THE BATTLEFORKHE SANH

ByCaptain Moyers S. Shore II, USMC

HISTORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISIONHEADQUARTERS, U. S. MARINE CORPSWASHINGTON, D. C.Printed 1969Reprinted 1977

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Library of Congress Card No. 75-603604

For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing OfficeWashington, D.C. 20402Stock No. 008-065-00114-5

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PROLOGUE

It is with pleasure that the Marine Corps presents this account ofthe Battle for Khe Sanh which stands as one of the most crucial andbitterly contested struggles in the Vietnam War. Throughout theexistence of our Corps, thousands of men have been called upon tofurther the cause of freedom on scores of battlefields around theglobe. At Khe Sanh, a new generation of Marines, aided by their gallantU. S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and South Vietnamese counterparts,admirably upheld this tradition and wrote a thrilling new chapter inthe history of armed conflict.

The two senior U. S. commanders in Vietnam who supervised thedefense--General William C. Westmoreland, USA, and Lieutenant GeneralRobert E. Cushman, Jr., USMC--have contributed immeasurably to theproduction of this work and have also provided their astute summariesof the operation which appear in the following pages. I heartilyendorse their statements as well as the approach and conclusions ofthis history.

In addition, I am grateful to the individuals and agencies of all theServices who have provided valuable assistance through written commentsand personal interviews which are reflected in the text. In particular,I wish to extend our appreciation to Mr. David D. Duncan, a veterancombat photographer who has graciously consented to our use of thebrilliant pictures he took during an eight-day visit to the combatbase. These truly professional shots graphically depict the face of thesiege and enhance the narrative.

The sum total of these contributions, I feel, is an objective, readableaccount of this important battle which honors the valiant Americanand South Vietnamese troops who held Khe Sanh. I can think of no morefitting tribute to these men--both living and dead--than to simplyrelate the events as they happened. This, then, is their story.