Combat· Vietnam War
Op UNION II
Operation Union II was a hard-fought Marine offensive in the Que Son valley, the rich and populous basin between Da Nang and Chu Lai that both sides fought repeatedly to control, mounted to find and destroy the North Vietnamese forces that contested the region.
Following the earlier Union operation, the Marines drove into the valley and collided with entrenched enemy regulars, touching off fierce battles across the open paddies and surrounding hills against a determined opponent who stood and fought. The Marines assaulted fortified positions under heavy fire, relying on artillery and air support to break the enemy's resistance, and the fighting inflicted heavy losses on both sides before the North Vietnamese withdrew. Union II reflected the bitter, recurring struggle for the Que Son valley, a place of strategic value whose control the Marines could win in battle but never permanently secure. It was among the costliest of the 1967 valley fights.
Record no. 721