On August 5th, 1964 an advanced element of Hawk Anti-aircraft missiles were deployed to South Vietnam to protect the vital deep water port and airbase in Danang South Vietnam. Less than a year later the first United States Combat troops of the Vietnam War landed at Da Nang, South Vietnam to allow South Vietnamese troops who were guarding the perimeter of Da Nang to engage the communist troops known as Viet Cong, who were attacking South Vietnamese troops throughout South Vietnam.

In March 1965, two battalions of United States Marines landed at Da Nang to occupy the perimeter vacated by the South Vietnamese troops.

As the First Batallion, Third Marines, and the Third Batallion Ninth Marines landed at Da Nang, our company India Company, Third Batallion, Third Marines were training at the Marine Corps, Counter Gueittia Warfare School on Okinawa.. We would not arrive in Vietnam untilMayy of 1965 at Chu Lai, South Vietnam to join the Second Batallion, Fourth Marines who provided security for a Naval construction battalion building an air base on the coast sixty miles south of Da Nang.