12th Marine Regiment - Headquarters Battalion
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Unit tents, sleeping quarters at Dong Ha??Quang Tri??Part of the Citidal in HuePart of the Con Thien perimeterA 106 recoiless rifle on a mule located at the Quang Tri Combat BasePerimeter trenchline at Gio Linh
Unit Pictures

Army "twin Forty" (Duster) on the perimeterQuang Tri ARVN cmpound after it was overrun by NVA ARVN tank moving back in to position after their compound was overrun by North Vietnamese soldiersThe Marine riding shotgun lost his right arm when the door blew verticlly, after the vehicle ran over a mineMarines sweeping a treeline to eliminate snipersVietnamese baby being washed and attended to by Marine CorpsmanBarracks burned during attackLarge Naval ship glasses in 65' tower on the NE corner of Gio Linh. Through these glasses Marine FO's were able to locate, watch, and call in air and artillery strikes against the enemy. The FO's could easily see into the DMZ and southern North Vietnam8" Gun on the Carroll perimeter
"Brennen's Bandits"Never have so few been so foul to so many...Building the refugee camp near Cam Lo?Chaplin rotation; Borden replacing HustinFSB Con Thien within the perimeter from a knoll. In Vietnaese Con Thien meant "Hill of Angels." To many United States Marines it meant "Hill of Death & Hell.""Dandy Don Merideth" former Monday Night Football announcer signing autographs HQ Battalion MarinesDon MeridithDust cloud created by the prop wash from a C-130...Ammunition box's that carried two 105 rounds were commonly used to create underground bunker walls. When filled with dirt, they became solid interlocking pieces to the structure.Engineers or sometimes Marines pulling perimeter duty set out claymore mines just before sunset. Depending on their location, it was not uncommon to find the Claymores turned around, pointing at Marine positions when dawn came...Engineers clearing "fields of fire" at Con Thien. Clearing all undergrowth and trees, then spraying the perimeter with Agent Orange to completly kill all plant life was common pratice for open areas surrounding Con Thien and other northern FSB's.
"Church" in the field always included communion for the MarinesColors being presented before company commandersConvoy forming in Dong Ha; destination was Khe Sanh via Highway 9Dandy Don's autograph...Due to road flooding, most of the FSB's had to be resupplied by air during monsoon season...Engineers "blowing" a hole in the earth with a "shape charge" to create a new FDC underground bunker.Engineers moving a timber up a steep incline to a new bunker location, probably for the roof support system. The 11th Enginners worked tirelessly preforming many diffrent tasks, sometimes under heavy enemy fire to complete their job(s)Fields of fire cleared and established around Con Thien; they would be needed in the near future...Taken from the 65' tower in the NE corner of FSB Gio Linh, a 175mm gun, designated a "Long Rifle" by the army sits below in its dirt enclave...Golf 3/12 convoy, leaving Gio Linh approx 27/3/67. Their presence initiated "Operation Beacon Hill." In turn, the BLT landing started the NVA thinking a perminant artillery build up was in progress. Consequently the night od 20/3/ 67 NVA arty attacked; it was their first use of artillery in the warFDC Bunker and shower area at Camp Carroll
Taken during the seige of Con Thien late in 1967Marine Corpsman treating Vietnamese villagers feetPlaying, working out...Engineers laying triple strands of concertina wire at Con Thien creating an "outer perimeter." There were sometimes several strings of concertina layed, creating multiple barriers for the enemy to penetrate during a ground attack.Entance to an underground bunker that could contain up to six Marines. Entrances usually were off-set to avoid a direct path for shrapnel into the bunker ...Heavyweight boxing champion Floyd Patterson...Patterson's autograph...Hood of a "Mighty Mite" converts into an alter for church services. Many times these services were not just church but for fallen brothers who had sacrificed their life's in the line of duty...105mm Howitzer at Camp Carroll in a new parapet
Working on the "sun tan" doing laundry, Vietnam stylePopcorn from home Downtime activities; seems the Marine on the far left has found a "new activity" ;o)This excess ordinance was probaly left by ARVN's. Marines never left anything behind for the enemy...Hill 881 in the background8" howitzer in position, ready for a fire missionAiming stake for sighting howitzerJohn Simon & Dale "Tiny" Fellows on the perimeter at Con ThienTaken from the 65' tower in the NE corner of FSB Gio Linh, the Ben Hai River, which separates the heart of the DMZ, lies in plain view. North Vietnam is in the upper foreground of this photo. This is how close Gio Linh was to the homeland of the enemy.More of the Camp Carroll perimeter, home to HQ 1/12 and some elements of HQ Battalion.
Sweeping...Continued...More boxing in down time...Marine security stops to pose for a picture with kids and adults from the local village.More kids with Marine security; notice in the center of the picture the young child smoking. Cigarettes were a large part of the Vietnamese culture.Kids trailing Marines as they leave the village; constant bantering for "Chop, Chop, (food) or other items never ceased.Construction underway; it looks like Gio Linh in its early stages...Camp Carroll perimter looking west towards the Ho Chi Minh trail and Laos...
HQ Battalion page was last updated: 24 April, 2009












L/Cpl John Simon & Cpl Dale FellowsLocal villigers digging the perimeter ditch; their "Pith Helmets" would have made me uneasy...Interesting camara angle; main entry to Khe Sahn near a 1-13 batterySame picture as the previous, straightened. main Khe Sanh entrance near a 1-13 batteryDale "Tiny" Fellows shortly after his arrival at the Khe Sanh Combat Base...Medcap security detail...Additional construction underway at ???Change of command at ???Ceremony continues...The "Motor T Gear Jammers" were the base softball champs! What base? ;o)1/12 FDC Crew
Dale "Tiny" Fellows on his 20th birthday just after being transfered to the 11th Engineers...4.2 "Howtar" was a 4.2 mortar mounted on a Pac 75 howitzer carriage making the Howtar. It was half howitzer (shell almost equal to a 105mm) and half mortar. How Tar ...NVA checkpoint taken through the "Naval ship glasses" located on the NE tower at Gio Linh. The road is "Highway 1" or the "Highway to Hell" and this section is in North Vietnam, beyond the DMZ. Again, Gio Linh was very close to the NVA homeland.Old French bunker over-looking the river near Quang Tri Combat Base. This could have been near "Lang Vai" which was held by 3rd Marine Division command and troops. The same "Marine Pogs" who opened fire on Golf 3/12 after the NVA snuck between both units and then shot at 3rd Mar Div perimeter MarineHighway 9, the road west from Dong Ha to Khe Sanh. The road became 'impassible" during the seige due to a large NVA presence.Passing out soap to the village children during a "Medcap" visit.Children still linger after the soap is gone, hoping for more. Soap was a "rare" and valuble item in a rural Vietnamese villiage.One of our "Filipino" soldiers showed us how to drink from the "heart of the banana tree" when thirsty...Platoon Sgt John DearRefugee Camp near Dong Ha or Cam Lo.175 gun at Gio Linh
Regimental HQ tents accross from infantry tents. It appears there was a rocket attack with two close misses...Regiment in formation, at attention for "change of command" ceremony.Regimental colors pass from Colonel Reid to Colonel Morrison as command changes. Yep boys, even in Vietnam...Regimental entrance and flower gardenRetreat of the colors...Robert MitchumRoutine morning sweep of the Dong Ha perimeter...Security Section "down time."Sergeant Dear...Smoke from a fire in the fuel dump175 in position at Camp Carroll.
The Army 175mm "Long Rifles" were the first to arrive at Gio Linh, just ahead of Charlie 1/12, which initially moved 500 meters N-NW of the 175s.From Camp Carroll looking at Dong Ha Mountain.
Gio Linh under construction...Dale "Tiny" Fellows convoy lost this duce-&-a-half to a land mine; causalities unknown...Security for the survey team who were laying out the guns at Gio Linh before the start of "Operation Highrise."3 HQ 1/12 Marines at the base of the Rockpile.
Contributor:Sergeant Dale "Tiny" Fellows

Contributor:Lieutenant Ben Skwiercz - Batt HQ

Contributor:Gunnery Sergeant Jim Jerrell - HQ   
175 mm March April 1967 at Gio LinhApril 1967 - Colonel Rice between General Westmoreland and General Walt. Colonel Rice had less than 24 hours notice to prepare Gio Linh for their visit. April 1967: General Westmoreland, Colonel Rice & General Walt @ Gio LinhApril 1967: Dedication of Camp Hill at Gio Linh. Lieutenant Ben Skwiercz at Camp Carroll before deploying to Gio Linh...Lieutenant Skwiercz 25 March,1967 briefing General Walt, Premier Thieu, Vice - Premier KyPremier Ky,Lt. Col. Rice 25 March,1967Colonel Rice introducing Vice-Premier Ky to battalion & battery officersColonel Rice,General Walt, General Westmoreland at Gio LinhDong Ha Mountain from the Camp Carroll perimeter.
THE SECRETRAY OF THE NAVY For The President of the United States takes pride in presenting the NAVY CROSS posthumously to PRIVATE FIRST CLASS LAMONT D. HILL UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS

for service as set forth in the following



CITATION:


CITATION: For extraordinary heroism as a Machine Gunner serving with the Weapons Platoon, Company "I", Third Battalion, Fourth Marines, Third Marine Division in Vietnam on 6 March 1967. While conducting a company sweep near the village of Tan Lich in Quang Tri Province, Private First Class Hill was attached to the Third Platoon when it was subjected to heavy automatic weapons fire from a well entrenched enemy. In the initial burst of enemy fire, he was fatally wounded However, realizing the gravity of the situation, Private First Class Hill, disregarding his own serious and painful wound, manned his machine gun and brought deadly, well aimed fire to bear on the enemy. Refusing medical treatment except when he stopped to reload his weapon, he provided covering fire so that his wounded comrades could be moved to defiladed positions of relative safety. Then he immediately shifted his weapon and began to provide a base of fire on the entrenched enemy which enabled two squads of the platoon to make a successful assault, killing twenty of the enemy. Private First Class Hill, succumbing to his wound, fell unconscious upon his machine gun. His heroic actions were responsible for saving the life of at least one marine and were instrumental in the defeat of the enemy with no further friendly casualties. Private First Class Hill's courageous actions, aggressive fighting spirit and loyal devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country. For the President, Paul R. Jgnatius Secretary of the Navy 



 
















Dedication of Gio Linh formally renaming the fire base "Camp Hill" in honor of PFC Lamont Hill who gave his life in defense of his company I 3/4
PFC Hill was awarded the Navy Cross for his gallant actions; Gio Linh became "Camp Hill - The Alamo of Vietnam"

Tribute to 9 KIA's from India 3/4 killed 6 march 1967 west of FSB Gio Linh. Lt. Skwiercz rescue party called artillery on NVA to prevent more losses. A low cloudy, rainy ceiling prevented air support.175 Gun at Gio Linh on the North perimeterGunnery Sergeant Jim Jerrell, Gio Linh's battalion operations chief...Incoming ordinance crater at Gio Linh; Fill material is dumped in the background by the 11th EngineersUSMC Tank at Gio Linh after several close artillery hits...The 65' tower in the NE corner of FSB Gio Linh, AKA "Camp Hill" at sunrise. At the time this photo was taken, the tower was still under construction...Gio Linh in it's early stages of construction...Gunnery Sergeant Jim Jerrell, HQ Battery 1st Battalion 12th Marines at Camp JJ Carroll...HQ 1/12 Staff NCO Hooch at Camp CarrollSNAKE! HQ 1/12 Marine, Ron Johnson, holds a venomous or non-venomous snake at Camp Carroll.