Combat· Vietnam War
Op DECKHOUSE V
Operation Deckhouse V was an amphibious operation carried out by the Special Landing Force, the Marine battalion held afloat with the fleet as a ready amphibious reserve, this time landing into the Mekong Delta far to the south of the Marines' usual area in the northern provinces. The landing put Marines ashore in the watery, canal-laced country of the delta in a search-and-destroy sweep against the Viet Cong, conducted in cooperation with Vietnamese forces. The operation made relatively light contact, as the enemy in the area largely avoided battle, and it is remembered less for heavy fighting than for the unusual employment of Marines so far south and for the experience of operating in the difficult delta terrain. Deckhouse V illustrated the reach and flexibility of the sea-based Special Landing Force, which could be inserted along the coast wherever it was needed, even well outside the Marines' normal northern battleground.
Record no. 720