The Marine Corps Museum and Semper Fi Park has provided our nation with a truly world class museum and park just outside the north gate of the Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Virginia.  For those of us who have proudly served as United States Marines, it is a place where our achievements and performance of duty can be memorialized for our families and for generations of future Americans.  Our courage can inspire future generations of Marines.  Perhaps even more importantly, it is a place that our comrades who did not make it home will always be remembered in a way that is fitting and a place that can only be described as sacred.

Semper Fi Park adjoins the Museum and the hill south of the Museum and includes a walking path.  The path will be lined with hundreds of thousands of bricks dedicated to individual Marines.  In time, the Semper Fi Park may rival the Museum as a destination for Americans to remember what previous generations accomplished.  The Museum is one year old and already has become a major attraction for visitors to our nation's capital.  We believe that when completed, the complex will become a major attraction for visitors to our country and an example to the world.

A remembrance to our Battalion in Semper Fi Park is more than appropriate.  Our accomplishments in Vietnam in terms of battlefield performance stand alongside the Corps' most distinguished units and have become part of the Corps' cherished legacy.  The Battalion, 26th Marines served in wartime and participated in the most intense combat actions of their respective wars.  Like our brothers who served in the Battalion on Iwo Jima prior to its deactivation, our generation served in the most intense combat actions of the Vietnam War.  From arrival in Theater on 12 December 1966 until deactivation in April, 1970, we served with both the 1st and 3rd Marine Divisions and participated as an amphibious landing force and in numerous ground actions the Battalion played a pivotal role in places like Con Thien, Phu Bau/Hue, Dong Ha, Khe Sanh, Quang Tri and DaNang.

Another unusual aspect of our Battalion is that unlike World War II, the parent 5th Division was not activated in Vietnam.  In addition, all of the Battalion's personnel records and equipment were destroyed in Khe Sanh in January, 1968.  The unremitting pace of operations precluded the administrative area from being re-established until September, 1968.  The result was that numerous individual award recommendations were not processed.  It is virtually impossible to reconstruct those records.  We believe the Battalion's remembrance in Semper Fi Park serves to partially mitigate unintended administrative oversight by providing recognition to all of us.

A small plaque attached to the remembrance will honor Lieutenant Colonel John C. Studt not only commanded the Battalion during the breakout from the hill positions on Hill 881S and Hill 861, but did so in a manner which epitomizes the term Marine leader.

As an enlisted Marine in Korea, Lieutenant Colonel Studt was wounded and never forgot the experience.  He placed his men's well-being above his own and commanded in a way that ensured successful mission accomplishment with a minimum of casualties.  He did so with a combination of bold, aggressive actions and maximum reliance on supporting arms.  As a result, during the entire period of his command the Battalion never experienced a chance contact with the enemy nor did the enemy ever initiate contact with the Battalion.

Immediately upon taking command, Lieutenant Colonel Studt went to Hill 881S to gain a first hand impression of the situation.  He planned a breakout from the hill positions by a nighttime attack on the entrenched enemy on Hill 881N.  I spite of advice that the Battalion was not physically capable of a nighttime action after enduring a 77 day siege, he insisted on attacking at night.  He also coordinated the most intense supporting arms campaign in close support of any attacking battalion in Vietnam, collocated the Battalion's command group with the lead company, and personally accompanied the lead platoons.  The enemy, which could not be dislodged in our 77 days of intense air and artillery attacks, was taken by surprise and totally routed.

In a subsequent campaign he was seriously wounded but refused evacuation or medical attention until the Battalion was in a secure position.  Even then, he insisted on remaining with the Battalion during a series of extremely difficult field operations in mountainous terrain for a period of two months.  In this period, the Battalion operated in the enemy's rear areas, which had not been previously penetrated by US forces.  In spite of the fact that he had to be assisted in exiting helicopters and was in constant pain, Lieutenant Colonel Studt led the Battalion to unparalleled successes, achieving a very high number of enemy kills and a very low friendly casualty rate.  He argued vociferously with higher authority for maximum employment of artillery and air support of the Battalion.  On several occasions, he refused to send Marines on operations unless higher headquarters provided the supporting arms he demanded.  No Battalion in Vietnam utilized supporting arms in support of individual Marines more expertly than the Battalion while under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Studt.  His loyalty to the Battalion and to the individual Marine was exceptional and worthy of special recognition.

The attached sketch by Tom Esslinger is a rough concept and subject to change as we proceed with final design and construction.  We hope the stone will resemble the red clay of Khe Sanh.  Our plan is to dedicate that monument at Semper Fi Park during a reunion scheduled for July 16-19, 2008.

One of our members volunteered to pay for the remembrance but we believe all of us should have an opportunity to participate.  We would like to provide all of the members of our Battalion the opportunity to make a contribution toward the monument.  The amount of your contribution is not as important as every member's participation.  Every penny collected will go directly to the cost of the remembrance.  Volunteers are doing all of the work, so there are no administrative costs.

We encourage you to contribute and to attend the reunion, which will include the dedication of the remembrance.

Please mail your contribution to:

Carlton B. Crenshaw
1336 Broken Island Road
Palmyra, VA 22963

Semper Fi
Steering Committee, Third Battalion, 26th Marines

Matthew C. Caulfield                   Tom Esslinger           Carlton B. Crenshaw
Major General, USMC (Retired)
 

3/26 Scholarship Winner

The 2007 3/26 Scholarship winner is Benjamin Krueger Robbins of Irvine, California.  Benjamin is the nephew of James Sigman who served in 3/26 from October 1967 to November 1968.  Ben attended Orange County HS of the Arts and had a 3.9 GPA.  He is attending Boston University, College of Communications.  The award was for $2,200.