From January 9–11, 2026, U.S. Marines and Sailors assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) conducted a battlefield visit to the site of Operation Swift, a pivotal engagement of the Vietnam War, to honor the legacy of those who fought there and to reflect on the enduring bonds between past and present generations of service members.

During the Vietnam War, Marine forces conducted amphibious and helicopter-borne operations as part of Special Landing Force Alpha, including during Operation Swift, employing integrated air, ground, and logistics elements in combat that reinforced the MAGTF construct and helped shape the MEU’s role as a forward-deployed, rapid-response force.

The visit brought 15 Marines and Sailors to a small knoll in an area formerly known as the Que Son Valley, where, on September 4, 1967, Marines from Mike Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines (3/5), engaged an estimated 2,500 North Vietnamese Army (NVA) troops in a sustained battle involving approximately 165 U.S. Marines. The engagement resulted in extraordinary acts of valor, including those by Medal of Honor recipients Chaplain Vincent R. Capodanno and Sergeant Lawrence D. Peters.

Chaplain Vincent R. Capodanno, a Navy chaplain serving with the Marines in Vietnam, ran through intense enemy fire to reach a beleaguered platoon, administering last rites, providing medical aid, and encouraging his Marines by example. Even after being mortally wounded by machine-gun fire, he refused aid for himself, continuing to shield and care for the wounded until he was killed. By his selfless actions, he upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service, giving his life for others.

Sergeant Lawrence D. Peters, serving as a squad leader in Vietnam, repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire to lead his Marines, rescue the wounded, and direct their evacuation. Despite multiple painful wounds, he pressed forward, organizing his squad and exposing himself to protect others. His extraordinary courage inspired his Marines to regain the fight, and he ultimately sacrificed his life so others might live, upholding the finest traditions of the U.S. Marine Corps.

Standing on the ground where the battle unfolded nearly 58 years earlier, the Marines and Sailors of the 31st MEU were joined virtually by Cpl. George Phillips, a Vietnam War veteran who fought on the knoll during Operation Swift. Phillips, calling in from Florida, spoke directly to the formation via mobile phone, providing firsthand context and recounting the battle in stark, personal detail.

The 31st MEU’s ceremony on the knoll included the formal reading of both Medal of Honor citations, delivered aloud on the battlefield where the actions occurred. For many present, hearing the citations while listening to Phillips’ firsthand account brought history into sharp focus.

“This is fifty-seven years old,” Phillips told the group as he oriented them to the terrain. “So what I’m describing as a hill… ‘JD’ and the others have told me that it’s more like a mound of dirt now.”

Phillips explained how Mike Company approached the knoll from the north-northeast, detailing the company’s movement, the sudden enemy contact, and the intensity of the fighting that followed.

“I was about the fourth guy back from point,” he said. “The point guy… said, ‘I think I saw a bush move,’ and Sully, who was the platoon sergeant, yelled back to him, ‘If it moves again, shoot it.’ Well, you know, the bush moved, he shot it, and then the whole world just opened up.”

What followed was a 14-hour engagement marked by relentless enemy fire, repeated assaults, and mounting casualties.

“Everything from .50 cal, 7.62 AK-47s, 120-millimeter rockets,” Phillips said. “Basically this went on and off for fourteen hours.”

During the battle, Chaplain Capodanno repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to provide aid, encouragement, and last rites to wounded Marines. Phillips described witnessing Capodanno’s final actions.

“He actually got shot three times,” Phillips said. “He got shot in the hand in the morning, later, in the early afternoon he got shot in the shoulder, and then later in the afternoon he got twenty-six shots from the .50 cal.” At the time Capodanno was moving forward to aid a wounded corpsman named Lyle.

Nearby, Sgt. Peters led his Marines under devastating fire, repeatedly exposing himself to direct enemy fire to direct attacks and repel assaults. His actions inspired his squad to regain momentum and ultimately hold their position, at the cost of his life.

“There’s just metal flying all over the place,” Phillips said. “We had gunships up. I mean, everything we had.”
When asked to elaborate for the younger Marines, Phillips offered a brief lesson in Vietnam-era airpower.

“We had C-130s loaded with Gatling guns,” he said. “They fired much faster than your machine guns. They used to spit out big, bright, yellow flashes.”

Throughout the call, Phillips emphasized the cost of the battle and the selflessness of those who served, particularly Navy corpsmen. His remarks resonated strongly with the corpsman present among the 31st MEU formation during the visit.

“We lost every one of our corpsmen,” Phillips said. “A corpsman saved my life twice.”

Hearing those words while standing on the battlefield underscored the risks inherent to the corpsman’s role and the legacy of service carried forward alongside Marines today.

Phillips also shared a deeply personal story from the battle, the emergency baptism of his platoon commander, 2nd Lt. Ed Combs, who had been gravely wounded after their unit’s chaplain, Chaplain Capodanno, died in combat. Combs was dragged into the bomb crater that served as the company’s command post, where, amid the fighting, Combs began calling out that he wanted to be baptized. Phillips went over to Combs, explaining, “I just said, you know, ‘You got any preference?’… I said, ‘You want to be baptized as a Roman Catholic?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, that’ll do.’” Phillips baptized him using water from his canteen inside the bomb crater.

Nearly 20 years later, Phillips unexpectedly encountered Combs again while attending a show with Lt. Col. J.D. Murray, the former company commander, and reflected on this shared memory.

As the call neared its conclusion, the Marines and Sailors present reflected on how hearing the account, while standing on the very ground where the events occurred, deepened their understanding of the battle and those who fought it.

Offering his appreciation for Phillips’ time and enduring sacrifice, Sgt. Maj. Julio Mercedes, the 31st MEU sergeant major, spoke on behalf of the formation. “I just want to give you my heartfelt thank you for paving the way for us,” Mercedes said. “Being here, we can get an appreciation for the terrain you’re describing, and hearing you recount it really brings it to life. There’s not a day that goes by that we don’t think about what you and your fellow Marines and Sailors endured.”

Phillips acknowledged the remarks, “Thank you Sergeant Major. Semper Fidelis,” and closed the call with words directed squarely at the next generation.

“If you do ever have to go through a day like that,” he said, “keep in mind there’s two hundred and fifty years of people right behind you, and you can’t let anybody down.”

The 31st MEU, the Marine Corps’ only continuously forward-deployed Marine expeditionary unit, routinely operates across the Indo-Pacific region. The visit to Vietnam, marked by historical reflection, ceremony, and veteran testimony, underscored the enduring legacy of those who fought before, and the responsibility carried by those who serve today.