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CAP Môt The Story of a Marine Special Forces Unit in Vietnam, 1968–1969 by Barry L. Goodson |
The Marines' Combined Action Platoon program—CAP—was one of the most innovative approaches to pacification used in Vietnam. From experience in other civil wars in Haiti, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, the Marine Corps believed that firepower alone would not subdue the enemy, that the people had to be won over. Consisting of a volunteer rifle squad, a Navy medical corpsman, and a locally recruited platoon of Popular Forces (PF), the CAP lived among the villagers and were responsible for village security. Unlike other forces in Vietnam, the CAP forces did not arrive by helicopter in the morning and leave at night. The only time a CAP marine left the jungle was when he was rotating home, wounded, or killed. They became part of village life and aided the local residents in many ways. The marines became familiar with the local terrain, could bring in heavy fire power when necessary, instilled discipline and confidence in the PF forces, and won the loyalty of many Vietnamese villagers.
"We were first . . . to become deeply involved . . . with the Vietnamese people; helping them [in] their daily lives. . . . Our second responsibility was to train new warriors. . . . I entered the CAP Marines with the misconception that I would be training a bunch of jungle natives who knew nothing about the methods and strategy of true combat. It took only a few short days . . . to realize that the person who really needed to listen and learn was yours truly. . . . The Vietnamese . . . could spot booby traps on the darkest of nights. I learned [from them] to rely heavily on my own senses, to ferret out the enemy—to discover . . . that I could actually smell the presence of the enemy. . . . Rumors had portrayed the South Vietnamese soldier as a weak, unreliable, coward that no one could trust. I soon discovered that was far from the truth."—from the Preface
BARRY L. GOODSON is an ex-Marine from Fort Worth who is now the Public Relations Officer for the Parker County sheriff’s office. He lives with his family in Springtown, Texas.
Number Five: War and the Southwest Series
CAP Môt
ISBN 1-57441-004-0 cloth $32.50s
LC 96-5940. 6x9. 306 pp. 28 b&w photos. 4 illus. Map. Index.
Military History. Vietnam.
Publication Date: March 1997.
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