Narrative Summary
During the initial eleven days of the month of November the Battalion was located at Fire Support Bases (FSB) Cates and Shepherd and Hills 691 and 950. This mission of all subordinate units at these installations as to provide security for the artillery units or radio relay sites located thereat and to conduct extensive patrolling within our assigned AO. To accomplish this one Company each was located at FSB Cates and Shepherd. Another Company was located at Hills 691 and 950. Company A continued to remain under the operational control of 3rd Battalion 4th Marines during this period.
From 11-13 November the Battalion was helo-lifted to other Fire Support Bases within the 4th Marines AO. On 11 November, Company D was helo-lifted with elements of H&S Company to FSB Alpine. The next day, Companies B and C with the Battalion Command Group and elements of H&S Company were helo-lifted to FSB Argonne. Following these initial movements Company, A on 13 November was helo-lifted from FSB Gurkha to FSB Argonne and once again came back under the control of 1st Battalion 4th Marines. The mission of the Battalion was unchanged with regards to providing security for the artillery units at the fire bases. This was accomplished by Company C at FSB Argonne and Company D at FSB Alpine. Security measures taken to enhance the normal perimeter defensive posture included ambush patrols, listening posts, observation posts and reconnaissance patrols which operated in remote areas from the bases themselves.
The primary mission assigned to the Battalion was to conduct search and destroy operations to the north and east of FSB Argonne. In order to accomplish this, Companies A and B departed FSB Argonne on 14 November.
On 16 November a change of Command of 1st Battalion 4th Marines took place at FSB Argonne. LtCol T. H. Galbraith relinquished Command of the Battalion to LtCol G. T. Sargent.
Small enemy elements continually harassed FSB Argonne and FSB Alpine following the Battalion’s arrival. This was confined mainly to sniping and a light probe at FSB Argonne on four occasions and mortaring FSB Alpine on three occasions. In all instances there were few casualties and negligible material damage.
The search and destroy operation to the north and east of FSB Argonne proved lucrative. Numerous unoccupied or hastily abandoned living areas and natural caves yielded considerable food, weapons and ammunition caches. As the Companies progressed eastward enemy elements began delaying actions. These were limited mainly to small but every contact between the point elements of the Companies and small groups of enemies. Because of the nature of these contacts casualties on both sides were usually sustained. When the contact was broken and the enemy elements pursued, it invariably led to the discovery of further caches.
To further exploit the initial successes of the operation, Company K, 3rd Battalion 4th Marines was assigned to it, coming under the operational control of 1st Battalion 4th Marines on 21 November. On 26 November Companies A and B were relieved from the operation by Companies C and D. The exchange by helo-lift gave Companies A and B the task of providing perimeter security for FSB Alpine and FSB Argonne respectively.
At the end of the reporting period Companies A and B were still providing perimeter security at the fire bases and Companies C, D and M were still on the search and destroy operation.
This page last corrected 2 September 2011