9th Marine Regiment Patch and History, Framed

Home | Vietnam Unit Histories | Vietnam Framed | Korea Framed | World War II Framed | Original World War II Patches |  | Deluxe Unit Patch and History | Personalized Gifts | Links | Policies | References

The 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, was deployed to Vietnam in March of 1965 as the first ground combat unit in Vietnam.  Their mission was to defend the Air Base at Da Nang.  The first significant contact was in April of 65.  The regimental headquarters arrived in country in July of that year.

 

The Regiment saw action in Vietnam’s I Corps primarily in Quang Tri and Thua Thien provinces although a number of its earlier operations were also conducted in the southern I Corps provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Tin, and Quang Ngai.  The 9th Marines served as a vital stop to the North Vietnamese penetrations across the DMZ and from along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Cambodia.

Some of its early operations included Double Eagle, Macon,   and Prairie.

 

In April and May of 1967 the elements of the Regiment defeated two NVA Regiments in the Hills (861, 881 South, and 881 North around Khe Sanh.  In Operation Buffalo elements of the 1st Battalion make contact north of Con Thien with regimental size NVA forces in an engagement that lasts thru May accounting for over 1300 enemy dead. 

 

In one of the most successful operations of the war the Regiment conducted Operation Dewey Canyon in the A Shau Valley, cut by the Song Da Krong river.  The Marines of the 9th Regiment exacted a deadly toll on the NVA.  These actions precluded another build-up and assault from Route 622 from Laos into South Vietnam as the NVA had the year before during the Tet Offensive.

 

Operation Dewey Canyon netted, among other weaponry, 16 artillery pieces, 73 anti-aircraft guns,  hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition, 92 trucks, and hundreds of thousands pounds of rice.

 

In the words of Gen Stillwell in his report to Gen Abrams on Operation Dewey Canyon:

 

“...this ranks with the most significant undertakings of the Vietnam conflict in the concept and results...”

 

The 9th Marines were redeployed from Vietnam in August of 1969 as part of the first redeployments.

To pay by check or money order print this page and send it along with your payment of $65.00 to:

 

Whispering Hope, LLC                                   Your Mailing Address:

66363 Pancoast Road S.                                      Name:  ________________________

Belmont, OH 43718                                             Address:  ______________________

                                                                              City: __________________________

                                                                              State:  _________________________

                                                                              Zip:   __________________________