Force Recon Diary, 1969 by Major Bruce H. Norton

Author:Major Bruce H. Norton [Norton USMC (Ret), Maj. Bruce H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2015-09-16T00:00:00+00:00

PHU BAI

IN SEPTEMBER OF 1969, THE 3D MARINE DIVISION BEGAN to “stand down” and prepared to sail for the island of Okinawa. The 1st Brigade of the 5th U.S. Mechanized Division remained in Quang Tri Province along with half of the ARVN (Army Republic Vietnam) division to guard the DMZ and the Laotian border approaches into I Corps.

This was the second increment of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Vietnam and it was announced on September 16, 1969. Of a total of 45,000 Americans to be redeployed by mid-December, 18,483 were Marines, which was the majority of the 3d Marine Division in I Corps. Additionally, a proportional share of Marine aviation assets and service units would leave Vietnam, too. Headquarters, 3d Marine Division, and the 4th Marines were sent to Okinawa. For the 40 months of combat in Vietnam the 3d Marine Division claimed 28,216 enemy killed, 499 prisoners taken, and 9,626 weapons captured.

Third Force Reconnaissance Company “belonged” to the III MAF (Marine Amphibious Force), commanded by Lieutenant General Herman B. Nickerson, and General Nickerson had operational control over both the 1st and the 3d Marine Divisions operating in I Corps. Subordinate to the III MAF commanding general was Major General Ormond R. Simpson, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, and the commanding general of the 3d Marine Division, Major General William K. Jones.

As our teams from 3d Force Reconnaissance Company were the “eyes and ears” for Lieutenant General Nickerson, the two division commanding generals relied upon the Marines of the 1st and 3d Reconnaissance Battalions, respectively, to conduct ground reconnaissance and observation in support of their divisions. (This simple explanation of “who worked for whom” is essential in understanding the role of 3d Force Reconnaissance Company as opposed to the role of the reconnaissance battalions of the two divisions.)

In October of 1969, 3d Force Reconnaissance moved forty miles south of Quang Tri to occupy a company area adjacent to the airstrip located at Phu Bai. The responsibility for patrolling the DMZ had been handed over to the 5th Mechanized Division of the U.S. Army, and our small company of 120 Marines and five corpsmen had new patrol areas that were of significant interest to General Nickerson. These areas included the Hai Van Pass, located south of Phu Bai and north of the city of Da Nang, and the A Shau Valley, located forty miles west of Hue and immediately adjacent to the Laotian border.

Our company compound at Phu Bai was a much-welcomed improvement over the small green plywood hootches that we had called home in Quang Tri. This new company compound was comprised of six two-story wooden barracks called Butler buildings that had once been occupied by members of the Marine air wing. The company had also laid claim to several small supply warehouses, a new sick-bay hootch, and a parachute loft and scuba-equipment locker.

Our company sick bay was located directly across from the flight line of the Phu Bai airstrip. The only facility that we lacked was a

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