Full Answer
What does Recon Bn stand for?
1st Reconnaissance Battalion (abbreviated as 1st Recon Bn) is a reconnaissance battalion in the United States Marine Corps. It falls under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF).
Where was the 1st Recon Battalion located in Vietnam?
On 6 July 1966, Lieutenant Colonel Arthur J. Sullivan, battalion commander of 1st Recon Battalion, moved his battalion headquarters to Hau Doc, a location 25-km west of Chu Lai.
What is the 1st Recon Association?
1st Recon Battalion Association is a non-profit organization of former and current members of the 1st Recon Battalion, 1st Marine Division.
What is the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Association?
The 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Association may grant Associate Membership to any parent, spouse, child or sibling of anyone, living or deceased, who was assigned or attached to the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division and friends and supporters of the association.
Is 1st Recon Special Forces?
Although Reconnaissance Marines are widely considered to be Special Operations, they don't fall under the Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC). Instead, they are assigned to each Marine division to provide an organic Special Operations-capable reconnaissance element.
What Marine recon units were in Vietnam?
1st Force Reconnaissance CompanyTypeSpecial Operations CapablePart ofI Marine Expeditionary ForceGarrison/HQMCB Camp Pendleton, CAEngagementsVietnam War Operation Desert Shield Operation Desert Storm War on Terror Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom5 more rows
What did recon Marines do in Vietnam?
Dubbed Operation Kansas, the recon teams moved deep into enemy-held territory to observe and strike at the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong operating in the area. This mostly consisted of calling for artillery or air support to take out small concentrations of enemy fighters.
Is 1st Reconnaissance Battalion Force Recon?
1st Reconnaissance Battalion (abbreviated as 1st Recon Bn) is a reconnaissance battalion in the United States Marine Corps....1st Reconnaissance BattalionTypeMarine Division ReconPart ofI Marine Expeditionary Force 1st Marine DivisionGarrison/HQMCB Camp Pendleton, CaliforniaNickname(s)Black Diamonds13 more rows
What was the best unit in Vietnam?
Top 10 Units in the Vietnam War# 8: The 18th Military Police Brigade.# 7: The 11th Calvary Regiment. ... # 6: The 1st Infantry Division. ... # 5: The 1st Brigade-5th Infantry Division. ... # 4: The 173rd Airborne Brigade. ... # 3: The 101st Airborne Division. ... # 2: The 25th Infantry Division. ... # 1: The 23rd Infantry Division.More items...
Where did Marines land in Vietnam?
Da NangNARRATOR: On March 8, 1965, under the direct order of President Johnson, some three thousand five hundred marines of the Ninth Marine Expeditionary Brigade came ashore on the beach at Da Nang. These marines were the first U.S. combat troops to enter the war.
What is the difference between Force Recon and battalion Recon?
Recon battalions remain an element of the Marine divisions and continue performing missions for the deployed Marine commander. Force RECON remains under the control of the Marine Task Force commanders within the Marine Corps and the Fleet Marine Force (FMF).
Are Recon Marines operators?
Marine Recon is arguably in the top five of all special operators — capable of harassing an entire enemy battalion for long periods of time; tracking enemy units for larger American forces; or conducting well-orchestrated raids on high-valued targets.
Do Marine recon see combat?
Marines in Force Recon are absolutely trained in direct action missions, and are capable of performing in combat situations, but that is not their primary role.
Is Recon and Force RECON the same thing?
Recon Marines gather information through reconnaissance and surveillance missions deep behind enemy lines. Force RECON is overseen directly by the Marine Corps. Recon Marines have a military occupation specialty code of 0321.
What was Recon in Vietnam?
United States Marine Corps Force ReconnaissanceForce ReconnaissanceMotto(s)Celer, Silens, Mortalis ("Swift, Silent, Deadly")EngagementsVietnam War Operation Urgent Fury Operation Just Cause Operation Desert Storm Operation Restore Hope Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Inherent Resolve10 more rows
What does a reconnaissance battalion do?
The United States Marine Corps Reconnaissance Battalions (or commonly called Marine Division Recon) are the Special Operations Capable reconnaissance assets of Marine Air-Ground Task Force that provide division-level ground and amphibious reconnaissance to the Ground Combat Element within the United States Marine Corps ...
Did the Marines have special forces in Vietnam?
To answer them, the Marine Corps high command turned to the special group of men who were trained to operate in four- to eight-man teams deep behind enemy lines, the Marine Force Reconnaissance companies. Force Recon companies were active throughout the Vietnam War.
What Marine units were in Vietnam in 1972?
The 1st Marine Division and 1st MAW left South Vietnam in April 1971. By 1972, when the North Vietnamese began their Easter offensive, the Marine presence in South Vietnam was a shadow of what it had been. The 3d Marine Amphibious Brigade, the last combat formation, had recently departed Da Nang.
What was recon in Vietnam?
United States Marine Corps Force ReconnaissanceForce ReconnaissanceMotto(s)Celer, Silens, Mortalis ("Swift, Silent, Deadly")EngagementsVietnam War Operation Urgent Fury Operation Just Cause Operation Desert Storm Operation Restore Hope Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Inherent Resolve10 more rows
What was a Lrrp in Vietnam?
Inside the LRRPs: Rangers in Vietnam The LRRPs--Long Range Reconnaissance Patrols--were that new breed of fighting man. They operated in six-man teams deep within enemy territory, and were the eyes and ears of the units they served.
What is the 1st Recon Bn?
1st Reconnaissance Battalion (abbreviated as 1st Recon Bn) is a reconnaissance battalion in the United States Marine Corps. It falls under the command of the 1st Marine Division and the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF).
Where did the 1st Recon Battalion land?
On the afternoon of June 13, a thirteen-man recon team, accompanied by the command group, of 1st Recon Battalion landed by helicopters in the middle of the Quế Sơn Valley onto the small mountain of Nui Loc Son.
What was the last major operation of the 1st Marine Division?
Operation Scott Orchard was the last major 1st Marine Division operation of the Vietnam War, issued by the 1st Marine Division commander, MG Charles F. Widdecke. The operation began when Marines of 1st Recon Bn. commenced a heliborne assault into abandoned Fire Support Base (FSB) Dagger at 10:45 on 7 April 1971.
What Marine Regiment landed at Nui Vu?
By dawn, Company C of 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment (1/5) landed at the base of Nui Vu and reinforced recon Team 2.
What is the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion's mission?
The mission of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion is to provide task-organized forces in order to conduct amphibious reconnaissance, ground reconnaissance, battlespace shaping operations, raids, and specialized insertion and extraction.
When did the 1st reconnaissance battalion join the Persian Gulf War?
Persian Gulf War. In 1990—1991, the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion participated in the Persian Gulf War. Upon returning from the Gulf War plans were enacted to break up 1st Reconnaissance Battalion and spread it out to AAV's, 1st Marines and 5th Marines.
Where was the 1st Recon deployed?
The 1st Recon were also deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in 2010 where they produced 300+ enemy KIA, did not lose a single man in their seven-month deployment and was regarded as "The deadliest battalion in Afghanistan right now" by Lt. Gen James Mattis .
Overview
History
When the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions were created in 1941, each had a Scout Company 7 officers and 132 NCOs and enlisted men divided into a headquarters unit and three platoons. The unit had M3 Scout Cars and a motorcycle platoon.
In 1941, Lieutenant Colonel William "Wild Bill" Donovan (not to be confused with OSS Director William J. Donovan), the executive officer of 5th Marine Regiment vi…
Mission and training
The mission of 1st Reconnaissance Battalion is to provide task-organized forces in order to conduct amphibious reconnaissance, ground reconnaissance, battlespace shaping operations, raids, and specialized insertion and extraction.
Organization
1st Reconnaissance Battalion currently consists of five companies. The companies (except for headquarters and service company) each consist of two platoons. The standard breakdown of the four subsequent companies consists of a reconnaissance and surveillance platoon and a VBSS platoon. Platoons are further divided into three reconnaissance teams, a jump team, dive team and mobility team. A reconnaissance team consists of 6 to 8 Reconnaissance Marines and Spec…
Notable Marines
Medal of Honor recipients
• SSgt Jimmie E. Howard, Vietnam War, 16 June 1966.
• PFC Ralph H. Johnson, Vietnam War, 5 March 1968 (posthumously)
Navy Cross recipients
See also
• Generation Kill (TV series)
• List of United States Marine Corps battalions
• Organization of the United States Marine Corps
Further reading
• Redding, Daniel J. 1st Recon Battalion retraces techniques before returning to Iraq",Marine Corps News, April 22, 2005.
• Redding, Daniel J. "All about amphib", Marine Corps News", June 2, 2005.
• Generation Kill by Evan Wright
External links
• 1st Recon Bn website
• 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, GlobalSecurity.org. (URL accessed April 15, 2006)
• 1st Recon Battalion Association