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Chapter 22
Operation Blue Marlin
We learned in late Oct. that 2/7 would be moving further North to Chu Lai and that we would continue operations in the I Corps TAOR. On Nov. 1st., 1965 we were briefed about ‘Operation Blue Marlin’ and informed that , again our battalion would be making an ‘opposed’ landing on Nov 10th. at Tam Ky, near Chu Lai. Again Echo Company would be in the first assault group with the first platoon anchoring the Company in that assault.18 @ My amtrak no. was 1/1. My other platoon boat was 1/2. We were to board the USS Paul Revere on Nov. 6th at Qui Nhon—specific landing instructions were given to us after we boarded the ship and were sailing to Tam Ky near Chu Lai. 19@ Our Marines welcomed the relief of being aboard ship again, even if it was only for a couple of days—at least they had a clean bunk, hot showers and hot chow and no mosquitos and snakes and ——no one shooting at them —what more could they ask?
Bad weather delayed the planned landing on Nov. 10th—this was just a harbinger of things to come. The landing ‘warning orders’ were on again—off again for two more days until the morning of Nov. 12 when we finally disembarked the USS Paul Revere and landed at Tam Ky—just North of Chu
Lai . 20@ The landing was ‘unopposed’ and quickly turned into a mess. ‘Someone’ up the chain of command had not actually reconned the beach we landed on.—it was actually a ‘sand spit’ —surrounded by deep channels of water
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