Our recent solicitation for Foundation members to join the USMC Vietnam Tankers is paying off.  As of this issue we have several new members to add to the VTA's membership roles. I am sure we will have a few more to add to the July issue of the Breech Block.

    Speaking of July; next month marks the 15th anniversary of the formation of the USMC VTA.  It was that month that 65 tankers, spouses, significant others, brothers, sons and daughters gathered in Arlington, VA.  It was the first known gathering of Vietnam tankers since the end of the War. A year later the Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation was formed.

    The Foundation is in the final throws of publishing the History of Vietnam Tanks and Ontos in the Vietnam War.  We are looking to bring on addition staff to complete the project.  We are in need of raising funds to pay for the increase in staff.  Please take the time to donation what you can to this effort.  We hope to raise $5,000.

Semper Fidelis,

Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation 

USMC Vietnam Tankers Association 

Founder/President Emeritus (1999-2005)

Contact: Click here 

Marine Tanks & Ontos Action in the Vietnam War

June 1965 to 1970 - Marine Tanks & Ontos Action

   This is the third Tank and Anti-Tank Command Chronology expanded Abstract. "Expanded Abstract" defines our intent to provide our readers with the essence of the unit command chronologies created 5 decades capturing in real time the combat activities that were barely days old. To these Abstracts we are adding information and statistics gathered from other sources that place the tanks and Ontos in the context of battle as reported by the units they supported - the Grunts - for each June that they were in-country.

For the complete command chronologies, please visit our Foundation's website where Pappy Reynolds has posted the Tank and Anti-Tank CCs. Please note that, the Command Chronologies routinely list all the battalions' principle staff officers.

    Also, you are encouraged to access the Foundation's Map Chronology that Pappy has created. There you may find out exactly where your unit - battalion, company, often platoon, and occasionally section - was located at any given time. If you do not find your unit on one of Pappy's several maps, let us know.

June 1966

Note: The month of June, 1966 was included in the Mar-Dec 1966 1st Tanks Command Chronology. And, while 1st Tanks units had been in-country since July of 1966, the "First Tank Battalion", technically the battalion Commanding Officer and his staff carried on the roles of H&S Company displacing from Camp Pendleton via Okinawa, didn't plant its flag in Chu Lai, RVN until early 1966. The staff was new at reporting in-country action via CC's and tank/infantry action in the Chu Lai TAOR was not yet at its highpoint so reporting the much more detailed information found in subsequent reports is missing . Prior to the March arrival in Chu Lai and the subsequent assumption of operational (OpCon) and administrative (AdCon) control of all of its companies, 1st Tank operations were reported (though somewhat limited) in the 3d Tanks Command Chronologies.

Note: Two different font types and sizes distinguish the entries copied directly from the units' command chronologies (CC's) from the Foundation's information.

     Also, where the CC's words are obviously misspelled they have been corrected.

     Where references are cited for which there's an interest in pursuing, return to the original command chronology from which the abstract has been taken. The complete sets of command chronologies may be found on the Foundation's web site.

     You will find the occasional yellow underlined "?" indicates the CC entry cannot be read.

Ray Stewart

Pres. VTHF

usmcvthf@comcast.net

    Click on links below to read the Command chronologies

 1st ATs

1st Tanks ~ Part 1 ~ Part 2

5th Tanks

3rd ATs

3rd Tanks ~ Part 1 ~ Part 2

June's Personal Awards Recipients                     

Silver Star Medal

June's Purple Hearts

Federal Way, WA 98023

Thank you!

IRS Approved Tax EIN 91-2111544 A 501(c)(19) Non-profit Historical Foundation Est. 2001 

    Each year we wipe the slate clean as to who has donated for that calendar year. All donations received after October 1, 2013 will appear in the Breech Block beginning with the January 2014 issue. Donations received before October 1, 2013 will not appear in the eNewletters beginning the first of the year.

    Thank you for your support without you the foundation cannot achieve its goals of researching, recording, archiv-ing and publishing your individual stories.

 Semper Fidelis