| |
| The
Marine Corps Association |
|
 For all who have earned and worn the eagle, globe, and anchor, the Marine
Corps Association is
the professional organization for all Marines -- active duty, Reserve,
retired, and Marine veterans.
The MCA understands and identifies with the sacrifices made and the
services rendered as a
Marine to this great country. We strive to keep our members informed of
developments and future
plans, while emphasizing the rich history of the Marine Corps and keeping
everyone abreast of
current operations.
The association achieves these goals primarily through
our flagship
publications, Leatherneck magazine and the Marine Corps Gazette. These two
great publications
foster the spirit and traditions of our Corps. Search the magazine
archives back to their very first issue
at http://www.mca-marines.org/. Demonstrate your commitment to the Marine
Corps and join the
professional association for all Marines today. Join, subscribe or
give-a-gift now through
December 31st, and receive 15 issues for the price of 12 on your first year
(please reference key code NIMCOM04). Semper Fidelis!
Leatherneck
Article Index
Printer-Friendly
Format
|
|
|
|
By LtCol James B. Wilkinson, USMC (Ret)
LCDR John McElroy, 3/26 chaplain, celebrated Mass atop one of the
outposted hills surrounding Khe Sanh. (Photo courtesy of the Chaplain
Ray W. Stubbe collection)
In the spring of 1965, units of the 9th
Marine Expeditionary Brigade arrived in South Vietnam. As they stormed
ashore, ready for battle, lovely young ladies welcomed them with
floral bouquets. The Marines
were given the mission of protecting the airfield at Da Nang and
were soon patrolling the surrounding villages and paddies. Their
enemy, clad primarily in black pajama-like garments, supported the
National Liberation Front of South Vietnam and were called Viet
Cong. Armed with single-shot rifles, punji stakes and other rudimentary
weapons, they were a formidable foe, blending in with farmers and
villagers when not setting up ambushes or planning other actions
against the Marines.
Identifying Viet Cong was a major challenge.
It was reminiscent of a vintage Western with John Wayne as the grizzled,
old Indian fighter. When a cavalry officer reports, "We just saw
a patrol of Apaches!" Wayne replies, "Sir, if you saw them, they
weren't Apache."
By 1967 American forces in South Vietnam
numbered approximately 500,000 troops. Marines included the First
and Third Marine divisions plus supporting forces, including a variety
of Marine aviation units. The Marines were assigned to I Corps,
in the northern portion of South Vietnam. The enemy also had grown
from a poorly equipped but effective group of Viet Cong into a far
more capable force. Large numbers of well-trained and -equipped
units of the North Vietnamese Army had moved into South Vietnam.
Their arsenal included the old reliable AK47
rifle, rocket-propelled grenades, rockets, field artillery and an
up-to-date communications and command structure.
Like the Viet Cong, the North Vietnamese
units proved hard to locate. But in the spring of 1967, friendly
patrols detected enemy forces in the extreme northwestern corner
of I Corps. The enemy was present in well-placed fighting positions
and bunkers in the vicinity of Hills 881 South, 881 North and 861.
Several Marine infantry battalions were tasked with destroying the
enemy units. The ensuing conflicts became known as "hill battles"
with both sides suffering heavy casualties.
When the fighting ended, the Marines occupied
Hills 881 South, 861, 950 and Khe Sanh Combat Base. Hill 881 North
was not occupied. The enemy withdrew, probably across the border
into Laos where they could regroup and take on replacements that
moved south along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
American leaders at very high levels decided
to maintain a force at Khe Sanh Combat Base. Their strategy was
to lure the North Vietnamese into a set-piece battle, where air
and artillery coupled with the courage of the individual American
fighting man would prevail.
The enemy viewed a future battle for Khe
Sanh as another Dien Bien Phu—the French outpost the North Vietnamese
had battered day and night with artillery and ground attacks. The
French surrendered Dien Bien Phu in 1954 after suffering extremely
heavy casualties. This decisive battle led to the defeat of French
forces in Vietnam. Like Khe Sanh, Dien Bien Phu was located close
to Laos.
In August 1967, Colonel David E. Lownds
assumed command of the 26th Marine Regiment. During most of 1967
he had only one battalion under his command. The 26th Marines were
part of the 5thMarDiv. However, when additional forces were needed
in Vietnam, the regiment was moved from Camp Pendleton, Calif.,
and became part of the 3dMarDiv.
For the last half of 1967, up until Christmas,
life at Khe Sanh Combat Base was uneventful. The defense of the
base, Hills 861, 881 South and 950 remained with 1st Bn, 26th Marines.
That battalion also was responsible for security of the bridge over
the Rao Quan River. A rifle company was given the mission. Every
six or seven weeks, companies would be reshuffled to and from the
hills, to the base or to the bridge.
Life on the hills was far more Spartan
than life at the base, with C-rations delivered by two ancient UH-34
Seahorse helicopters. The helicopters were so old their Marine passengers
joked that the old "birds" suffered from mental fatigue.
When the squad-size patrols left the hills,
the triple-canopied jungle, which began a few hundred yards from
each hill position, enveloped them. Patrols oftentimes stayed out
for several days, even during heavy monsoons or "cratchins." (The
French used le crachin to describe light rain, coupled with fog.)
(continued)
© 2004 Leatherneck Magazine. All rights reserved.
|
