Mission of the Recon Marine:
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The main mission of the reconnaissance Marines was to locate the enemy and their base camps. Within the jungles of Vietnam, the VC and NVAhad developed an intricate system of trails and supply points to keep themselves supplied with weapons, ammunition, food and other items need to conduct war. Reconnaissance Marines searched for these places where enemy forces might be concentrated, and reported their locations back to headquarters where the decision would be made whether to attack with infantry troops, artillery, air strikes or some combination of the three. Often the Recon Marines, who were to be “Swift, Silent & Deadly”, would run into or be discovered by the enemy. Such an encounter the Marines would then have to fight off the enemy while trying to escape being overwhelmed. Sometimes Recon Marines would conduct raids themselves; but this was not their primary mission. More commonly, they would call in artillery or air strikes on the targets when they discovered them in the bush.
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