The DMZ and Khe Sanh (1966–1967)

In October 1966, 3rd Battalion was deployed to combat the threat from the North Vietnamese Army in Quang Tri province.[51] This would be a largely conventional fight, known as the "war against professionals", that would continue until late 1968.[52][53] Supplies would be in constant short supply and Marines were constantly scavaging helmets, clothes, armor, and ammunition from their dead.[54] In December, the battalion suffered a tragic case of friendly fire when a pair of F-4 Phantoms dropped several bombs in the middle of Mike Company, killing seventeen Marines and wounding a dozen others. Corpsman Donald Rion was awarded a posthumous Silver Star for his efforts to treat the wounded, despite suffering a mortal wound himself.[55] From February – April, the battalion took part in Operations Prairie II-IV, which were a series of sweeps throughout Quang Tri province.[56] On March 2, 1967, Lima Company, then under the command of Captain John Ripley, stumbled into a North Vietnamese regiment trying to cross the DMZ. 12 Marines were killed, 28 severely wounded, and nearly every other man in the fight, including Ripley, was hit.[57] The North Vietnamese suffered heavy casualties and retreated across the border.[58]
In April, 3rd Battalion participated in a series of bloody engagements near Khe Sanh known as the Hill fights.[59] Activity near Khe Sanh had increased dramatically that spring and on April 24, Bravo Company 1st Battalion 9th Marines was engaged by elements of the 18th North Vietnamese Army regiment dug in on Hills 881 North, 881 South, and 861. 3rd Battalion, then a hybrid unit with companies from multiple battalions, was sent to assist.[59] The Battalion's commander, LtCol Gary Wilder, believed he was only facing a small North Vietnamese unit and counterattacked.[60] Throughout the 25th, 3rd Battalion launched a series of piecemeal attacks on the hills, only to be repulsed with heavy losses.








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