May 14 - May 17, 2024:
Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association (VHPA)More Details
Patch
Unit Details
Strength
USMC Squadron
Type
Aviation
Year
1965 - 2011
Description
Activated 1 July 1965 at Santa Ana, California as a unit of
MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP 36, III MARINE AIRCRAFT WING
Reassigned during August 1965 to MARINE WING SERVICE GROUP 37
Deployed during September-October 1966 to the Republic of Vietnam and reassigned to
MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP 36, I MARINE AIRCRAFT WING
Participated in the War in Vietnam, October 1966 - August 1969,
Redeployed during August 1969 to Futema, Okinawa and reassigned to
MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP 15, 9th MARINE AMPHIBIOUS BRIGADE
Reassigned during December 1969 to
MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP 36, I MARINE AIRCRAFT WING
Participated during the early 1970s as part of the SPECIAL LANDING FORCE
in support of the War in Vietnam, and with the
31st MARINE AMPHIBIOUS UNIT assigned to the SEVENTH FLEET
Participated during July and August 1972 in Philippine Flood Relief
Participated during April 1975 in the evacuation of Saigon
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The LINEAGE of HMM - 165
Activated 1 July 1965 at Santa Ana, California as Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 165, Marine Aircraft Group 36, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing
Reassigned during August 1965 to Marine Wing Service Group 37
Deployed during September - October 1966 to the Republic of Vietnam and reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 36, Ist Marine Aircraft Wing
Participated in the War in Vietnam, October 1966 - August 1969, operating from:
Ky Ha ... Hue/Phu Bai ... USS Valley Forge ...
USS Tripoli ... Marble Mountain
Redeployed August 1969 to Futema, Okinawa and reassigned to Marine Aircraft Group 15, 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade
Reassign during December 1969 to Marine Aircraft Group 36,
I Marine Aircraft Wing
Participated during July and August 1972 in Philippine Flood Relief
Participated during the early 1970s as part of the Special Landing Force in support of the War in Vietnam, and with the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit assigned to the Seventh Fleet
Participated during April 1975 in the evacuation of Saigon
Relocated 27 November 1977 to Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii and reassigned to Marine Air Group 24, 1st Marine Brigade
Participated in contingency operations in the vicinity of Beirut, Lebanon, September - October 1983 operating from USS Tarawa
Supported United States interest, to include reinforcement of American embassy, during the December 1989 Philippine Coup attempt
Participated in operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, August 1990 - March 1991
Elements participated in Joint Task Force, Full Accounting, Cambodia, September - October 1992 and March - April 1993
Reassigned during September 1994 to the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Aviation Support Element
Relocated during May 1996 to MAG - 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing MCAS El Toro, California
Relocated during November 1998 to MAG - 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, MCAS Miramar, California
Participated in peacekeeping operations in East Timor in late 1999
On station aboard the USS Bonhomme Richard as part of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit ...
Description
This campaign was from 30 January to 1 April 1968. On 29 January 1968 the Allies began the Tet-lunar new year expecting the usual 36-hour peaceful holiday truce. Because of the threat of a large-scale attack and communist buildup around Khe Sanh, the cease fire order was issued in all areas over which the Allies were responsible with the exception of the I CTZ, south of the Demilitarized Zone.
Determined enemy assaults began in the northern and Central provinces before daylight on 30 January and in Saigon and the Mekong Delta regions that night. Some 84,000 VC and North Vietnamese attacked or fired upon 36 of 44 provincial capitals, 5 of 6 autonomous cities, 64 of 242 district capitals and 50 hamlets. In addition, the enemy raided a number of military installations including almost every airfield. The actual fighting lasted three days; however Saigon and Hue were under more intense and sustained attack.
The attack in Saigon began with a sapper assault against the U.S. Embassy. Other assaults were directed against the Presidential Palace, the compound of the Vietnamese Joint General Staff, and nearby Ton San Nhut air base.
At Hue, eight enemy battalions infiltrated the city and fought the three U.S. Marine Corps, three U.S. Army and eleven South Vietnamese battalions defending it. The fight to expel the enemy lasted a month. American and South Vietnamese units lost over 500 killed, while VC and North Vietnamese battle deaths may have been somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000.
Heavy fighting also occurred in two remote regions: around the Special Forces camp at Dak To in the central highlands and around the U.S. Marines Corps base at Khe Sanh. In both areas, the allies defeated attempts to dislodge them. Finally, with the arrival of more U.S. Army troops under the new XXIV Corps headquarters to reinforce the marines in the northern province, Khe Sanh was abandoned.
Tet proved a major military defeat for the communists. It had failed to spawn either an uprising or appreciable support among the South Vietnamese. On the other hand, the U.S. public became discouraged and support for the war was seriously eroded. U.S. strength in South Vietnam totaled more than 500,000 by early 1968. In addition, there were 61,000 other allied troops and 600,000 South Vietnamese.
The Tet Offensive also dealt a visibly severe setback to the pacification program, as a result of the intense fighting needed to root out VC elements that clung to fortified positions inside the towns. For example, in the densely populated delta there had been approximately 14,000 refugees in January; after Tet some 170,000 were homeless. The requirement to assist these persons seriously inhibited national recovery efforts.