616
Presidential Unit Citation Awarded to the Second Battalion, Vietnamese Marine Brigade, Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces.
November 15, 1966

THE PRESIDENT of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the

for service as set forth in the following
CITATION:

For extraordinary heroism and outstanding performance of duty during the Battle of Phung Du on 7, 8 and 9 April 1965. Surrounded by numerically superior Communist insurgent (Viet Cong) forces, the Second Battalion, Vietnamese Marine Brigade, with valiant and indomitable fighting spirit repulsed wave after wave of fanatical enemy assaults thrust at the Brigade defensive positions from multiple directions.

In the face of heavy and repeated infantry attacks, and under a hail of intense mortar and machine-gun fire hurled against their positions throughout the night and in the early morning darkness, the men of the Second Battalion responded most courageously to their magnificent leadership and fought from foxhole to foxhole in hand-to-hand combat with fierce determination against overwhelming odds.

With inspiring individual bravery in the face of the enemy penetration of their defensive perimeter, they launched counterattacks which swept the advancing foe before them by bayonet and small-arms fire, decimating their ranks and driving them into a general rout leaving the battlefield littered with hundreds of enemy dead.

Their valor, teamwork, and aggressive fighting spirit transformed a defensive battle into a crushing defeat of the Viet Cong, who were forced into disorganized retreat.

The conduct of the Second Battalion, Vietnamese Marine Brigade throughout the battle was in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service.
LYNDON B. JOHNSON