AMGRUNT MEMORIAL

MISSION STATEMENT

A UNIQUE MEMORIAL TO THE MEN OF THE FIRST AMPHIBIAN TRACTOR BATTALION WHO SERVED AS AMGRUNTS AT CUA VIET, REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM.

April 1967 - July 1969

Unique accomplishments in combat by unusual Marine Corps unit deserve their memorial in remembrance of the sacrifices for Corps and country.

As the decades of the 21st century slip by, fewer and fewer Marines who served in the First Amphibian Tractor Battalion will remain, who have preserved in their memory the myriad accomplishments won in close combat at the Cua Viet, Vietnam. Such combat engagements epitomized the time tested phrase, "Every Marine a Rifleman".  These gallant men were taken from their primary mission aboard amphibian vehicles in support of regular infantry, given that infantry mission as well, and assigned a thirty-two square mile area of operations. Both tasks were accomplished with dedication and determination against first-line North Vietnamese Army forces.

Recognition and display of such events are a part of the special exhibit project at the General Alfred M. Gray Research Center Archives and Libraries at Quantico, Virginia. The Research Center is an integral part of the Marine Corps.   Memorials to individual Marines are displayed as well as personal papers and documents. Currently, no exhibits exist in recognition of specific USMC units.

Our battalion's accomplishments have been highlighted by several unit commendations for operations as an amphibian vehicle unit and separately as an infantry unit. These commendations codify our success against first-line North Vietnamese forces by identifying all who served at Cua Viet as Amphibian Tractor Infantrymen (AmGrunts). Commandant of the Marine Corps General Leonard F. Chapman, Jr., granted this unique recognition in 1969.

The have earned the honor of a title in combat is very rare in the Marine Corps. This honor came at a great price in wounded and killed in action. These many sacrifices by all who served at Cua Viet should never fade from the memory of our Corps.

To insure that the story of the AmGrunts is recalled and studied by generations of future Marines, an AmGrunt Memorial Fund committee has been established. The committee envisions an exhibit to commemorate our unit as part of the special exhibits at the Gray Research Center.

This memorial would exemplify the multiple unit missions, the uniqueness of the Amgrunt's accomplishments, individual Marines who served at Cua Viet and other deeds of valor and heroism. It is the Committee's hope that in this memorial the true meaning of "Every Marine a Rifleman" will serve as a standard to students of military history and future Marines.

Just as the price of proving oneself worthy of the title Marine and further that of AmGrunt was costly; our memorial will require a cost.  Each of us should be prepared to contribute to preserving our own legacy. It is a very worthwhile cause, which you and your descendants will look upon with great pride and with a true sense of having accomplished historical acts worthy of the archives of our Corps.