operation report information
for 3/26 MARINES
4 ARVN CAV
1 MARINES

For date 681209


3/26 MARINES was a US Marine Corps unit
4 ARVN CAV was a Vietnamese Army unit
1 MARINES was a US Marine Corps unit
Primary service involved, US Marine Corps
Operation MEADE RIVER
Quang Nam Province, I Corps, South Vietnam
Location, Dodge City area
Description: The 3/26th Marines, supported by the battleship New Jersey, made their final push on the narrow strip of ground between their positions and the Song La Tho. The fighting was still fierce but the NVA had been pounded for such a long time and the Marines held all the right positions. Scores of NVA dead were found in the collapsed bunkers. There was a turkey shoot as the surviving NVA tried to cross the Song La Tho. In all 130 NVA dead and 8 POWs. At 1800 hours, MEADE RIVER terminated. What had begun as a giant "Country Fair" had turned into a major battle pitting determined Marines in the assault against equally determined NVA defending from heavily fortified positions. The Marine sources tallied 1,023 enemy dead, 123 prisoners, and 6 ralliers. The GVN police questioned 2,663 civilians and detailed 71. The Marines destroyed 360 bunkers and captured 20 tons of rice. Their success came at a high price; 108 KIA and 510 WIA. Sadly, by the end of December the 1st Marine Division reported that the enemy had reoccupied the MEADE RIVER area and was preparing for a thrust into the Dien Ban/Hoi An and Da Nang area.

The source for this information was 1968 USMC History P:425+


Additional information is available on CD-ROM.

Please send additions or corrections to: Gary Roush Email address: webmaster@vhpa.org


Return to panel index

Return to Helicopter Pilot KIA index

Return to VHPA Home Page

Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association

Last updated 11/06/1999

Date posted on this site: 05/13/2023