ANNEX G-7

Operation MIXMASTER

“Cancelling transplacement made it necessary to ‘homogenize’ the carefully ‘stabilized’ battalions and squadrons. Otherwise, everyone in a unit having the same rotation date would have resulted in unacceptable peaks and valleys of experience. This smoothing-out process, nicknamed “Operation Mixmaster”, which involved the inter-unit transfer of thousands of Marines, took place over the next several months. While there would be no more rotation of units between the West Coast and the Western Pacific, there would be a limited rotation of units between Vietnam and the Western Pacific reserve based on Okinawa (and some air units in Japan), and it would be possible to maintain the 13-month tour for individual Marines.” (GB-AB)

The Corps could no longer support unit rotation on that scale, so it was forced to go to a system of replacement by individuals rather than by units, except in special cases. This problem arose because the Stateside training establishment became saturated with training individuals as individuals and had no time to devote to team or unit training. In order to preclude all of a unit being replaced in one month based on arrival times in WestPac, so that their losses through rotation would be spread over several months rather than one, so even short touring a few men helped further to spread the losses. This program was called "Operation Mixmaster." It was a difficult one to administer but it accomplished its objective.

Of interest, General Ray Davis in his biography, “The Story of Ray Davis” (RD-RD) argues that the individual rotation system, severely criticized by most (if not all) commanders at every level, was much preferred for a number of reasons. In any case, the use of Okinawa as the leveler bringing Marines into and taking them back from Vietnam was a hybrid of the “Unit” versus the “Individual” replacements philosophies.

Edited for inclusion in the series “Marine Tanks and Ontos in the Vietnam War” “THE MARINES IN VIETNAM 1954-1973: An Anthology and Annotated Bibliography”