These long-range reconnaissance patrols probed deep into enemy territory
Specialists in intelligence gathering are as old as organized warfare and “know thy enemy” remains a fundamental need of any armed force. The Vietnam War, with its unforgiving operating environment, was a crucible in which both sides developed specially trained scouting units and every branch of the U.S. military fielded its own.
On June 19, 1957, the Marine Corps organized force reconnaissance, or Force Recon, battalions out of World War II’s Amphibious Reconnaissance Battalion, a parallel to the Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams that evolved into the SEAL (sea, air, land) teams.
Entering service in Vietnam as the 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company in September 1965, Marine long-range patrols came in three primary forms. A combat patrol, operating within range of friendly artillery, consisted of a team leader, a grenadier, a hospital corpsman, two radiomen, a point man and a trail man at the end of the line.
A “keyhole” patrol, or “green operation,” designed to avoid contact, employed four to 10 men to gather intelligence. “Stingray” or “black ops” teams were eight to 12 men who ambushed enemy soldiers and then drew them into kill zones.
Unlike the Army’s long-range reconnaissance patrols and Special Forces units, the Marines did not operate with local militias, such as fighters from Montagnard tribes. They also differed from the other services in that they passed their intel only to high-level commands, which in Vietnam was the III Marine Expeditionary Force.
In the years since Vietnam, the Marines have continued to evolve their special ops structure. Today, in addition to Force Recon, there is a separate Marine Special Operations Command with “Raider” battalions.
The Force Recon teams still follow the same Latin motto: Celer, Silens, Mortalis (“swift, silent, deadly”). V
This article appeared in the October 2021 issue of Vietnam magazine. For more stories from Vietnam magazine, subscribe and visit us on Facebook:
