Transcriber’s Notes: Italics are enclosed in _underscores_. References to same-page footnotes are alphameric, e.g., [1-A]. The number is the Chapter number; the letter is the sequence within the chapter. References to endnotes (near the end of the book) are numeric, e.g., [1-1]. The first number is the Chapter number; the second number is the sequence within the chapter. Additional notes will be found near the end of this ebook. U.S. MARINES IN VIETNAM THE ADVISORY & COMBAT ASSISTANCE ERA 1954–1964 _by_ Captain Robert H. Whitlow, USMCR [Illustration: DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS] HISTORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISION HEADQUARTERS, U.S. MARINE CORPS WASHINGTON, D.C. 1977 Library of Congress Card No. 76-600051 PCN 190 003064 00 For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 (Buckram) Stock Number 008-055-00094-7 Foreword This is the first of a series of nine chronological histories being prepared by the Marine Corps History and Museums Division to cover the entire span of Marine Corps involvement in the Vietnam conflict. This particular volume covers a relatively obscure chapter in U.S. Marine Corps history--the activities of Marines in Vietnam between 1954 and 1964. The narrative traces the evolution of those activities from a one-man advisory operation at the conclusion of the French-Indochina War in 1954 to the advisory and combat support activities of some 700 Marines at the end of 1964. As the introductory volume for the series this account has an important secondary objective: to establish a geographical, political, and military foundation upon which the subsequent histories can be developed. The author is a Marine Reservist who was a member of the History and Museums Division from September 1972 until August 1974. Promoted to major soon after his return to inactive duty, he is now working for the Kentucky State Government. A native of Kentucky, he holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Morehead State College (1965) and a Master of Arts degree in American History from the University of Kentucky (1972). Commissioned in 1965, Major Whitlow served as an infantry platoon commander with the 6th Marines, an aerial observer with the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam, and later as a platoon commander at Officer Candidate School, Quantico. For services in the Republic of Vietnam during 1967 and 1968 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and 26 awards of the Air Medal. [Illustration: (Signature of) _E. H. Simmons_]