#operation swift

OPERATION SWIFT

Dates: 4 Sep 1967 - 15 Sep 1967

Area of Operation: Quang Nam and Quang Tin Provinces, I Corps

Allied Units: USMC 1st and 3d Battalions 5th Marines, 2d Battalion 11th Marines; ARVN 21st Ranger Battalion, 37th Ranger Battalion, 39th Ranger Battalion, 3d Battalion 4th Regiment, 3d Battalion 6th Regiment

Allied Casualties: US 127 KIA, 362 WIA

Enemy Units: NVA 2d Division

Enemy Casualties: 517 KIA, 8 POW

Objective: Prevent disruption of national elections; search and destroy

Significance/Notes: The battles of the Que Son Valley during Operation Swift resulted in the awarding of three Medals of Honor. Lt Vincent Capodanno, a chaplain, Sgt Lawrence Peters, and Sgt Rodney Davis were all killed during the fighting.

Sources:

The Vietnam Center and Archive (at Texas Tech Univ)

Vietnam War Almanac by James H. Willbanks

Other links:

Operation Swift

“Sorting through the chaos of Operation Swift in Vietnam” by Hugh Lessig

“Operation Swift: Continuing Operations in the Que Son Valley” (Scans of an article in Leatherneck magazine, 2007)

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