A long-range reconnaissance patrol (LRRP) / "Lurp"
is a small
well-armed reconnaissance team that patrols deep in enemy-held territory
In December 1965 in the Vietnam war
the 1st Brigade
101st Airborne Division
formed a LRRP platoon
and by April 1966, the 1st Infantry Division
25th Infantry Division
and each of the four Battalions of the 173rd Airborne Brigade
formed LRRP units as well
On 8 July 1966, General William Westmoreland
authorized the formation of a LRRP unit
in each infantry brigade or division in Vietnam
LRRP training was notoriously rigorous
and team leaders were often graduates
of the U.S. Army's 5th Special Forces Recondo School in Nha Trang, Vietnam
In November 1966, Captain James D. James
a Special Forces-trained officer
and Ranger Staff Sergeant Ronald Christopher
were selected to establish a long-range reconnaissance patrol detachment
for the 1st Cavalry Division, designated "LRRP Detachment G2"
LRRP Detachment G2 became operational on January 1, 1967
and on December 20, 1967
it was redesignated Company E (LRP), 52nd Infantry (Airborne)
Company E participated in some of the most notable battles of the Vietnam War
and became the most decorated and longest serving unit in LRP / Ranger history
By 1967 formal LRRP companies were organized
most having three platoons
each with five six-man teams equipped with FM and PRC-25 radios
One of the most daring LRRP penetration operations in Vietnam war
was launched by members of Company E, 52nd Infantry (LRP)
of the 1st Air Cavalry Division in April 1968
against the North Vietnamese Army when they seized "Signal Hill"
the name attributed to the peak of Dong Re Lao Mountain
a densely forested 4,879-foot mountain
midway in A Shau Valley
so its 1st and 3rd Brigades
who would be fighting behind a wall of mountains
could communicate with Camp Evans near the coast or with approaching aircraft
Tiger Force was the nickname
of an infamous LRRP unit of the 1st Battalion (Airborne)
327th Infantry Regiment,1st Brigade (Separate)
101st Airborne Division, which fought in the Vietnam War
and was responsible for counterinsurgency operations
against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong
And in October 1968
Tiger Force's main battalion was awarded
the Presidential Unit Citation by President Lyndon B. Johnson
which included a mention of Tiger Force's service at Đắk Tô, in June 1966
In Vietnam war
the US Marine Corps also performed long-range reconnaissance missions
typically assigned to Marine Recon
especially Force Recon at the corps-level
Marine Recon teams typically were twice as large as Army LRRPs
and were more heavily armed
however sacrificing a degree of stealth
In addition
the Marines did not employ indigenous Montagnards as front and rear scouts
as Army LRRPs and Special Forces teams did which proved invaluable
in confusing the enemy if contact was made
During the war, LRRP conducted around 23,000 long-range patrols
of this amount two-thirds resulted in enemy sightings
LRRPs also accounted for approximately 10,000 enemy KIA (Killed in Action)
through ambushes, air strikes, and artillery