9th Marine Amphibious Brigade MAB Patch - No Hook and Loop
This is a 4" No Hook and Loop squadron patch of the 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade MAB
The 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade was a United States Marine Corps unit.
History
1965
Following the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in August 1964, the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (9th MEB) was activated by United States Pacific Command under Admiral Ulysses S. Grant Sharp. The 3rd Marine Division assistant commander and Medal of Honor recipient, Brigadier General Raymond G. Davis, was appointed its first commander. It consisted of 9th Marine Regiment regimental headquarters and three battalion landing teams (BLT). Almost 6,000 men were transformed into an effective force in readiness.
When the Gulf of Tonkin crisis faded, one BLT was sent to Okinawa, another to the Philippines and a third one was served afloat as Special Landing Force of the Seventh Fleet under Admiral Roy L. Johnson. The skeleton headquarters of the brigade under BG Davis remained at U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay for case of emergency and BG John P. Coursey relieved Davis on October 16, 1964.
Meanwhile the situation in South Vietnam became critical, when Viet Cong (VC) forces won the Battle of Binh Gia at the beginning of January 1965 and it became obvious that this was an intensive military challenge which the South Vietnamese government could not meet with its own resources.[1]
BG Frederick J. Karch assumed command of the brigade on January 22, 1965 and 1st and 3rd Battalions, 9th Marines took part in the amphibious landing exercise. On 7 February 1965, the VC attacked the U.S. base in Pleiku killing 9 Americans, wounding 128 others and damaging or destroying 25 aircraft. President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered the deployment of 9th MEB to Da Nang by the end of February 1965 with the mission of protecting the Da Nang Air Base from enemy incursion.[1]
After initial delay because of negotiations with South