Activated in September 1965, 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company served the nation during the height of the Vietnam War, from 1965 through 1970. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the unit’s founding, approximately 100 veterans and family members attended a reunion May 7-9 aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico.
The coordinator for the reunion was retired Maj. Bruce "Doc" Norton, a 25-year Marine Corps veteran. Norton earned the nickname "Doc" because he started out as a Navy corpsman with 3rd FORECON in 1967. He joined the Marine Corps two days after leaving the Navy, though he has served as the unit’s historian ever since. Norton is also the author of 12 books on Marine Corps history.
The veterans and their families visited many locations aboard the base, including the Staff Noncommisioned Officer Academy, Raider Hall, and the Reconnaissance and Amphibious Raids facility.
Retired Capt. Lee Kinney was particularly interested in the latter facility, as he had performed recovery dive operations in a river in Vietnam and checked bridges for explosives underwater near Hue City.
Kinney made history in the Marine Corps by becoming the first officer amputee to return to full duty in 1970. Kinney lost one leg below the knee in Vietnam but made a full recovery and was able to complete all the required training and physical activity with his prosthetic.
He said after his time in the Marine Corps he attended Harvard University for graduate school, but he didn’t tell anyone he had served in the military. Kinney said it was difficult in the academic community, and people weren’t very receptive to veterans. However, when he returned to Harvard years later, he noted that the school has a thriving ROTC program.
Paul Sibley, a former Marine sergeant, also faced an unfriendly reception upon his return. When asked what the reaction of the civilian population was like, he stated bluntly, "It sucked." Sibley said the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post wouldn’t let him drink or hang out there, because the staff viewed the war in Vietnam as a "police action," not a foreign war.
Sibley said that only two platoons from 3rd FORECON went over to Vietnam initially, and everyone in the platoons took turns going out on patrols. "Even the admin folks went out," Sibley said.
Sibley vividly recalled having to carry out the body of his platoon commander, 1st Lt. Douglas William O’Donnell after O’Donnell was shot. He said that was one of the hardest things he had to do, partly because O’Donnell was so large, about 260 pounds by Sibley’s estimate, and Sibley himself was smaller in size. Sibley was also injured during the war and said he believed at least 50 percent of the men in the unit got shot, though Norton estimated that it was likely closer to 30 percent.
Former Sgt. Charles Sexton, a Navy Cross recipient, also attended the reunion and shared stories about carrying out fallen comrades. "We didn’t leave anyone behind," he said. Sexton recalled how everyone in his six-man team took turns performing the various jobs, so that they would all know how to do the different tasks if someone was killed or wounded and unable to perform the duty.
Sexton was serving as the second radioman on Feb. 5, 1970 when his team suddenly came under heavy small arms fire from a well-concealed enemy force of about 50. According to his award citation, three members of his team were killed within minutes, and two were seriously wounded, but "Sexton directed the fire of his two wounded companions and moved about the fire-swept area to collect hand grenades and ammunition from his fallen comrades."
Using his radio, he called for assistance and "For the next several hours, while the enemy attempted to encircle and overrun his position, Cpl. Sexton repeatedly adjusted helicopter and fixed-wing air strikes on the hostile unit, hurled hand grenades, shouted encouragement to his wounded companions and simultaneously furnished a running commentary to his company commander until a reaction force arrived to lend support."
Sexton said that at one point he "took a round through a flare," which also broke his Ka-Bar in half, but he didn’t even know it until eight hours later, and it only left a small scratch. His friend was shot in the head but survived the battle and the war, though he was unable to attend the reunion. Sexton said he was down to one magazine and one grenade at the end, when help finally arrived.
Over the three days of the reunion, many other stories were shared, and the veterans and their families paid homage to their honored dead. Helping them to commemorate the 50th anniversary were retired Gen. Alfred M. Gray Jr., the 29th commandant of the Marine Corps, and Gen. Joseph Dunford, the current commandant. Gray had performed signals intelligence work as a field grade officer during the Vietnam War, and 3rd FORECON had been in direct support of Gray’s efforts.
Dunford discussed the work of the recon Marines of the Vietnam era and that of the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan and said that, while missions and areas of operation may have changed, it still essentially boils down to the man on the ground with the rifle getting the job done.