On This day in Aviation History: Da Nang

Da Nang, for those assigned there not long after 1965, was not so exotic, despite its exotic-sounding name and the unopposed, almost celebratory, landing of the first major combat forces in Vietnam back then.  But on this day in 1965, there was a sense of exoticness, despite the brass’s desire for none of it.

On this day in 1965, “U.S. Marines of the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) arrived at Da Nang, South Vietnam. The brigade consisted of two Marine battalions. One made an amphibious landing and the other arrived by air by my own future squadron, Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron (HMM)-365.

“This was the first deployment of a major U.S. ground combat unit to Vietnam. Although the mission of the 9th MEB is strictly limited to the defense of the air base at Da Nang, it signaled another step in the United States’ transition from an advisory role to direct participation in the war.”¹

¹George C. Herring, America’s Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950–1975, (4^th Edition; New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002), 155–156; Jack Shulimson and Charles M. Johnson, The Landing and the Buildup, 1965, U.S. Marines in Vietnam (Washington, D.C.: History and Museums Division, 1978), xiii, 10–16; Graham A. Cosmas, MACV: The Joint Command in the Years of Escalation, 1962–1967, United States Army in Vietnam (Washington, D.C.: Center of Military History, 2006), 177, 179–180; Spencer C. Tucker, ed. The Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War: A Political, Social, and Military History (2nd edition; Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011), 143–144.

U.S. Marines land at a Da Nang-area beach, March 8, 1965. (U.S. Marine Corps History Division)

And from History.com, downloaded on March 8, 2025 from  https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-marines-land-at-da-nang?cmpid=email-hist-tdih-2025-0308-03082025&om_rid=, “The USS Henrico, the USS Union and the USS Vancouver, carrying the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade under Brig. Gen. Frederick J. Karch, took up stations 4,000 yards off Red Beach Two, north of Da Nang.

“First ashore was the Battalion Landing Team 3/9, which arrived on the beach at 8:15 a.m. Wearing full battle gear and carrying M-14s, the Marines were met by sightseers, South Vietnamese officers, Vietnamese girls with leis, and four American soldiers with a large sign stating: ‘Welcome, Gallant Marines.’ Gen. William Westmoreland, senior U.S. military commander in Saigon, was reportedly ‘appalled’ at the spectacle because he had hoped that the Marines could land without any fanfare. Within two hours, Battalion Landing Team 1/3 began landing at Da Nang air base.

Members of the 9th U.S. Marine Expeditionary Force go ashore at Danang, South Vietnam, on March 8, 1965. Assigned to beef up defense of an air base, they were the first U.S. combat troops deployed in the Vietnam War.

(Courtesy AP)

“The 3,500 Marines were deployed to secure the U.S. airbase, freeing South Vietnamese troops up for combat. On March 1, Ambassador Maxwell Taylor had informed South Vietnamese Premier Phan Huy Quat that the United States was preparing to send the Marines to Vietnam. Three days later, a formal request was submitted by the U.S. Embassy, asking the South Vietnamese government to ‘invite’ the United States to send the Marines. Premier Quat, a mere figurehead, had to obtain approval from the real power, Gen. Nguyen Van Thieu, chief of the Armed Forces Council. Thieu approved, but, like Westmoreland, asked that the Marines be ‘brought ashore in the most inconspicuous way feasible.’ These wishes were ignored and the Marines were given a hearty, conspicuous welcome when they arrived.”

Onward and upward!

Sources:  History.com, Associated Press, United States Marine Corps, George C. Herring, America’s Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950–1975, (4th Edition; New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002) (see superscript above for additional sources)