As I recently read about the Vietnam War Border Battles during 1967 I was once again reminded of the incredible hardship members of the United States Marine Corps have endured during the United States’ military conflicts.
Of course all branches of the military suffer hardship, and certainly all soldiers and marines in the field in Vietnam were placed in some pretty awful and dangerous situations. But I couldn’t help but marvel at the marines who faced such horrible conditions at Con Thien, Khe San Combat Base and Hue in particular. I am reminded of a photograph I viewed in a pictorial history book about the Vietnam War my wife gave me called “Nam.” In the photo, a stoic marine during a break in the fighting at Con Thien was propped against a tree, an M60 draped across his lap, his fatigues and jungle boots covered in mud, quietly smoking a cigarette. Now that’s hard core, I thought.
As I child my first introduction to World War II was reading about U.S. Marines who valiantly defended Wake Island against Japanese invasion. I also marveled at First Marine Division marines who landed on Guadalcanal and defeated repeated attempts by fanatical Japanese marines to retake the island and air strip.
Marines have always reveled in their role of willingly taking on the hardest and dirtiest and most difficult tasks. I was a U.S. Army radioman during the Vietnam Era, my son was a U.S. Army infantryman during the Global War on Terror, and my dad was a U.S. Navy Seebee during World War II. My dad told stories of how raggedy field marines would try to get into the Seebee chow line to get better food.
I don’t have the USMC in my blood, but my study of military history and my many conversations with combat veteran marines has given me an incredible appreciation for the United States Marine Corps and its warrior ethos. The marines take pride in being tough enough and hard core enough to get the job done no matter how difficult, dangerous, and deadly. Their training prepares them to take the worst the enemy can deliver, to stay in the fight, and to win. Nobody does it better.
During World War II the Marine Corps legend was written in the blood spilled at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, Peleliu, Saipan, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, etc. With a nod to the heroism of all U.S. service members during World War II, nobody carried the ball into tougher terrain than the Marine Corps.
The Vietnam War was no exception.
Marines in Vietnam found themselves in some of the most miserable and vicious combat of the war, mostly against North Vietnam’s best troops. At Con Thien and Khe San U.S. Marines suffered under terrible shelling and ground attacks, never yielding and never losing their fighting spirit. On Hill 861 west of the Khe San Combat Base, marines defended the tactically valuable hill against numerous attacks by well-trained, well-armed, and well-disciplined NVA regular soldiers.
Robert Pisor’s excellent book, “The End of the Line”, describes how the marines on Hill 861 beat back attack after attack, living in their bunkers and enduring almost constant mortar fire. The Khe San Combat Base wasn’t much better; Con Thien was probably worse. Then there’s Hue.
With NVA troops occupying the city of Hue during the Tet Offensive of 1968, the job of dislodging the fanatical communists fell to the U.S. Marines in I Corps. With their never-surrender attitude, the NVA units occupying Hue resembled the Japanese soldiers on Iwo Jima. Marines had to blast out and kill virtually every one of the them. The close-quarter fighting was savage and merciless. The tales of U.S. Marine heroism are countless. The loss of life was heartbreaking. Through the stress, fear, heartbreak, and death, as always the Marines got the job done and Hue eventually was liberated from communist control.
There is so much more to say about U.S. Marine heroism. I hope that as a non-marine veteran I have given the USMC the credit it deserves.
I missed combat in Vietnam. I was in Europe in 1974-1976. I read about the fall of Saigon in the Stars and Stripes newspaper. The marine combat veterans I know have told me that I was lucky. I know they’re right, but I can’t help being in awe of those average Americans who voluntarily joined the USMC to do the dirtiest and the deadliest jobs many other Americans did their best to avoid.
I couldn’t help chatting with a veteran recently sporting a really cool 26th Marines jacket with leather sleeves. I asked him if he’d been with the 26th Marines at Khe San. He was amazed I knew about the 26th Marines at Khe San, and he then said yes, he had been there. Trying not to be obnoxious I thanked him, and I was proud of myself for knowing what those terribly young 26th Marines did there in 1968.
Everyone should know.
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