9th Infantry Division (United States) - Vietnam War

Vietnam War

During the war the division's units often served with the Mobile Riverine Force and other US Navy units that made up the Brown Water Navy. Its area of operations was in the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta from 1967 to 1972. Operation Speedy Express was one significant operation in which the division took part during the war, while the Battle of Ap Bac was one of 22 major combat engagements with North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong main force units as well as thousands of small contacts during this period during division's presence in Vietnam.

The 9th Division was reactivated on 1 February 1966, and arrived in Vietnam on 16 December 1966 from Fort Riley, Kansas, and its major units departed Vietnam on 27 August 1969 (HHC & 1st BDE) to Hawaii; 27 August 1969 (2nd BDE) to Fort Lewis, Washington; 12 October 1970 (3rd BDE) to Fort Lewis, Washington.

On deployment the division was assigned to the III Corps Tactical Zone of Vietnam where it commenced operations in the Dinh Tuong and Long An provinces (6 January-31 May 1967) in Operation Palm Beach.

The infantry units that eventually served with the 9th Infantry Division were:

• 2/39th Inf
• 3/39th Inf
• 4/39th Inf
• 2/47th Mech Inf
• 3/47th Riverine
• 4/47th Riverine
• 2/60th Inf
• 3/60th Riverine
• 5/60th Mech Inf
• 6/31st Inf

Other units included:

• Coy E/50th Inf reflagged Co. E/75th Inf (Ranger) 2 Dec 1967 – Aug 1969
• Coy E/75th Inf Oct 1969 – Oct 1970
• 3rd Sqn/5th Cavalry Feb 1967 – Nov 19713
• 9th Aviation Bn Jan 1967 – Aug 1969
• 2nd Bn/4th Art (105mm How) Jan 1967 – Oct 1970
• 1st Bn/11th Art (105mm How) Jan 1967 – Aug 1969
• 3rd Bn/34th Art (105mm How) (Riverine) Dec 1966 – Jul 1969
• 1st Bn/84th Art (155mm How/8" How) Feb 1967 – Aug 1969
• 15th Engr Bn Oct 1966 – Aug 1969
• 571st Engr Co. Oct 1969 – Oct 1970
• 9th Medical Bn 4 Jan 1967 – 18 Aug 1969
• 9th Signal Bn 19 Dec 1966 – 19 Aug 1969
• 9th Supply and Transport Bn 16 Dec 1966 – 23 Aug 1969
• 709th Maint Bn 26 Jan 1967 – 20 Aug 1969
• 9th Admin Co. 30 Dec 1966 – 26 Aug 1969
• 9th MP Co. 19 Dec 1966 – 25 Sep 1969
• 335th Army Security Agency Co. (a.k.a. "335th Radio Research Unit") 12 Jan 1967 – 5 Apr 1971
• 99th Support Bn 1 Oct 1969 – 12 Oct 1970

One of the more unique units serving with the division was the experimental 39th Cavalry Platoon Air Cushion Vehicle (Air Cushion Vehicles) which used 3 of the specially designed hovercraft to patrol marshy terrain like the Plain of Reeds along the south Vietnamese/Cambodian border.

From 1967 on, one of the division's brigades (the 2nd Brigade) was the Army contingent of the Mobile Riverine Force. This brigade lived on the ships of Navy Task Force 117, and were transported on their infantry missions throughout the Mekong Delta on WW2 landing craft supported by various other armored boats some of which mounted flame-throwers (called zippo after the lighter); had mortars in their holds; and even 105mm cannons on their bows (called monitors). The mobile riverine force was often anchored near the South Vietnamese city of My Tho, or near Dong Tam, the Division base camp, and they conducted operations in coordination with the Navy Seal teams, the South Vietnamese Marines, units of the ARVN 7th Division and River Assault Groups. Following the Tet offensive in 1968, General Westmoreland stated that the 9th Infantry Division and the Mobile Riverine Force saved the Delta region from falling to the North Vietnamese Army forces. In 1969, the division also operated throughout the IV Corps Tactical Zone.

In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, the eponymous main character was a member of the 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam, notably: 4th platoon, A Company, 2nd Bn/47INF.