infantry units US Marine the Vietnam War
the first American ground forces
deployed against the Vietcong in the NVA
were the US Marines who came ashore at
Danang on the coast of South Vietnam on
March 8th in 1965 the following six
years of warfare would test the Marines
endurance to the limit the Marine Corps
was self-contained with its own
artillery helicopters and aircraft with
the infantry as the focus of the marine
operations marine recruits would undergo
training as rifleman they would go
through a rigorous 13 week marine boot
camp at Parris Island or San Diego
grueling marches press ups and runs were
frequent with instructors aggressively
yelling orders successful recruits would
then go into infantry training with
shooting and specialist skills training
the average marine inventory man sent to
Vietnam was often no older than 18 to 20
years old recruits came from all over
the United States and the Marines
attracted many african-americans who
found the Armed Forces a better
employment opportunity and a place of
equal treatment at a time when civil
rights were a contested issue in the
u.s. the Marines were deployed in the
north sector of South Vietnam the DMZ
where the u.s. back south was separated
from the Communists north the
challenging terrain in which they
operated consisted of a coastal plain
and further inland the jungle mountains
when a marine entered the villages and
rice paddies of the plain he was
surrounded by a population with a
culture and language that he did not
understand Vietcong guerillas were also
hidden amongst the civilians and
impossible to identify in the Highlands
Marines had to seek out the enemy
amongst misty ridges and ravines cutting
through the jungle with a machete while
dealing with swarming insects and
humidity even on routine patrols in
areas under the control of South
Vietnamese Marines could expect mines
and booby traps set up by the Viet Cong
or sniper fire the Marines were at first
adapting to the difficult conditions
with good morale they mounted
counterinsurgency efforts in the
villages setting up small squads and
friendly Hamlet's alongside local
militia to keep out the Viet Cong
the main function the Marines however
was to seek out and destroy the Vietcong
guerrillas and the NVA soldiers
primarily in the highlands u.s.
commanders believed in the tactic of
combining helicopters and utilizing the
maximum use of firepower available to
the American forces the firepower was
provided by setting up fire bases in
advanced positions from which artillery
could support the infantry helicopters
would insert Recon teams of six to eight
Marines into hostile territory to track
the enemy or fairly large units into
jungle landing zones Marines would carry
36 kilograms or 80 pounds of kit
including the m16 rifle grenades
ammunition canteens and trenching tool
machete first aid kit and flak jacket
casualties were sustained not only from
firefights with the enemy but also Falls
snake bites and heat stroke the
availability of helicopters to evacuate
the wounded saved many lives the Marines
were finding themselves more and more on
the defence as their fire bases south of
the DMZ came under attack from the NVA
forces On January 21st 1969 NBA
artillery and mortar fire fell on the
Marine base of Khe Sanh the Marines mo
dump had exploded destroying their
supplies it was a start to a siege that
would last 77 days
the base was defended by 6,000 men
mainly from the 26th Marine Regiment
with the NVA force Errani them at 40,000
strong the Marines had difficulties
keeping the garrison supplied via air as
the airstrip was exposed to enemy
mortars and AAA guns but they held on to
Khe Sanh until a relief column broke
through the Communists launched the Tet
Offensive in an attempt to seize control
of the cities in South Vietnam the
Marines played an important role in
taking back control of the city of hue
from the
da who had captured it for 25 days
fighting from house to house the Marines
have lost almost a thousand men who are
either killed or wounded many Marines
had been pushed to their limit and
morale was dropping as casualties
increased Marines focused on surviving
their 13 month tour of duty when victory
looked increasingly impossible
the Marines withdrew from Vietnam in
1971 leaving the army to fight the war
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