Narrative Summary

1. General overview of all activities.  As the month of August commenced, the Battalion was employed in the defense of VCB.  Companies I, L and M 3/9, were OPCON to the Battalion.  A Platoon from Co C was providing security for the Dong Ha to VCB convoy on a daily basis and was billeted in the 3^rd Marines’ area at Dong Ha.  The defense of VCB included Signal Hill, and a Platoon from Co D was performing that function.

During the month the remainder of the Battalion rear echelon was moved to VCB from Quang Tri.  A transient facility was established by the 3^rd Marines Division at Dong Ha to billet and process all replacements arriving there.  They are trucked from this facility to the various units throughout the Division.

On 26 August, the Battalion exchanged AOs with 3/4, and the ‘A’ Command Group moved to FSB Cates.  The following day, a vertical assault was conducted by the Battalion, with three Companies landing unopposed in Grid Square XD 8548.  One Company has been held in reserve at VCB, which Co M, 3/4 defended FSB Cates and Hill 950.  This Company has been chopped OPCON to the Battalion when the AO’s were exchanged.  As the month ended, Co D, which had replaced Co M, was defending FSB Cates and Hill 950; Co’s A and B were continuing their sweep through the ‘rocket belt’; and Co C was OPCON to 3/4 as the Sparrow Hawk/Bald Eagle unit.

2. Command Relations.  The Battalion remained under the operational control of the 4^th Marines Regiment throughout the month.  There were several different Companies OPCON to the Battalion during the month, while the Organic Companies were periodically chopped OPCON to other organizations.  Specific units, dates, and times are delineated in the Sequential Listing of Significant Events portion of this chronology.
3. Mission Assigned.  For most of the month, the mission of the Battalion was to defend VCB, Signal Hill, and Ca Lu.  However, there were several other missions assigned periodically.  They included providing a Sparrow Hawk/Bald Eagle unit; providing security for the Dong Ha to VCB road convoy; maintaining a readiness posture to be employed as the reserve Battalion for the ‘Project Delta’ operation which was conducted west of the 4^th Marines; AO, or to be used as the reserve Battalion for the 3^rd Marines; Operation south of the DMZ; and to provide security for the MCB workers who were improving the road between VCB and Elliot Combat Base (ECB).  During the last five days of the month, the Battalion was responsible for defending FSB Cates, Hill 950, and conducting operations north of these positions.  The vertical assault into the area northwest of FSB Cates was in response to the mission assigned by the 4^th Marines to ‘conduct a reconnaissance in force operation through the rocket belt’.

This page last corrected 4 September 2011