suggesting the Marines' original birthday of 10 November be declared a Marine Corps holiday to be celebrated throughout the Corps. Lejeune so ordered in Marine Corps Order 47:[8][9]

MARINE CORPS ORDERS

No. 47 (Series 1921)

HEADQUARTERS U.S. MARINE CORPS

Washington, November 1, 1921

759. The following will be read to the command on the 10th of November, 1921, and hereafter on the 10th of November of every year. Should the order not be received by the 10th of November, 1921, it will be read upon receipt.

On November 10, 1775, a Corps of Marines was created by a resolution of Continental Congress. Since that date many thousand men have borne the name "Marine". In memory of them it is fitting that we who are Marines should commemorate the birthday of our corps by calling to mind the glories of its long and illustrious history.

The record of our corps is one which will bear comparison with that of the most famous military organizations in the world's history. During 90 of the 146 years of its existence the Marine Corps has been in action against the Nation's foes. From the Battle of Trenton to the Argonne, Marines have won foremost honors in war, and in the long eras of tranquility at home, generation after generation of Marines have grown gray in war in both hemispheres and in every corner of the seven seas, that our country and its citizens might enjoy peace and security.

In every battle and skirmish since the birth of our corps, Marines have acquitted themselves with the greatest distinction, winning new honors on each occasion until the term "Marine" has come to signify all that is highest in military efficiency and soldierly virtue.

This high name of distinction and soldierly repute we who are Marines today have received from those who preceded us in the corps. With it we have also received from them the eternal spirit which has animated our corps from generation to generation and has been the distinguishing mark of the Marines in every age. So long as that spirit continues to flourish Marines will be found equal to every emergency in the future as they have been in the past, and the men of our Nation will regard us as worthy successors to the long line of illustrious men who have served as "Soldiers of the Sea" since the founding of the Corps.

JOHN A. LEJEUNE,

Major General Commandant

75705—21[8]

Col Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller cuts the Marine Corps birthday cake in 1950, during a brief reprieve in battle during the Korean War.

The first formal ball was celebrated in 1925, though no records exist that indicate the proceedings of that event.[10][11] Birthday celebrations would take varied forms, most included dances, though some accounts include mock battles, musical performances, pageants, and sporting events.[12]

The celebrations were formalized and standardized by Commandant Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. in 1952, outlining the cake cutting ceremony, which would enter the Marine Drill Manual in 1956. By tradition, the first slice of cake is given to the oldest Marine present, who in turn hands it off to the youngest Marine present, symbolizing the old and experienced Marines passing their knowledge to the new generation of Marines. The celebration also includes a reading of Marine Corps Order 47, republished every year, as well as a message from the current Commandant, and often includes a banquet and dancing if possible. In many cases, the birthday celebration will also include a pageant of current and historical Marine Corps uniforms, as a reminder of the history of the Corps.[13] Another modern tradition includes a unit run on the 10th.[14] Marines are reputed to celebrate the birthday, regardless of where they may be in the world, even in austere environments or combat.[15]

In a more somber tradition, Samuel Nicholas's grave in the Arch Street Friends Meeting graveyard in Philadelphia is marked with a wreath at dawn by a group of Marines annually on 10 November to celebrate his role in the founding of the Corps.[16]

Lore of the Corps

Starting in boot camp, all Marines study the actions of those who have served before them. The history of the Marine Corps is a rich tapestry weaving together the contributions of all Marines. Over the past two centuries, certain aspects of the Corps’ history have taken on an almost legendary status. Below are examples of some of the stories, terms, and traditions that have come to be known as the “Lore of the Corps.”

The

The Blood Stripe

Marine Corps tradition maintains that the red stripe worn on the trousers of officers and noncommissioned officers, and commonly known as the “blood stripe,” commemorates those Marines killed storming the castle of Chapultepec in 1847. Although this belief is firmly embedded in the traditions of the Corps, it has no basis in fact. The use of stripes clearly predates the Mexican War.

In 1834, uniform regulations were changed to comply with President Andrew Jackson’s wishes that Marine uniforms return to the green and white worn during the Revolutionary War. The wearing of stripes on the trousers began in 1837, following the Army practice of wearing stripes the same color as uniform jacket facings. Colonel Commandant Archibald Henderson ordered those stripes to be buff white. Two years later, when President Jackson left office, Colonel Henderson returned the uniform to dark blue coats faced red. In keeping with earlier regulations, stripes became dark blue edged in red. In 1849, the stripes were changed to a solid red. Ten years later uniform regulations prescribed a scarlet cord inserted into the outer seams for noncommissioned officers and musicians and a scarlet welt for officers. Finally, in 1904, the simple scarlet stripe seen today was adopted.

"Leatherneck"

In 1776, the Naval Committee of the Second Continental Congress prescribed new uniform regulations. Marine uniforms were to consist of green coats with buff white facings, buff breeches and black gaiters. Also mandated was a leather stock to be worn by officers and enlisted men alike. This leather collar served to protect the neck against cutlass slashes and to hold the head erect in proper military bearing. Sailors serving aboard ship with Marines came to call them “leathernecks.”

Use of the leather stock was retained until after the Civil War when it was replaced by a strip of black glazed leather attached to the inside front of the dress uniform collar. The last vestiges of the leather stock can be seen in today’s modern dress uniform, which features a stiff cloth tab behind the front of the collar.

The term “leatherneck” transcended the actual use of the leather stock and became a common nickname for United States Marines. Other nicknames include “soldiers of the sea,” “devil dogs,” and the slightly pejorative “gyrene,” (a term which was applied to the British Royal Marines in 1894 and to the U.S. Marines by 1911), and “jarhead.”

Semper Fidelis

"Semper Fidelis"

The Marine Corps adopted the motto “Semper Fidelis” in 1883. Prior to that date three mottoes, all traditional rather than official, were used. The first of these, antedating the War of 1812, was “Fortitudine.” The Latin phrase for “with courage,” it was emblazoned on the brass shako plates worn by Marines during the Federal period. The second motto was “By Sea and by Land,” taken from the British Royal Marines “Per Mare, Per Terram.” Until 1848, the third motto was “To the shores of Tripoli.” Inscribed on the Marine Corps colors, this commemorated Presley O’Bannon’s capture of the city of Derna in 1805. In 1848, this was revised to “From the halls of the Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli.”

“Semper Fidelis” signifies the dedication that individual Marines have to “Corps and country,” and to their fellow Marines. It is a way of life. Said one former Marine, “It is not negotiable. It is not relative, but absolute…Marines pride themselves on their mission and steadfast dedication to accomplish it.”

"Devil Dogs"

Picture

According to Marine Corps tradition, German soldiers facing the Marines at Belleau Wood called them teufelhunden. These were the devil dogs of Bavarian folklore - vicious, ferocious, and tenacious. Shortly thereafter, a Marine recruiting poster depicted a dachshund, wearing an Iron Cross and a spiked helmet, fleeing an English bulldog wearing the eagle, globe and anchor.

A tradition was born. Although an “unofficial mascot,” the first bulldog to “serve” in the United States Marine Corps was King Bulwark. Renamed Jiggs, he was enlisted on 14 October 1922 for the “term of life.” Enlistment papers were signed by Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler. Although he began his career as a private, Jiggs was quickly promoted to the rank of sergeant major. His death at the age of four was mourned throughout the Corps. His body lay in a satin-lined casket in a hangar on Marine Corps Base Quantico until he was buried with military honors.

Other bulldogs followed in the tradition of Jiggs. From the 1930s through the early 1950s, the name of the bulldogs was changed to Smedley as a tribute to Major General Butler. In the late 1950s, the Marine Barracks in Washington became the new home for the Marine Corps’ bulldog. Chesty, named in honor of the legendary Lieutenant General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller, Jr, made his first public appearance on 5 July 1957.

Today the tradition continues. The bulldog, tough, muscular and fearless, has come to epitomize the fighting spirit of the United States Marine Corps.

8th and I

Picture

A notice posted in the Washington newspaper National Intelligence on 3 April 1801 offered “a premium of 100 dollars” for the “best plan of barracks for the Marines sufficient to hold 500 men, with their officers and a house for the Commandant.” The site for the barracks, near the Washington Navy Yard and within marching distance of the Capitol, was chosen by President Thomas Jefferson, who rode through Washington with Lieutenant Commandant William W. Burrows.

The competition was won by George Hadfield, who laid out the barracks and the house in a quadrangle. The barracks were established in 1801, the house, home of the Commandant of the Marine Corps, was completed in 1806. It is the oldest public building in continuous use in the nation’s capital.

Marine Corps traditions holds that when Washington was burned by the British during the War of 1812, both the Commandant’s House and the barracks were spared out of respect for the bravery shown by Marines during the Battle for Bladensburg.

Today, 8th and I is home to one of the most dramatic military celebrations in the world -- The Evening Parade. Held every Friday evening from May through August, the Evening Parade features “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band, “The Commandant’s Own” The United States Marine Drum and Bugle Corps, and the Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon. It has become a lasting symbol of the professionalism, discipline, and esprit de Corps of the United States Marines, a celebration of the pride taken in a history that spans more than 230 years.

The Eagle, Globe and Anchor

Eagle, Globe and Anchoe

The origins of the eagle, globe, and anchor insignia worn by Marines can be traced to those ornaments worn by early Continental Marines as well as to the British Royal Marines.

In 1776, Marines wore a device depicting a fouled anchor. Changes were made to that device in 1798, 1821, and 1824. An eagle was added in 1834. The current insignia dates to 1868 when Brigadier General Commandant Jacob Zeilin convened a board “to decide and report upon the various devices of cap ornaments of the Marine Corps.” A new insignia was recommended and approved by the Commandant. On 19 November 1868, the new insignia was accepted by the Secretary of the Navy.

The new emblem featured a globe showing the western hemisphere intersected by a fouled anchor and surmounted by an eagle. Atop the device, a ribbon was inscribed with the Latin motto “Semper Fidelis.” The globe signified the service of the United States Marines throughout the world. The anchor was indicative of the amphibious nature of the Marine Corps. The eagle, symbolizing a proud nation, was not the American bald eagle, but rather a crested eagle, a species found throughout the world.

On 22 June 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an Executive Order which approved the design of an official seal for the United States Marine Corps. Designed at the request of General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., Commandant of the Marine Corps, the seal replaced the crested eagle with the American bald eagle, its wings proudly displayed. With the approval of this seal by the President of the United States in 1955, the emblem centered on the seal was adopted as the official Marine Corps emblem.

The eagle, globe, and anchor insignia is a testament to the training of the individual Marine, to the history and traditions of the Marine Corps, and to the values upheld by the Corps. It represents “those intangible possessions that cannot be issued: pride, honor, integrity, and being able to carry on the traditions for generations of warriors past.” Said retired Sergeant Major David W. Sommers, “the emblem of the Corps is the common thread that binds all Marines together, officer and enlisted, past and present…The eagle, globe and anchor tells the world who we are, what we stand for, and what we are capable of, in a single glance.”

The Marine Hymn

Following the Barbary Wars of 1805, the Colors of the Corps were inscribed with the words “to the shores of Tripoli.” After the capture and occupation of Mexico City in 1847, the Colors were changed to read “from the shores of Tripoli to the Halls of Montezuma.” These events in Marine Corps history are the origin of the opening words of the Marines’ Hymn.

Tradition holds that the words to the Marines’ Hymn were written by a Marine serving in Mexico. In truth, the author of the words remains unknown. Colonel Albert S. McLemore and Walter F. Smith, Assistant Band Director during the John Philip Sousa era, sought to trace the melody to its origins. It was reported to Colonel McLemore that by 1878 the tune was very popular in Paris, originally appearing as an aria in the Jacques Offenbach opera Genevieve de Brabant. John Philips Sousa later confirmed this belief in a letter to Major Harold Wirgman, USMC, stating “The melody of the ‘Halls of Montezuma’ is taken from Offenbach’s comic opera...”

Its origins notwithstanding, the hymn saw widespread use by the mid-1800s. Copyright ownership of the hymn was given to the Marine Corps per certificate of registration dated 19 August 1891. In 1929, it became the official hymn of the United States Marine Corps with the verses shown on the right.

On 21 November 1942, the Commandant of the Marine Corps authorized an official change in the first verse, fourth line, to reflect the changing mission of the Marine Corps. The new line read "in the air, on land and sea." That change was originally proposed by Gunnery Sergeant H.L. Tallman, an aviator and veteran of World War I.

Shortly after World War II, Marines began to stand at attention during the playing of The Marines’ Hymn, Today that tradition continues today to honor all those who have earned the title "United States Marine."

00:0000:00

The Marines' Hymn

From the Halls of Montezuma

to the Shores of Tripoli,

We fight our country’s battles

On the land as on the sea.

First to fight for right and freedom,

And to keep our honor clean,

We are proud to claim the title

of United States Marine.

"Our flag’s unfurl’d to every breeze

From dawn to setting sun;

We have fought in every clime and place

Where we could take a gun.

In the snow of far-off northern lands

And in sunny tropic scenes,

You will find us always on the job

The United States Marines.

"Here’s health to you and to our Corps

Which we are proud to serve;

In many a strife we’ve fought for life

And never lost our nerve.

If the Army and the Navy

Ever look on Heaven’s scenes,

They will find the streets are guarded

By United States Marines."

The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955[A 1] to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975.[5] It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The north was supported by the Soviet Union, China,[8] and other communist states, while the south was supported by the United States and other anti-communist allies.[55][56] The war is widely considered to be a Cold War-era proxy war.[57] It lasted almost 20 years, with direct U.S. military involvement ending in 1973. The conflict also spilled over into neighboring states, exacerbating the Laotian Civil War and the Cambodian Civil War, which ended with all three countries officially becoming communist states by 1976.[58][59]

With the defeat of the French Union in the First Indochina War and its acceptance of military withdrawal from Vietnam pursuant to the Geneva peace agreement on Vietnam that took effect on 23 July 1954, the country gained the independence from France but was divided into two military gathering areas: the Viet Minh took control of North Vietnam, while the U.S. assumed financial and military support for South Vietnam.[60][A 8] The Viet Cong (VC), a South Vietnamese common front under the direction of the north, initiated a guerrilla war in the south. The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN), also known as the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), engaged in more conventional warfare with U.S. and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). North Vietnam invaded Laos in 1958, establishing the Ho Chi Minh Trail to supply and reinforce the VC.[61]: 16 By 1963, the north had sent 40,000 soldiers to fight in the south.[61]: 16 U.S. involvement increased under President John F. Kennedy, from just under a thousand military advisors in 1959 to 23,000 by 1964.[62][28]: 131

Following the Gulf of Tonkin incident in August 1964, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution that gave President Lyndon B. Johnson broad authority to increase U.S. military presence in Vietnam, without a formal declaration of war. Johnson ordered the deployment of combat units for the first time, and dramatically increased the number of American troops to 184,000.[62] U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search and destroy operations, involving ground forces, artillery, and airstrikes. The U.S. also conducted a large-scale strategic bombing campaign against North Vietnam,[28]: 371–374 [63] and continued significantly building up its forces, despite little progress being made. In 1968, North Vietnamese forces launched the Tet Offensive; though it was a military defeat for them, it became a political victory, as it caused U.S. domestic support for the war to fade.[28]: 481 By the end of the year, the VC held little territory and were sidelined by the PAVN.[64] In 1969, North Vietnam declared the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam. Operations crossed national borders, and the U.S. bombed North Vietnamese supply routes in Laos and Cambodia. The 1970 deposing of the Cambodian monarch, Norodom Sihanouk, resulted in a PAVN invasion of the country (at the request of the Khmer Rouge), and then a U.S.-ARVN counter-invasion, escalating the Cambodian Civil War. After the election of Richard Nixon in 1969, a policy of "Vietnamization" began, which saw the conflict fought by an expanded ARVN, while U.S. forces withdrew in the face of increasing domestic opposition. U.S. ground forces had largely withdrawn by early 1972, and their operations were limited to air support, artillery support, advisors, and materiel shipments. The Paris Peace Accords of January 1973 saw all U.S. forces withdrawn;[65]: 457 accords were broken almost immediately, and fighting continued for two more years. Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge on 17 April 1975, while the 1975 spring offensive saw the Fall of Saigon to the PAVN on 30 April, marking the end of the war; North and South Vietnam were reunified on 2 July the following year.

CHRONOLOGY OF KEY MARINE CORPS EVENTS

IN THE VIETNAM WAR, 1962 - 1975

9 April 1962 - The leading elements of Marine Task Unit 79.3.5, a helicopter task unit codenamed Shufly and commanded by Colonel John F. Carey, arrived at Soc Trang, Republic of Vietnam.

Significance: This was the first squadron-sized Marine unit, together with a small security force, to deploy to Vietnam as a result of the establishment of the U.S. Military Assistance Command on 8 February 1962. They were to provide helicopter support to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in its campaign against Communist Vietnamese forces, called Viet Cong (VC).

8 March 1965 - The 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB), commanded by Brigadier General Frederick J. Karch, landed at Da Nang, Vietnam. The brigade consisted of two Marine battalions, one arriving by air and the other over the beach. The following day, the MEB assumed control of Marine Task Unit 79.3.5 at Da Nang, which became Marine Aircraft Group (MAG) 16.

Significance: This was the first deployment of a battalion-sized U.S. combat unit to Vietnam. Although the mission of the 9th MEB was limited to the defense of the airbase at Da Nang, it was indicative that the U.S. advisory phase in the Vietnam War was to be transformed into more direct U.S. participation.

May-June 1965 - On 6 May, the 9th MEB was transformed into the III Marine Expeditionary Brigade, which became the III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF) the next day. III MAF consisted of the forward elements of the 3d Marine Division and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW). Major General William R. Collins commanded both III MAF and 3d Marine Division. He was relieved on 4 June 1965 in both capacities by Major General Lewis W. Walt. Major General Paul J. Fontana established the 1st MAW headquarters on 11 May, 1965 and was relieved by Brigadier General Keith B. McCutcheon on 24 May. By this time, III MAF had established three bases at Da Nang, Chu Lai and Phu Bai. The commanding general, III MAF, was responsible for all U.S. military activity in South Vietnam’s I Corps, consisting of the five northern provinces. The total strength of III MAF at the end of June was more than 18,000 personnel.

Significance: This was the formation of the Marine Corps command structure in Vietnam that was to remain in place to the departure of the Marine units in 1971.

1 August 1965 - The Joint Action Company was officially formed at Phu Bai, consisting of four South Vietnamese Popular Force platoons, each reinforced by a U.S. Marine infantry squad. These platoons eventually became known as Combined Action Platoons.

Significance: This event initiated what eventually became the Combined Action Program, which assigned these combined South Vietnamese and American platoons into various villages in the III MAF area of operations. This was a unique Marine program and largely successful contribution to the U.S./South Vietnamese pacification program in the countryside.

3 August 1965 - Company D, 1st Battalion, 9th Marines conducted a one-day operation in the vicinity of Cam Ne, south of Da Nang. A CBS television crew accompanied the company and filmed a Marine setting fire to a Vietnamese thatched house. This film, which was shown on the evening news, led to a debate in the press about U.S. tactics in Vietnamese Villages.

Significance: The relationship of the media, especially the television media, and the military was to be an acrimonious one during much of the Vietnam War. The so-called “Cam Ne incident” set much of the tone of this relationship.

18-24 August 1965 - The 7th Marines conducted an amphibious and helicopter assault and defeated a large Communist force, the 1st VC Regiment, in Operation Starlite, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy in heavy fighting on the Van Toung Peninsula south of Chu Lai.

Significance: This was the first battle of American troops against a large main force VC unit.

1 March 1966 - The 26th Marines was activated at Camp Pendleton, California initiating the formation of the 5th Marine Division.

Significance: For the first time since World War II, the Marine Corps was to have four infantry divisions on active duty. By the end of June, the Marines were authorized more than 278,000 personnel, a Corps larger than that of the Korean War.

4-7 March 1966 - The 3d Marine Division Task Force Delta defeated the 21st North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Regiment, inflicting heavy casualties upon the enemy in heavy combat in Operation Utah south of Chu Lai.

Significance: This was the first engagement by Marine units against NVA units.

10 March 1966 - South Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Cao Ky removed Lieutenant General Nguyen Chanh Thi from his position as ARVN I Corps commander. This led to a series of strikes and political unrest, especially in I Corps, that saw a succession of I Corps commanders into June 1966. Much of the heaviest unrest was in the Da Nang sector, which often placed III MAF in the middle between troops loyal to the central government and those who supported Thi and the Buddhist dominated “Struggle Group.” General Walt often served as a mediator between the two groups.

Significance: This unrest undermined the authority of the Vietnamese government, which had grave implications for American participation in the war.

29 March 1966 - Major General Lewis J. Fields established the 1st Marine Division Headquarters at Chu Lai.

Significance: III MAF now officially consisted of two Marine infantry divisions and a reinforced MAW.

7 July - 2 August 1966 - The 3d Marine Division Task Force Delta conducted Operation Hastings just south of the so-called Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) dividing the two Vietnams. The Marine task force successfully repulsed the 324 NVA Division in its attempt to move into northern Quang Tri Province.

Significance: This marked the beginning of the North Vietnamese effort to move in strength directly through the DMZ. It eventually resulted in the move of the entire 3d Marine Division northward to establish a forward headquarters at Dong Ha in northern Quang Tri Province.

29 November 1966 - The Marines establish a one-battalion base area near the U.S. Special Forces Camp at Khe Sanh in northwestern Quang Tri Province.

Significance: This was the first establishment of a permanent Marine base at Khe Sanh.

21 February 1967 - Dr. Bernard Fall, noted historian of the French combat experience in Indochina, died in an explosion of an enemy mine. Dr. Fall was accompanying the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines in Operation Chinook.

Significance: Dr. Fall was a recognized expert on Vietnam and ironically died in an area near the so-called “Street Without Joy,” which he had so carefully portrayed in his writing.

27 February 1967 - NVA rocket troops launched 140 mm rockets against the Da Nang air base. More than 50 rockets hit the base in less than a minute. The rockets had a range of 9,000 meters.

Significance: This was the first known use of large tactical rockets in South Vietnam. The use of these weapons forced III MAF to extend its protective patrolling at Da Nang to 9,000 meters, which added to the drain on Marine infantry manpower.

18 March 1967 - The first woman Marine to serve in Vietnam, Master Sergeant Barbara J. Dulinsky, arrived in Saigon for assignment to the United States Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (USMACV) combat operations center.

26 March 1967 – Commander, USMACV ordered III MAF to prepare a plan for locating, constructing and occupying a strongpoint obstacle system south of the DMZ to prevent the North Vietnamese from infiltrating through that zone into South Vietnam.

Significance: III MAF eventually began building this strongpoint system later in the year while under fire by North Vietnamese artillery. This anti-infiltration effort, also known as Dye Marker and Project Nine, was labeled by the Media as “McNamara’s Wall,” after U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara.

20 April 1967 - U.S. Army Task Force Oregon, under Major General William B. Rosson, USA, established its headquarters at Chu Lai and came under the operational control of III MAF to reinforce the Marines in I Corps. On 20 September, Task Force Oregon became the U.S. Army Americal Division under Major General Samuel W. Koster, USA.

Significance: III MAF became truly a U.S. joint command with a sizable army contingent under its operational control.

24 April - 11 May 1967 - The “First Battle of Khe Sanh” or “Hill Fights” took place. In extremely bitter fighting with North Vietnamese troops, units of the 3d Marine Division cleared Hills 8881S, 881N and 861 overlooking the Khe Sanh combat base.

Significance: Khe Sanh began to take on more importance as a Marine outpost. The American command insisted it be held and the North Vietnamese continued to probe and try to isolate the garrison.

31 May 1967 - Lieutenant General Robert E. Cushman, Jr. succeeded Lieutenant General Lewis W. Walt as III MAF’s commanding general.

Significance: General Walt, who had become identified with the Marine Corps pacification campaign including the Combined Action Program, was relieved after two years in command of III MAF. Walt’s successors as III MAF would continue to emphasize pacification as a central component of the Marine effort in South Vietnam, especially in the heavily populated area around Da Nang.

2-14 July 1967 - The 9th Marines conducted Operation Buffalo to counter a North Vietnamese offensive near the Marine base at Con Thien just south of the DMZ. In very intensive fighting with heavy casualties on both sides, the Marines repulsed the North Vietnamese.

Significance: The North Vietnamese in the eastern DMZ begin to escalate the war in the north and would continue to mount attacks against Con Thien.

19-27 September 1967 - In a massive attack by artillery fire on Con Thien, the North Vietnamese fired more than 3,000 heavy artillery, mortar and rocket rounds against the Marine battalion at Con Thien. In response, U.S. artillery returned 12,577 rounds, Navy gunships fired 6,148 rounds and U.S. fighter/attack aircraft flew 5,200 missions against the enemy firing positions.

Significance: This was one of the heaviest North Vietnamese artillery bombardments against American troops during the war and was the first phase of the Communist 1967-1968 Winter Spring Campaign that would culminate in the 1968 Tet offensive.

21 January 1968 - General William C. Westmoreland, USA, Commander, USMACV, ordered a temporary halt to work on the “McNamara Line,” the barrier and anti-infiltration system south of the DMZ.

Significance: This for all practical matters ended the work on the McNamara Line, which officially terminated on 22 October 1968.

21 January - 15 April 1968 - NVA troops began shelling the base at Khe Sanh and the strongholds in the surrounding hills. This rocket, mortar and artillery barrage initiated the siege of Khe Sanh.

Significance: The siege of Khe Sanh would be one of the defining battles of the Vietnam War. Supplied by air and supported by massive artillery and air bombardments, including B-52 strikes, the 6,000-man Khe Sanh garrison would hold out against elements of an estimated two North Vietnamese Divisions until relieved by U.S. forces on 14 April.

30 January - 28 February 1968 - Communist forces launched a countrywide offensive during the Vietnamese Tet holidays. On 30 January, their main force units launched an aborted attack upon Da Nang. Units from the U.S. Army Americal Division would reinforce the 1st Marine Infantry Division at Da Nang. Fighting in the Da Nang sector would continue sporadically until the end of February. Communist offensives also would occur in Hue, Quang Tri City, Hoi An and Quang Ngai City in I Corps.

Significance: While providing the Communists with some political and propaganda successes, especially in the United States, the defeat of their nation-wide offensive would cost the Communist forces dearly in manpower in both their regular forces and especially among their Viet Cong infrastructure and local forces.

31 January - 2 March 1968 - In the battle for Hue City, the North Vietnamese captured most of the city except for small pockets of resistance. Elements of the 1st Marine Division Task Force X-ray, the South Vietnamese 1st ARVN Division and the U.S. 1st Air Cavalry Division, in month-long house-to-house fighting, retook the city with significant losses suffered by both sides.

Significance: The capture of Hue, the ancient Imperial capital of Vietnam, had significant symbolic reverberations throughout the country and was the one partially successful element of the enemy Tet offensive. The defeat of the Communist forces at Hue prevented them from possibly taking the two northern provinces of South Vietnam.

9 February 1968 - MACV (Forward), under General Creighton W. Abrams, Jr., USA, Deputy Commander, USMACV, is established in I CTZ at Phu Bai as a forward headquarters to monitor operations in the two northern provinces. The two divisions in the sector, the U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division (Air Mobile) and the 3d Marine Division, remain, however, under the operational control of III MAF.

Significance: There is some concern among Marine commanders that MACV plans to assume direct command of all forces in the north and reduce the role of the senior Marine command.

12 February 1968 - The 27th Marines receive orders to deploy to Da Nang from the U.S. as part of the reinforcements requested by General Westmoreland and the JCS. President Lyndon B. Johnson made extensive reductions to original recommendations of MACV and the JCS.

Significance: President Johnson limited the number of U.S. reinforcements to Vietnam as a result of the Tet offensive and disapproved the JCS recommendation for a call up of major U.S. Reserve units for the war. In effect, he placed an upper limitation upon the U.S. combat involvement in Vietnam.

13 February 1968 - The headquarters and combat elements of the 101st Airborne Division arrive in I CTZ.

Significance: III MAF now has three U.S. Army Divisions under its operational control as well as two reinforced Marine Divisions and a reinforced Marine Aircraft Wing in I Corps.

7 March 1968 - General Westmoreland issued a “Single Manager” for air directive officially placing with the Seventh Air Force the “responsibility for coordinating and directing the air effort throughout Vietnam, to include I CTZ and the extended battle area.” III MAF was to make available to the Seventh Air Force commander all strike and reconnaissance aircraft and that part of the Marine air command and control system that related to the employment of these aircraft. Marine fixed-wing transports, observation aircraft and helicopters were exempted from the directive.

Significance: The Marine command protested this decision claiming the directive placed undue restrictions upon Marine fixed-air in Marine ground forces support missions. While never withdrawn during the war, the directive was amended several times, and by the end of the war, III MAF in effect regained its control over its fixed-wing aviation.

10 March 1968 - U.S. Provisional Corps, Vietnam was created under the command of Lieutenant General William B. Rosson, USA, to replace the MACV (Forward) Headquarters. The new command had under its operational control the 3d Marine Division, the 1st Cavalry Division (Air Mobile) and the 101st Airborne Division and was a subordinate headquarters to III MAF. The U.S. Provisional Corps becomes XXIV Corps on 15 August 1968.

Significance: III MAF became one of the largest commands in Marine history. It had assumed in effect the role of a Field Army with a MAW attached to it.

30 April - 2 May 1968 - Marine BLT 2/4 engaged and defeated elements of two enemy regiments from the 320th NVA Division in the small hamlet of Dai Do in the 3d Marine Division Cua Viet sector near Dong Ha. Both the Marine battalion and the enemy sustained heavy casualties in the intensive three-day battle. Two of the Marine company commanders were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the battle.

Significance: The battle of Dai Do forestalled a larger NVA offensive aimed at taking the large Marine headquarters and logistic base at Dong Ha. This was part of the renewed Communist offensive labeled “Mini-Tet” that occurred throughout much of South Vietnam at this time.

June - October 1968 - The 3d Marine Division, now under Major General Raymond G. Davis, undertook an aggressive counteroffensive against North Vietnamese forces in the northern border section below the DMZ.

Significance: Employing new helicopter mobile and firebase tactics and no longer confined to securing defensive outposts, the 3d Marine Division swept the 320th NVA Division out of its forward positions in South Vietnam.

5 July 1968 - The last Marine forces officially closed out and departed the Khe Sanh Base.

Significance: With U.S. forces employing more mobile tactics in the north, Khe Sanh was no longer required as a major base. The close out of the base was more of symbolic significance than of any military strategy.

12-16 September 1968 - The 27th Marines redeployed from Vietnam to the United States.

Significance: This was the first withdrawal of U.S. forces sent to reinforce the U.S. command in Vietnam during Tet. While not considered a reduction of U.S. forces, it was a harbinger the U.S. was looking to reduce its combat forces in Vietnam.

7 December 1968 - 9 March 1969 - The 1st Marine Division Task Force Yankee conducted Operation Taylor Common in Base Area 112 southwest of Da Nang, accounting for extensive North Vietnamese casualties.

Significance: Incorporating mobile helicopter and firebase tactics used by the 3d Marine Division, the 1st Marine Division entered the North Vietnamese base areas, destroying much of the enemy main force logistics buildup and clearing the 2nd NVA Division elements which had taken refuge there.

22 February - 18 March 1969 - The 9th Marines, under the 3d Marine Division, conducted Operation Dewey Canyon, a mobile helicopter and fire base operation in the Da Krong Valley in western Quang Tri Province. During the course of the operation, Marine units crossed the border into Laos.

Significance: Not only was this the first acknowledged and deliberate entry into Laos by a large American unit, it resulted in the uncovering of extensive enemy supplies, arms and ammunition.

4 July - 4 - 7 November 1969 - In accordance with a Presidential order in the reduction of U.S. troop strength in Vietnam, the 3d Marine Division redeployed from Vietnam to Okinawa.

Significance: The 3d Marine Division was the first U.S. division to depart Vietnam in accordance with U.S. plans for the eventual withdrawal of American combat units from Vietnam.

November 1969 - With new command arrangements, the Special Landing Force (SLF) Battalions of the Seventh Fleet could not be committed to South Vietnam without specific authorization of the JCS.

Significance: Up to this point, from 1965 to 1969, MACV could request the Seventh Fleet for deployment to South Vietnam of its SLF battalions as a matter of course. Many SLF battalions remained ashore for months on end, and in effect, were part of the total MACV strength. This was no longer the case and meant a further reduction of forces immediately available to the MACV commander.

28 January - 19 March 1970 - Redeployment of Marine units from Vietnam, now codenamed Keystone Robin, continued to include the 26th Marines, MAG-12, and several aviation squadrons.

Significance: U.S. redeployment plans called for III MAF units to be among the first U.S. units to depart Vietnam.

9 March 1970 - III MAF turned over command of U.S. units in I Corps to XXIV Corps, thus becoming a subordinate command of XXIV Corps.

Significance: This again is indicative of the future reduced role for Marines in Vietnam and their pending departure.

30 April - 29 June 1970 - U.S. and South Vietnamese units entered the Cambodian fishhook area to attack the Viet Cong command headquarters and logistics base maintained across the border. Two Vietnamese Marine Brigades, together with their U.S. Marine advisors, participated in the action. Marine advisors were restricted to 25 miles inside Cambodia. No U.S. Marine ground units participated in this incursion.

Significance: While the operation was successful militarily, it led to widespread student and anti-war demonstrations and unrest in the United States. For the Marine Corps, it was indicative that Marine advisors to South Vietnamese units were beginning to have a more active role than the Marine units in Vietnam.

1 October 1970 - The 7th Marines departed Vietnam.

Significance: The continuing redeployment of Marine units from Vietnam in accordance with the Keystone Robin plans.

30 January - 6 April 1971 - On 30 January, the South Vietnamese begin Lam Son 719. In Phase 1, which lasted to 8 February, the South Vietnamese, supported by allied forces, opened up the Khe Sanh base. In Phase II, the South Vietnamese forces, which included the Vietnamese Marine Corps Division, moved through the American units into Laos. U.S. advisors, including U.S. Marine advisors, were not permitted to accompany their units into Laos; they were allowed, however, to coordinate supporting fires. A Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) remained off the Vietnamese coast, but was not committed.

Significance: Militarily, this operation was much less successful than the Cambodian incursion and called into question the capability of the South Vietnamese command to coordinate division-size forces. Again U.S. Marine units in Vietnam played almost no role in Lam Son 719 as they redeployed or planned to redeploy from Vietnam.

25 March 1971 - The 5th Marines departed Vietnam.

Significance: The continuing redeployment of Marine units from Vietnam in accordance with the Keystone Robin plans.

14 April 1971 - The III MAF headquarters, the 1st Marine Division headquarters and the 1st MAW headquarters departed Vietnam. The 3d Marine Amphibious Brigade replaced III MAF at Da Nang and totaled 1,322 Marine and 124 Navy officers and 13,359 Marine and 711 Navy enlisted men. It consisted of the 1st Marines, MAG-11 and MAG-16, and the 2nd Combined Action Group Headquarters.

Significance: This was to be the last command adjustment before the final departure of Marine units in Vietnam.

11 May 1971 - The Combined Action Group headquarters was deactivated.

Significance: This ended the Marine Corps pacification and civic action campaigns in Vietnam.

27 June 1971 - The 3d Marine Amphibious Brigade was deactivated.

Significance: This ended the major Marine participation in the Vietnam War with a few exceptions. Marine advisors continued to be assigned to the Vietnamese Marine Corps and Marines of Subunit 1. Ship gunfire and naval air support continued to be coordinated by 1st Air/Naval Gunfire Liaison Company for U.S. Army and ARVN units in Vietnam.

30 March - 27 June 1972 - On 30 March, the North Vietnamese launch their Nguyen-Hue (known in the U.S. as the Easter Offensive) and after extensive losses in I Corps, South Vietnamese forces stabilize their lines at the My Chanh River north of Hue. In the retreat of the Vietnamese Marine Division, U.S. Marine advisors played a major role in helping to rally the Vietnamese Marines after the initial setbacks. On 6 April, the Marine Corps deployed MAG-15 to Da Nang and on 16 May, MAG-12 deployed to Bien Hoa in III Corps. Both Marine aircraft groups operated under the Seventh Air Force in support of South Vietnamese Forces. On 16 June, MAG-15 redeployed from Da Nang to Nam Phong, Thailand, where the group continued to support operations of the Seventh Air Force against the Communist forces both in Vietnam and Cambodia. MAG-12 would remain in Bien Hoa until February 1973. The 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade (MAB) was embarked on board Seventh Fleet amphibious shipping and arrived in the Gulf of Tonkin on April. The MAB remained embarked and Marine infantry units were not committed.

Significance: Although Marine ground units remained ready for redeployment to Vietnam, the Marine Corps’ participation was limited in the renewed fighting to aviation support and in an advisory effort.

14 March 1973 - With the signing of the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973 between North Vietnam and the United States, Subunit 1, 1st ANGLICO redeploys.

Significance: This was the last Marine tactical unit to leave Vietnam.

29 March 1973 - U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam was deactivated.

Significance: This ended the U.S. military advisory effort at the unit level with the South Vietnamese military and included the deactivation two days earlier of the U.S. Marine Advisory Unit to the South Vietnamese Marine Corps.

14 August 1973 - U.S. Congress ceased the funding of all U.S. military action in Southeast Asia and halted combat air operations from Thailand.

Significance: This concluded all U.S. air action in Cambodia flown by U.S. aircraft based in Thailand, including that of the Marines. The last elements of Marine Task Force Delta at Nam Phong departed Thailand on 21 September.

12 April 1975 - Marines of the 9th MAB executed Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of American and other foreign nationals from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, just before the fall of the city to the Communist Cambodian Khmer Rouge.

Significance: This ended U.S. involvement and support of the Cambodian regime of Lon Nol, the general who had overthrown Prince Nordom Sihanouk in 1970. The Khmer Rouge assumed control of Cambodia and its government.

29 April 1975 - Marines of the 9th MAB executed Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Americans, foreign nationals and various Vietnamese officials and citizens associated with Americans from Saigon to ships of the U.S. Seventh Fleet.

Significance: This ended U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. The 9th MAB, in effect, conducted the last U.S. troop operation of the Vietnam War. The following day, Saigon fell to North Vietnamese troops and organized South Vietnamese resistance to the Communist forces of North Vietnam ended. The Communists unified Vietnam under their regime.

12-15 May 1975 - On 12 May, a Khmer Rouge gunboat seized an American ship, the USS Mayaguez, in the Gulf of Thailand and detained its crew. Two days later, USAF helicopters landed Marines of BLT 2/9 on Koh Tang Island off the Cambodian coast where the crew was believed to be held. Marines from Company D, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines boarded the Mayaguez to find it deserted. The Khmer Rouge released the Mayaguez crew, who were picked up by a U.S. destroyer at sea. On 15 May, with the recovery of the ship and its crew, the Marines withdrew from Koh Tang Island. The American forces sustained total casualties of 15 killed, 3 missing in action (later declared dead), 49 wounded and 23 other personnel killed in a related helicopter crash. Khmer Rouge casualties were unknown.

Significance: This concluded the entire combat involvement of the United States military forces in the former French Indochina

"Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto, 'In God is our trust', And the Star-Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave, O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave."

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