Chapter I: Front Matter

Transcriber’s Notes: Italics are enclosed in _underscores_.

References to same-page footnotes are alphameric, e.g., [1-A]. The number is the Chapter number; the letter is the sequence within the chapter.

References to endnotes (near the end of the book) are numeric, e.g., [1-1]. The first number is the Chapter number; the second number is the sequence within the chapter.

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U.S. MARINES IN VIETNAM
THE ADVISORY & COMBAT ASSISTANCE ERA
1954–1964

_by_
Captain Robert H. Whitlow, USMCR

HISTORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISION
HEADQUARTERS, U.S. MARINE CORPS
WASHINGTON, D.C.
1977

Library of Congress Card No. 76-600051

PCN 190 003064 00

For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C. 20402 (Buckram)

Stock Number 008-055-00094-7

Foreword

This is the first of a series of nine chronological histories being prepared by the Marine Corps History and Museums Division to cover the entire span of Marine Corps involvement in the Vietnam conflict. This particular volume covers a relatively obscure chapter in U.S. Marine Corps history--the activities of Marines in Vietnam between 1954 and 1964. The narrative traces the evolution of those activities from a one-man advisory operation at the conclusion of the French-Indochina War in 1954 to the advisory and combat support activities of some 700 Marines at the end of 1964. As the introductory volume for the series this account has an important secondary objective: to establish a geographical, political, and military foundation upon which the subsequent histories can be developed.

The author is a Marine Reservist who was a member of the History and Museums Division from September 1972 until August 1974. Promoted to major soon after his return to inactive duty, he is now working for the Kentucky State Government. A native of Kentucky, he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehead State College (1965) and a Master of Arts degree in American History from the University of Kentucky (1972). Commissioned in 1965, Major Whitlow served as an infantry platoon commander with the 6th Marines, an aerial observer with the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam, and later as a platoon commander at Officer Candidate School, Quantico. For services in the Republic of Vietnam during 1967 and 1968 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and 26 awards of the Air Medal.

E. H. SIMMONS
Brigadier General, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.)
Director of Marine Corps History and Museums

Reviewed and Approved:
15 September 1976

Preface

_U.S. Marines in Vietnam, 1954–1964_ is a narrative account of the initial decade of Marine Corps operations in South Vietnam. The monograph had two immediate forerunners, both classified studies prepared in the middle 1960s by the former Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters Marine Corps. Authored by Major James M. Yingling, Captain Harvey D. Bradshaw, and Mr. Benis M. Frank, the first of these was entitled “United States Marine Corps Activities in Vietnam, 1954–1963.” The second, entitled “United States Marine Corps Operations in the Republic of Vietnam, 1964,” was authored by Major Harvey D. Bradshaw. Although unpublished, these studies served as important sources for the material contained in this text. Otherwise, this history has been derived from official Marine Corps records, the Oral History Collection of the History and Museums Division, the comment files of the division, and appropriate historical works. Of particular value in its compilation have been the command diaries of the various Marine organizations involved.

Unfortunately, few official documents relative to either the early Marine advisory program or to the early operations of the Vietnamese Marine Corps still exist. Therefore, that portion of the text which deals with those areas has been reconstructed from interviews with various former Marine advisors. Even their generous assistance, however, has not completely overcome the dearth of documentary sources. Any reader possessing a knowledge of this period and subject is invited to submit pertinent comments to the History and Museums Division.

This monograph has not been the product of a single individual’s labor. A comment draft of the manuscript was reviewed by over 40 persons, most of whom were directly associated with the described events. (A list of these contributors appears as Appendix E.) Their remarks have been of immense value in reconstructing with accuracy the origin, nature, and scope of the various Marine operations. The manuscript was prepared under the editorial direction of Mr. Henry I. Shaw, Jr., Chief Historian of the History and Museums Division. Final editing and the preparation of the index was done by Mr. Charles R. Smith of the Historical Branch. Miss Kay P. Sue, editorial clerk and manuscript typist for the division, performed valuable services in typing and proof reading both the comment and final drafts. Staff Sergeant Paul A. Lloyd and Sergeant Eric A. Clark, also members of the History and Museums Division, were responsible for preparing all maps and charts. Unless otherwise credited, photographs are from official Marine Corps files.

ROBERT H. WHITLOW
Captain, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve

Table of Contents

_Page_

Foreword iii
Preface v
Table of Contents vii

PART I THE WATERSHED 1

Chapter 1 Background to Military Assistance 3
The Geographic Setting 3
The People 6
Vietnam’s Recent History 9
Post-Geneva South Vietnam 12
The American Response 14

Chapter 2 The Formative Years 15
Military Assistance Advisory Group, Vietnam 15
Origins of U.S. Marine Assistance 16
Political Stabilization and Its Effects 18
Reorganization and Progress 20
Summing Up Developments 25

Chapter 3 Vietnamese Marines and the Communist Insurgency 26
Origins and Early Stages of Insurgency 26
Insurgency and the Vietnamese Marine Corps 31
Ancillary Effects on Marine Pacific Commands 39
American Decisions at the Close of 1961 42

Chapter 4 An Expanding War, 1962 44
The War’s New Context 44
Creation of MACV and Marine Advisory Division 46
The Vietnamese Marine Corps, 1962 49
Some Conclusions 53

PART II MARINE HELICOPTERS GO TO WAR 55

Chapter 5 SHUFLY at Soc Trang 57
The Decision 57
Deployment to Soc Trang 59
Mekong Delta Combat Support Operations 65
Preparations and Redeployment 73
Accomplishments 74

Chapter 6 SHUFLY Moves North 75
Arrival at Da Nang 75
I Corps Tactical Zone 76
Military Situation, September 1962 79
Initial Helicopter Operations 80
Marine People-to-People Program 85
SHUFLY Operations in I Corps 85

Chapter 7 The Laotian Crisis, 1962 86
Genesis of the Problem 86
The American Response 88
The Marine Corps Role 88
Marine Participation: A Summary 94

PART III THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES, 1963 97

Chapter 8 The Marine Advisory Effort 99
The Political Climate 99
The Advisory Division and VNMC Operations 100
Accomplishments 110

Chapter 9 SHUFLY Operations 111
Development of the Compound Continues 111
Combat Support Operations 113
The Situation in Vietnam 121

PART IV AN EXPANDING GROUND WAR, 1964 125

Chapter 10 Marines Meet the Challenge 127
New American Decisions 127
A Restructured Military Assistance Command 130
Changes in Marine Leadership 130
Redesignation and Reorganization 131
The Vietnamese Marine Brigade 132
Additional Marine Activities 138

Chapter 11 Spring and Summer Fighting 144
The Monsoons 144
The Weather Breaks 148
Sure Wind 202 152
Operations Elsewhere in I Corps 154
Changing the Watch 156

Chapter 12 Fall and Winter Operations 157
Dry Weather Fighting 157
Monsoon and Flood Relief Operations 159
Changes and Improvements 162
Action as the Year Ends 164

Chapter 13 Prelude to Escalation 166

NOTES 169

APPENDICES 175
A. USMC and VNMC Senior Officers, 1954–1964 175
B. Awards and Decorations, RVN, Through 1964 176
C. Glossary of Acronyms 178
D. Chronology 179
E. List of Reviewers 182

INDEX 184

PART I

THE WATERSHED