Combat· Vietnam War
Op PIPESTONE CANYON
Operation Pipestone Canyon was a major Marine cordon-and-clear operation in the lowlands south of Da Nang, aimed at finally rooting the enemy out of the fortified area known as Go Noi Island, the maze of villages, hedgerows, and waterways that had served as a Communist stronghold despite repeated operations against it. The Marines, with Korean and South Vietnamese forces, sealed off the area and swept through it methodically, fighting the entrenched enemy among the hamlets and destroying the fortifications, tunnels, and base facilities that had made the place a sanctuary. The operation went further than earlier efforts, with engineers leveling the contested ground to deny its future use, an attempt to permanently break the enemy's hold on the area so close to the great base. Pipestone Canyon was part of the persistent campaign to secure the approaches to Da Nang, contesting and clearing ground the enemy had defended for years.
Record no. 700