U.S . MARINES IN VIETNAM
[Pages:88]U .S . MARINES IN VIETNAM
THE DEFINING YEA R
196 8
by Jack Shulimson Lieutenant Colonel Leonard A . Blasiol, U .S . Marine Corp s Charles R . Smith
and Captain David A . Dawson, U.S . Marine Corp s
HISTORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISION HEADQUARTERS, U .S. MARINE CORP S
WASHINGTON, D .C . 1997
Volumes in the Marine Corp s Vietnam Serie s
Operational Histories Serie s U.S. Marines in Vietnam, 1954-- 1964, The A dvisory and Combat A ssistance Era, 197 7 U.S. Marines in V ietnam, 1965, The Landing and the Buildup, 197 8 U.S . Marines in V ietnam, 1966, A n Expanding W ar, 198 2 U.S . Marines in Vietnam, 1967, Fighting the North Vietnamese, 1984 U.S . Marines in V ietnam, 1969, High Mobility and Standdown, 1988 U.S . Marines in Vietnam, 1970-- 1971, Vietnamization and Redeployment, 198 6 U.S. Marines in V ietnam, 1971-- 1973, The W ar that W ould Not End, 199 1 U.S. Marines in V ietnam, 1973-- 1975, The Bitter End, 1990
Functional Histories Serie s Chaplains with Marines in V ietnam, 1962-- 1971, 198 5 Marines and Military Law in V ietnam : Trial By Fire, 1989
Anthology and Bibliography The Marines in Vietnam, 1954-- 1973, A n A nthology and A nnotated Bibliography , 1974 ; reprinted 1983 ; revised second edition, 198 5
Library of Congress Card No . 77-- 60477 6 PCN 190 0031 380 0
For sale by the U.S . Government Printing Offic e Superintendent of Documents, Mail Stop: SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-9328
ISBN 0-16-049125- 8
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Foreword
This is the last volume, although published out of chronological sequence, in the nine volume operational history series covering the Marine Corps' participation in the Vietna m War. A separate functional series complements the operational histories . This book is the capstone volume of the entire series in that 1968, as the title indicates, was the defining yea r of the war. While originally designed to be two volumes, it was decided that unity and cohe sion required one book .
The year 1968 was the year of the Tet Offensive including Khe Sanh and Hue City . These were momentous events in the course of the war and they occurred in the first three month s of the year . This book, however, documents that 1968 was more than just the Tet Offensive . The bloodiest month of the war for the U .S . forces was not January nor February 1968, bu t May 1968 when the Communists launched what was called their "Mini-Tet" offensive . This was followed by a second "Mini-Tet" offensive during the late summer which also wa s repulsed at heavy cost to both sides . By the end of the year, the U .S . forces in South Vietnam's I Corps, under the III Marine Amphibious Force (III MAF), had regained the offensive. By December, enemy-initiated attacks had fallen to their lowest level in two years . Still, there was no talk of victory . The Communist forces remained a formidable foe and a limit had been drawn on the level of American participation in the war .
Although largely written from the perspective of III MAF and the ground war in I Corps , the volume also treats the activities of Marines with the Seventh Fleet Special Landing Force , activities of Marine advisors to South Vietnamese forces, and other Marine involvement i n the war. Separate chapters cover Marine aviation and the single manager controversy , artillery, logistics, manpower, and pacification .
Like most of the volumes in this series, this has been a cumulative history . Lieutenan t Colonel Leonard A . Blasiol researched and wrote the initial drafts of the chapters on Kh e Sanh as well as Chapters 17, 19, and 21 and the account of Operation Thor in Chapter 26 . Mr . Charles R . Smith researched and drafted Chapters 16, 18, 20, and 22 . Captain Davi d A. Dawson researched and wrote Chapter 27 . Dr. Jack Shulimson researched and wrote th e remaining chapters, edited and revised the entire text, and incorporated the comments o f the various reviewers .
Dr. Shulimson heads the History Writing Unit and is a graduate of the University o f Buffalo, now the State University of New York at Buffalo . He earned his master's degree i n history at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; Michigan and his doctorate from th e University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland in American studies . Mr. Smith is a senio r historian in the Division and served in Vietnam as an artilleryman and then as a historian with the U .S . Army. He is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, an d received his master's degree in history from San Diego State University . Lieutenant Colonel Blasiol is an experienced artilleryman and a graduate of Tulane University, New Orleans , Louisiana, with a degree in history, and of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College . Captain Dawson is an infantry officer now stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina . He holds a bachelor of arts degree in history from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York and a master's degree in history from Kansas State University, Lawrence, Kansas .
E . H . SIMMON S Brigadier General, U .S . Marine Corps (Retired) Director Emeritus of Marine Corps History and Museums
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