Operation Hastings

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Operation Hastings
Part of the Vietnam War

Marines of Company H, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment take to the water as they move to join up with other elements of their battalion.
Date July 7, 1966 - July 25, 1966
Location Demilitarized Zone
Result South Vietnamese and American victory
Belligerents
Republic of Vietnam
United States of America		 Democratic Republic of Vietnam
Commanders
General Lew Walt, Brigadier General Lowell E. English Gen. Nguyen Van
Strength
United States Marine Corps: 8,500
Army of the Republic of Vietnam: 3,000		 Unknown
Casualties and losses
51 killed, 162 wounded (US) 824 killed, 14 captured[citation needed]
v • d • e
Vietnam War
Ap Bac – Binh Gia – Pleiku – Song Be – Dong Xoai – Starlite – Gang Toi – Ia Drang – Hastings – Masher/White Wing – A Shau – Xa Cam My – Duc Co – Long Tan – Attleboro – Cedar Falls – Tra Binh Dong – Bribie – Junction City – Union – Hill 881 – Union II - Ong Thanh – Dak To – 1st Tet – Khe Sanh – 1st Saigon – Hue – Lang Vei – Lima Site 85 – Kham Duc – Speedy Express – Dewey Canyon – 2nd Tet – Hamburger Hill – Binh Ba – Cambodia – Snuol – FSB Ripcord – Tailwind – Chenla I – Son Tay Raid – Lam Son 719 – Chenla II – Ban Dong – FSB Mary Ann – Easter '72 – 1st Quang Tri – Loc Ninh – An Loc – Kontum – 2nd Quang Tri – Phuoc Long – Ho Chi Minh – Ban Me Thuot – Xuan Loc – Truong Sa – 2nd Saigon – SS Mayagüez
Air operations
Ranch Hand – Pierce Arrow – Barrel Roll – Pony Express – Flaming Dart – Rolling Thunder – Steel Tiger – Arc Light – Tiger Hound – Bolo – Igloo White – Commando Hunt – Menu – Freedom Deal – Linebacker I – Linebacker II – Shed Light

Operation Hastings was an American military operation in the Vietnam War.

Having been threatened by numerous encounters with enemy troops in the Cam Lo area, on July 7th 1966, United States Marine Corps General Lew Walt led a joint U.S. Marine and ARVN force of 8,500 and 3,000 troops in a strike through the Demilitarized Zone. Plans to maintain U.S. occupation of the Cam Lo area in the Quang Tri province soon became known as Operation Hastings.

Under the command of Brigadier General Lowell E. English, the operation continued on July 15th. His responsibility was to secure landing sites so that more U.S. Marines and ARVN soldiers could occupy the rear of the province. However, the major goal of the operation was to thwart the North Vietnamese 324 B Division's efforts to take control of Quang Tri Province. The mission was a strategic success in terms of driving off the 324 B Division, but the NVA forces successfully withdrew across the DMZ. When the ease with which the NVA was able to move across the DMZ became apparent, the US military leadership ordered a steady build-up of U.S. Marines near the DMZ from 1966 to 1968.

This operation is mentioned in the film Full Metal Jacket slightly over half-way through the film in an argument between Marines "Payback" and Chili, an argument which Sgt. Joker (James T. "Joker" Davis) is tangentially involved in, speaking in the character of John Wayne. Pvt. "Rafterman" and several other Marines are listening in on the proceedings. The unnamed Marine questions whether Payback was in Operation Hastings, and Payback implies that it was during his involvement with this Operation that Payback developed the thousand-yard stare. Joker is happy to impress on Rafterman that Payback is more gutless than Joker himself is, or perhaps Payback is lying, because Payback sometimes even thinks that he is John Wayne! It is at this point in the film that the base near Da Nang in which they are all currently stationed is first attacked during the Tet Offensive. Considering the time-line and troops involved in Operation Hastings, and the presence of and attack on Marines near Da Nang at the very beginnings of the Tet Offensive, this fictional reference and conversation contains no historical anachronisms.


[edit] Contemporary news reporting

[edit] External links

[edit] References

Pearson, Lieutenant General Willard, The War in the Northern Provinces: 1966-1968, Washington D. C.:U.S. Government Printing Office, 1975