Patch....Major Le Ba Binhs,, RVN 3rd Marine Battalion

[kid purington]

                                              ..Interesting story here..look familiar

[Rod Chelius]

Any idea what the over all meaning of this patch is besides 'soi bien = so much'? Where did it come from, who wore the patch?

[Paul Conk]

Oliver North just did a article on the unit defending the Don Hong bridge at the DMZ It was on Fox news network 3/29/15. The time frame was 4/72.

[Bill Rutledge]

I have one of these patches somewhere in a box

[kid purington]

..Rod..Google the Major's name...check out the major and his "Seawolves"...tuff unit.

[Dan Arnes]

Kid,
One of the googled sites:
Major Le Ba Binh Easter Offensive 1969

statement from an official report about the Easter Offensive, prepared by Colonel Turley, for the purpose of getting Colonel John Ripley’s Navy Cross upgraded to the Medal of Honor:

"Colonel Turley, who was personally given a carte blanche for B-52 strikes in I CORPS by an Air Force Lieutenant General, ordered over fifty such missions.[5] He then ordered the 3rd ARVN Division to commit its reserve Battalion, the famed “Soi Bien” or Sea Wolves, commanded by Major Le Ba Binh, and legendary Marine Corps Captain (later Colonel) John Ripley."

“Soi Bien” means "Sea Wolf".

Here's a hat pin I brought back in '72 from 2nd ROK Marine Brigade, also shows a "Sea Wolf":



Looks like some good reading in this link:
VNAF Vietnam Reading

Dan

[Dan Arnes]

A slightly different patch:

[Rick Meussner]

There was a Bar in Vung Tau 67 - 68 time frame named Sio Bien aka Seawolf Bar. Anyone else remenber it?

[kid purington]

..I don't recall any bars in Vung Tau, Rick..i never went into those sort of establishments , pure as snow was me, Hah.!....Yet i have sum great stories of my days there brother...like watching a gun fight go down and a jeep crashing thru the saloon front window just after running over a momma-san cook'n "monkey meat" on the sidewalk out front...drunken ARVN soldiers shooting each other,,thought to myself,,keep low it's a war going on here...fortunately I was able to make it thru all the killing and was taken to a secure location by sum VC (gd look'n babe) who performed outlandish torture technology upon my poor body,,much to horrible to go into detail about...how i made it out of there to live another day my friend is purely right outa a "james bond" movie....racked you could say ... all for "freedom" of course...maybe over a beer i'll spill the whole horrid tale to yah....yuk-yuk....Tanks for the memories gunner.!!

[STUBBY]

   Did that happen to be a "Dark and stormy" one ?