Operation Keystone Eagle


Operation Keystone Eagle was the withdrawal of the initial units of the 3rd Marine Division from South Vietnam and their redeployment to Okinawa, taking place from 29 June to 30 August 1969.

Background

Following from the policy of Vietnamization, U.S. President Richard Nixon sought to reduce U.S. forces in South Vietnam. After a visit to South Vietnam in March 1969, Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird recommended that planning begin for the withdrawal of 50-70,000 U.S. troops in 1969 with further withdrawals in 1970. MACV began planning for the withdrawal of 50,000 troops or approximately 2 Divisions plus support units in late 1969. In late May the Joint Chiefs of Staff presented Laird with a plan for the phased withdrawal of 244,000 of the total 549,000 U.S. personnel in South Vietnam with the withdrawal of 50,000 troops in late 1969 comprising 1 Marine Division and 1 Army Division. Laird forwarded the plan to Nixon in early June with the recommendation that 20-25,000 troops be withdrawn starting in July. MACV had determined that the first units to be withdrawn would be the 3rd Marine Division and the 9th Infantry Division. On 8 June, Nixon met South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu on Midway Island and Nixon convinced Thiệu to accept the fact of U.S. force reductions, following the meeting Nixon announced the beginning of unilateral U.S. troop withdrawals.
The initial withdrawal named Operation Keystone Eagle was the withdrawal of one Regimental Landing Team, however the selected Regiment, the 9th Marine Regiment and its supporting units did not meet the 8388-man level mandated by MACV and so additional support and miscellaneous units were added to make up the numbers.

Operation

On 14 June the 9th Marine Regiment was notified of its redeployment. On 23 June after completing its involvement in Operation Utah Mesa, the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines stood down at Vandegrift Combat Base. On 14 July following a farewell ceremony at Da Nang, the 1/9 Marines boarded the, becoming the first U.S. battalion to be withdrawn.
The Keystone Eagle redeployments took place as follows:
Departure DateUnitStrength
29 June 19693rd Anti-Tank Battalion19
13 July 1969Companies A, B & C, 3rd Motor Transport Battalion167
13 July 1969Company C, 3rd Tank Battalion74
13 July 1969Detachment, 3rd Dental Company1
13 July 19691st Amphibian Tractor Battalion135
13 July 1969Battery D, 2nd Battalion, 12th Marine Regiment139
13 July 1969Company C, 11th Engineer Battalion180
14 July 19691st Battalion, 9th Marines1166
14 July 19691st Searchlight Battery116
15 July 1969Company B, 3rd Medical Battalion42
15 July 1969Company D, 11th Engineer Battalion175
15 July 1969Company C, 3rd Shore Party Battalion144
15 July 19691st Armed Amphibian Company42
15 July 1969Headquarters Battery, Field Artillery Group24
15 July 1969Detachment, Marine Air Traffic Control Unit23
30 July 1969Company C, 3rd Engineer Battalion257
31 July 1969Detachment, Headquarters Battery, 12th Marine Regiment21
31 July 1969Battery E, 2/12 Marines139
31 July 1969Headquarters Battery, 2/12 Marines161
1 August 19692nd Battalion, 9th Marines1166
1 August 1969Headquarters Company, 9th Marine Regiment234
5 August 1969Detachment, Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Marine Division354
12 August 1969Detachment, Force Logistics Command150
13 August 19693rd Battalion, 9th Marines1166
13 August 1969Battery F, 2/12 Marines139
13 August 1969Battery L, 4/12 Marines112
13 August 1969Company C, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion120
13 August 1969Detachment, Headquarters Company, 9th Marine Regiment20
14 August 1969Company A, 9th Motor Transport Battalion130
14 August 1969HMM-165279
16 August 19691st Light Antiaircraft Missile Battalion661
30 August 1969VMFA-334388

Aftermath

Operation Keystone Eagle concluded on 30 August 1969, it was immediately followed by Operation Keystone Cardinal.
1/9 Marines and 3/9 Marines would return to South Vietnam in April 1972 during the Easter Offensive and in April 1975 during Operation Frequent Wind.