Brave Vietnamese

Their reluctance to get off my plane (in 1968) in an LZ was what made me want to carry a .45 as a sidearm! We spent too many extra moments in too many LZ's for my liking when transporting Vietnamese troops! Now the ROK Marines...THEY were a different story altogether! 😮
Maybe others had different experiences?
Semper Fi
Joe

How can the title of this thread be -

Vietnamese Marines fought well

The main story written didn't even SAY they fought well.

I agree with Joe.

'Exceptions to the tendency of RVN military units to prefer the defense of their bases rather than seeking the enemy in the countryside included elite RVN forces such as the Vietnamese Marines, Rangers, and Airborne units, who performed well in the fighting in Hue."

Joe,
I was flying as a relief crew chief on an ARVN troop lift. This was all pretty new to me as the squadron had only been in country for a short time. We landed in the zone and when the troops were unloaded I looked into the cabin and standing by the APU stood an ARVN with a BAR and guess where it was pointed? He sure had the drop on me. The gunner was looking out his window and didn't see a thing. I got on the ICS and called the front office real fast and told them what was going on below. All the HAC said was, "they will take care of him when we land back at the pickup point." He got a free flight back. I've wondered a few times what happen to him. He jumped out with his BAR, we loaded the next bunch of troops and off we went.

S/F

Ernie Needham

HMM-361, 64/66

I agree with the author, Joe and Ernie. I served four years in Vietnam and had little respect for the average ARVN, the were preoccupied with regional defense.

However, the Vietnamese Marines, Rangers, SVN Airborne and the Aircrews of VNAF-219th KINGBEES were well respected.

Not Forgotten Heroes: Vietnamese and American Marines

Allan, I felt you were asking for more information than originally posted by George...(sometimes a post gets the gray matter crankin' and sometimes it don't 🙂 )...hopefully this helps...

Not Forgotten Heroes: Vietnamese and American Marines

By Jackie Bong-Wright

Silver Star Medal from President Bush

On Independence Day week-end, 100 former U.S. Marine advisors joined 400_ Vietnamese Marines, their families and friends in Falls Church, Virginia to celebrate the latters’ 49th anniversary._ Retired U.S. Marine Col. John Ripley, director of Marine Corps History and Museums, used the occasion to present the Silver Star medal to Major Le Ba Binh, a former Vietnamese Marine and battalion commander._ In attendance were also former Marine Commandant Gen. Anthony Zinni, Gen. Walter Boomer, deputy commandant, and Lt. Gen. Paul Van Riper.___

The action for which Major Binh earned his medal occurred during the Communists’ Easter offensive of 1972._ The Major’s 735 man-battalion underwent a massive attack by a North Vietnamese force of 20,000 soldiers and 200 tanks at Dong Ha bridge._ “Major Binh,” said Col. Ripley, “placed half of his battalion at the bridge and positioned the other half along the river’s edge wrapping it around the left flank._ He inspired his Marines to superhuman efforts in throwing back the enemy time and time again._ He was responsible for enabling the U.S. Marine Corps and his U.S. Army counterpart to destroy the bridge, depriving the enemy from capturing the Dong Ha village._ By his extraordinary heroism in the face of extreme danger,_ Major Binh reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the Naval Service.”

Ripley had served as Senior Advisor to Binh’s 3rd_ battalion, and he himself had been awarded the nation’s second-highest honor, the Navy Cross, for his role in the Dong Ha’s bridge’s destruction._ Never having forgotten Maj. Binh, whom he called “the real hero of Dong Ha,” Col. Ripley wrote to the Secretary of the Navy to request the award for Major Binh and persisted until it was finally granted._ Today, Maj. Binh is a U.S. citizen who lives with his family in Texas.

History of U.S. Marine Corps Advisory Unit and Vietnamese Marines Corps

___________ In 1962, the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) began assigning officers and enlisted men to Vietnam as advisors to the Vietnamese Marine Corps (VNMC)._ This grew from a few advisors -- or Covan in Vietnamese -- to over 550 during the next 14 years._ The two partners worked together on strategies and tactics during the Vietnam war._ Many of the U.S. Marines rose to the highest levels of the Marine Corps – 27 reached the general officer level to include five, four-star and six, three star generals.

___________ The South Vietnamese Marines were formed in 1954, and officers graduated from the country’s most prestigious military schools._ They were known to have won many major battles during the Vietnam War.

The close relationship between the U.S. and South Vietnamese counterparts remains to this day._ Retired MGen. Ray Smith said, “This reunion is a great reminder that you are a Marine forever._ It is something that makes you hold your head up higher, and you feel the ever-lasting pride of being a Marine.”___

Gen. Boomer also recognized Mrs. Le Nguyen Khang, widow of the first VNMC commandant, and expressed the U.S. Marines’ admiration and respect for her husband._

The general reminisced, too, about Captain Don Koelper, the first American Marine to die in the war, and Captain Don Cook, who in 1964 became the first Marine to be taken prisoner and the first to earn the Medal of Honor while in captivity._ Earlier that_ day, a team of U.S. and Vietnamese Marines had gone to Arlington cemetery to pay tribute to these two brave Marines._ “Let us hope they do not become forgotten heroes.”

Gen. Boomer lamented that it had been 10 years since the Marine advisors had had a reunion with their Vietnamese counterparts, and made several suggestions for the future._ He thought a newsletter would help the former Marines stay in touch with one another, proposed more use of the internet, and specifically mentioned the “superb” new Vietnamese Marine website._ He wanted to start a Marine advisor collection at the Marine training base at Quantico, Virginia, with maps, diaries, letters, pictures, log books, and citations._ Finally, he recommended that scholarships be started for deserving blood descendants of both Vietnamese and American Marines._

The reunion was organized by a committee composed of Col. Gerry Turley, Col. Don Price, Col. Ripley and Capt. Cy Kammeier who coordinated the event along with Col. Phan Nguyen, Luong Nguyen and other Vietnamese counterparts from many parts of the country._ The event’s program booklet cited the stirring words of Shakespeare in Henry V, “Whoever does not have the stomach for this fight, let him depart._ Give him his money to speed his departure since we wish not to die in this man’s company._ Whoever lives past today and comes home safely will rouse himself every year on this day, show his neighbor his scars, and tell him embellished stories of their great feats of battle._ These stories he will teach his son and from this day until the end of the world we shall be remembered._ We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; for whoever has shed his blood with me shall be my brother._ And those men afraid to go will think themselves lesser men as they hear of how we fought and died together.”

___________ Gen. Bui The Lan who was the VNMC Commandant in 1975, had the last word.___ He reminded the Marines of both countries that their mission had not been achieved, and urged all Vietnamese, especially the younger generations, to work for the safety and peace of their adopted land, the United States of America.____

http://www.asianfortune.com/aug03/Vietnamese%20MARINES.htm

Also, a few good books at:
http://www.usni.org/webstore/shopexd.asp?id=19126

http://www.ospreypublishing.com/title_detail.php/title=P251X~ser=ELI

___________

Vietnamese & US Marines fight side by side / HUE TET 68

Great work Bill

more here

On the night of 3 February the North Vietnamese blew up the bridge over the Phu Cam canal and after that, until the bridgehead could be re-captured and the bridge replaced, supplies had to come in on helicopter or up the river by landing craft under escort of U.S. Navy patrol craft.

The battle assumed a rhythm: the Marines would attack each morning at 0700, fight all day, with luck be fed one hot meal, and at night hold up. By 6 February they had retaken the province headquarters, the prison, and the hospital. By 9 February they had snuffed out all organized resistance south of the river.

Truong's counterattack had bogged down and it was decided to give it new impetus with two battalions of Vietnamese Marines and a battalion of U.S. Marines. The 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, which had been operating in the troublesome Phu Loc area just north of Hai Van Pass, moved into the Citadel by helicopter and landing craft on 12 February under the command of Major Robert H. Thompson. The U.S. Marines went in on the left of the ARVN line and the Vietnamese Marines went in and the right and the attack went forward. Building density was much greater in the Citadel than south of the river and it was essentially house-to-house fighting.

http://www.specialoperations.com/mout/hue.html

:confused: I did a lot of work with ARVN Rangers "up north" and they were all very well motivated and carried out their missions with aclarity and precision.

More than once I had to hold back a slightly wounded ARVN Marine from exiting the bird and joining in the fruckas with his unit.

In my opinion they were good troops and quite professional.

Most of the regular ARVNs I carried were young and not experienced in combat. They were not overly well trained and motivated. As we all were, they were scared to the max going into a hot zone and didn't really know what was going to happen or what was expected of them. Once they knew they did well.

I remember one engagement we worked with them and it took us the better part of a day (with 6 birds) to take them in. Then we spent two days talking out the wounded and KIA. Never once did I see them run from a fight.

I guess everyone has their 10% and some of you may have run into them more that the rest of us.

This was in the '66-'67 time frame.

Then, there was the ever present theory-that you check what they were wearing.

Combat boots--you would be going into a fairly secure zone.

Flip-flops (go aheads)-- more than likely you were going in to that proverbial (s*** sandwich) tasty meal.

Tom Knowles
VMO-2