Combat· Vietnam War
Op PICKENS FOREST
Operation Pickens Forest was a Marine operation in the mountains and base areas inland from Da Nang, mounted to disrupt the enemy's supply lines and destroy the caches and facilities he maintained in the rugged country feeding the war in the coastal lowlands.
The 7th Marines pushed into the difficult terrain to interdict the enemy's logistics, and over the course of the operation they uncovered a substantial haul, weapons and ordnance caches, food stockpiles, base camps, a large hospital, an extensive bunker system, and even an enemy post office, while keeping the enemy from mounting any major interruption of their efforts. The operation reflected the emphasis on striking at the enemy's mountain base areas and supply system rather than simply defending the populated coast. Pickens Forest was one of the later Marine operations of the war, part of the continuing campaign to deny the enemy his strongholds in the highlands as the American withdrawal proceeded.
Record no. 705