2019 Pineapple Marines (THE JOURNEY FROM CITIZEN TO MARINE COMBAT VETERAN) WRITTEN BY ROBERT PETERS & ROGER STALEY For The Marines who gave the “The Last Full Measure of Devotion”* including those heroic Pineapple Marines who earned our nation’s highest award, The Congressional Medal of Honor: First Lieutenant Frank S. Reasoner Corporal Robert E. O’Malley Lance Corporal Joe C. Paul *From the Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863 1 FORWARD This story tells about how young men in the early part of the 1960’s began a transition from citizen to Marine, and their training at Marine Corps schools, Quantico, Virginia where they learned to be Marine officers. The story continues to describe their experiences in the Fleet Marine Force with the 4th Marines (Rein), where they acquired the knowledge and the experience to become combat ready Marines. The 4th Marines (Rein), part of the 1st Marine Brigade, were based at Kaneohe, Oahu, Hawaii. Locations of training exercises took place on several of the Hawaiian Islands on all kinds of terrain, from beaches, to jungles, to lava moonscapes. In early 1965 the 4th Marines were scheduled to take part in a major training exercise at Camp Pendleton, California. Instead, the ships that had been loaded for some time sailed west to Okinawa for combat preparation. And, finally the story takes us to amphibious and helicopter landings at Phu Bai, Hue and Chu Lai, South Vietnam, the combat situations that followed, the first major battle of the Vietnam war, (Operation Starlite in August 1965), and many of the combat operations that occurred throughout 1965 that involved the 4th Marines (Rein), and other Marine units nearby. According to Senator Jim Webb, in an article published in August 2000 we learned that: the Vietnam war “… was the most costly war the U.S. Marine Corps has ever fought - five times as many dead as World War I, three times as many dead as Korea, and more total killed and wounded than in all of World War II…” By any measure, the 4th Marines (Rein) upheld the finest traditions of the United States Marine Corps. 2 Contents Forward…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2 Contents……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3 1. Marine Corp Officers.……………………………………………………..……………………………… 5 Recruitment…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5 The Basic School………………………………………………………………………………………. 5 2. The Fleet Marine Force…………………………………………………………………………………… 8 1st Marine Brigade……………………………………………………………………………………. 8 MAG-13……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8 4th Marines (Rein)…………………………………………………………………………………….. 9 3. Training………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10 Brigade Schools……………………………………………………………………………………….. 10 Operation Dull Knife………………………………………………………………………………… 13 Exercise Back Pack…………………………………………………………………………………… 18 Pohakoloa……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 22 Operation ToolBox…………………………………………………………………………………… 24 Future Exercises………………………………………………………………………………………. 24 The Gulf of Tonkin Incident……………………………………………………………………… 25 On-The-Job Training in Vietnam………………………………………………………………. 26 Raider Training………………………………………………………………………………………… 27 Operation Silver Lance…………………………………………………………………………….. 29 Westpac…………………………………………………………………………………………………... 30 Okinawa…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 31 4. Vietnam……………………………………………………………………………………………………..….. 32 3rd Battalion 4th Marines………………………………………………………………………….. 32 RLT-4……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 36 III Marine Amphibious Force……………………………………………………………………. 40 5. Chu Lai…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 43 4th Marines (Rein)……………………………………………………………………………………. 48 June 1965……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 55 July 1965…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 72 Frank Reasoner – Medal of Honor…………………………………………………………… 77 Change of Command……………………………………………………………………………….. 80 August 1965…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 84 Operation Thunderbolt……………………………………………………………………………. 85 Operation Starlight………………………………………………………………………………….. 90 3 Joe Paul – Medal of Honor………………………………………………………………………. 95 Robert O’Malley – Medal of Honor………………………………………………………….. 97 Operation Old Gold………………………………………………………………………………….. 107 September 1965………………………………………………………………………………………. 110 Operation Piranha……………………………………………………………………………………. 112 October 1965…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 126 November 1965……………………………………………………………………………………….. 135 December 1965………………………………………………………………………………………….. 147 The Enemy…………………………………………………………………………………………………. 153 6. The Pineapple Marines……………………………………………………………………………………… 156 Epilogue…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 158 Acknowledgements – Roger Staley………………………………………………………………………….. 161 Acknowledgements – Robert Peters………………………………………………………………………… 162 4 Chapter 1 – Marine Corps Officers Recruitment Following the Armistice that ended the Korean War in 1953, the United States military services experienced an unusual period of peace. However, the manpower needs of the military continued, and therefore, the drafting of healthy young men over 18 years of age for service in the U.S. Army continued. At the time those men eligible for the draft who were attending college full-time could obtain a deferment until they graduated or left school. The Marine Corps saw the opportunity and placed recruiters on college campuses throughout the country looking for future officers interested in a Marine Corps reserve commission. The Marine Corps depends on a steady flow of young men who volunteer to join the finest fighting force in the world. Young men who have been motivated to obtain a college degree are preferred and are recruited through several programs. The most common paths to a commission as a Marine Corps second lieutenant during the post-Korea, pre-Viet Nam era were the Platoon Leaders Class, (“PLC”), and Officer’s Candidate School, (“OCS”), programs which required twelve weeks of “boot camp” at the Marine Corps base, Quantico, Virginia. PLC candidates usually did their twelve weeks during two summers while attending college and were commissioned upon graduating. OCS candidates did their twelve weeks after graduating. Also, during the post-Korea, pre-Viet Nam era, graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Military Academy were able to choose the Marine Corps, and if accepted would be commissioned without any boot camp required. Enlisted Marines with or without college degrees were sometimes selected to become officers via battlefield commissions during WWII and Korea. Other enlisted Marines were sometimes selected to attend OCS as a result of their meritorious service and potential as leaders. The Basic School Every Marine who is commissioned a 2nd lieutenant is required to attend The Basic School, (“TBS”), located in Quantico, Virginia, to learn how to lead and inspire Marines. 5 Guided by the mentorship of experienced Marines, new officers develop the leadership, knowledge and esprit de corps that define the Marine Corps. The following Leadership Principles form the foundation of leadership in the Marine Corps. Living by these principles makes every individual a better officer. Together, they form the traits and values that define character as a leader: Be technically and tactically proficient. Know yourself and seek self-improvement. Know your Marines and look out for their welfare. Keep your Marines informed. Set the example. Ensure that the task is understood, supervised and accomplished. Train your Marines as a team. Make sound and timely decisions. Develop a sense of responsibility in your subordinates. Employ your unit in accordance with its capabilities. Seek responsibility and take responsibility for your actions. Young Marine officers learn that it is a privilege to command Marines, and also that it is every officer’s responsibility to provide the best possible leadership. The Basic School program instills a pride in the legacy that you will carry as a Marine Officer. And you will become part of a lifelong brotherhood as you build a foundation of leadership for life. Training at TBS emphasizes the role of an infantry platoon commander. Patrolling and war-fighting tactics are among the skills you must further develop to lead your Marines by example. You will learn how to mentor, train and develop the individual Marines in your command. You will also learn how your role contributes to the overall Marine Corps mission and organizational structure. The final phase of TBS training is a five day offensive/defensive exercise and a four day combat exercise that will test everything learned. Instructors throughout the TBS program will challenge you. They push you to respond to situations and solve problems as a Marine Officer. Their mentorship helps to develop your own leadership style. You leave TBS an effective leader, ready to command with confidence. During the last month of the TBS program every officer is requested to complete a form that asks for three Military Occupational Specialty (“MOS”) choices, and three duty station choices. Requests are granted, if possible, in accordance with the needs of the Corps. 6 Officers accepted to flight school head to Pensacola, Florida for eighteen months of flight training. Some officers assigned a ground MOS will continue their training to develop expertise in their assigned MOS before joining there assigned unit, while others will join their assigned unit and complete MOS training on-the-job. 7 Chapter 2 – The Fleet Marine Force The Fleet Marine Force (FMF) was created by General Order No. 241 from Secretary