vietnamwarera:

Young Marine, 1970.

warinvietnam:

A U.S. Marine waves an American flag tied to a tree branch before securing it on the brick wall of a citadel in Hue, South Vietnam, Feb. 1968 during the Vietnam War. The Marines charged the wall while under fire to secure the flag here as fighting continues in the old imperial fortress for the third straight week.

(Source: )

vietnamwarera:

Operation Apache Snow

Dates: 10MAY1969 - 7JUN1969

Area of Operation: A Shau Valley, Thua Thien Province

Allied Units: USMC 1st and 2d Battalions 9th Marines; US Army 3rd Brigade 101st Airborne, 3d Battalion 187th Infantry, 2d Battalion 501st Infantry, 2d Battalion 506th Infantry; ARVN 2d Battalion 3d Regiment 1st Infantry Division

Allied Casualties: US 56 KIA, 327-420 WIA; RVN 5 KIA

Enemy Units: NVA 29th Regiment

Enemy Casualties: 597-977 KIA

Objective: To cut off the North Vietnamese so that they could not attack coastal areas.

Significance/Notes: The battle for Hill 937/Ap Bia Mountain, promptly nicknamed “Hamburger Hill”, took place during Operation Apache Snow. This operation, including Hamburger Hill, was the final straw for many Americans. Their outrage was fueled by the publication of portraits of the 430 men killed in the week of battling for Hill 937. Not long after securing the territory, Allied forces abandoned Ap Bia Mountain and NVA troops returned to reoccupy the land. In the end, Apache Snow (with the battle for Hill 937 in particular) became a big motivator for the US government’s change in policy towards Vietnamization.

Sources:

• The Vietnam Center and Archive (at Texas Tech Univ)
• Vietnam War Almanac by James H. Willbanks 

Other links:

• Operation Apache Snow After Action Report
• Rakkasans on Hamburger Hill (article on army.mil)

warinvietnam:

13 Oct 1967, Con Thien, South Vietnam —- Humor Under Fire. Con Thien, South Vietnam: At the forward Marine artillery base here which has been mercilessly pounded by North Vietnamese big guns, Cpl. Billy Winn of Cabot, Arkansas, adds a touch of sardonic humor to the situation with a message penned on his helmet cover. The inscription “Where is Lee Harvey Oswalt (sic) now that we really need him,” refers to the ex-Marine who assassinated President Kennedy.

indypendenthistory:

A US Marine takes stock during a brief pause in the fighting during the Battle for Hue, Vietnam, 1968 (via Interview: Don McCullin, taking the world’s best photographs of suffering | Varsity Online)

vietnamwarera:

Soldier running, Saigon, 1968. Photo taken by Philip Jones Griffiths.

warinvietnam:

PHU AN, S.VIETAM: A U.S. Marine walks along a narrow path past a burning house, part of a suspected refuge for Viet Cong, during a search and destroy mission of Operation Arizona, June 16th, near Phu An.
(UPI PHOTO BY NICK WHEELER) 6/24/67

warinvietnam:

DONG HA, SOUTH VIET NAM: Bearing a heavy load, a Marine carries a wounded buddy away from scene of battle as a fellow Leatherneck (rear) lends a hand, 9/17. Marine was wounded in an engagement with Communists some 20 miles northwest of Dong Ha.
UPI TELEPHOTO BY JOHN SCHNEIDER

vietnamwarera:

US Marine descending a steep slope.