Operation MAMELUKE THRUST: The Battles, Arley Abraham and Marine Sacrifices

Arley Abraham served with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, and was killed in action during Operation MAMELUKE THRUST.

Operation MAMELUKE THRUST was a US Marine Corps campaign conducted in Happy Valley, southwest of Da Nang, from May 19 to October 23, 1968.

On May 19, the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines advanced west from Da Nang along the Vu Gia River towards Thường Ðức, while the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines moved into Happy Valley. By the end of May, both units had located PAVN base areas but encountered minimal resistance.

The operation expanded on June 3, extending east into the "Arizona Territory" near the An Hoa Combat Base. The 1st Battalion, 26th Marines joined the ongoing operation at this time.

On June 7, at 07:30, Company B of the 1/26 Marines encountered heavy fire from a PAVN force entrenched on a low hill, south of Liberty Bridge (15.856°N 108.192°E). The intense battle lasted for nine hours before the PAVN withdrew. Marine casualties were 17 dead and 46 wounded, while the PAVN suffered 64 fatalities.

On June 9, Company L, 3/26 Marines discovered a recently abandoned PAVN field hospital with 125 beds. On June 11, Company I, 3/26 Marines uncovered the headquarters of the PAVN 368B Rocket Regiment, along with large quantities of rockets and targeting equipment.

On June 13, near the village of Ky Chau, the 1/26 Marines trapped a PAVN force against the Song Ky Lam River and a Republic of Korea Marine unit. The nine-hour battle resulted in 3 Marine deaths and 24 wounded, while the PAVN lost 44 soldiers. That night, Company B, 1/26 Marines ambushed a retreating PAVN unit, killing 13 with no Marine casualties.

On June 14, the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines deployed from the An Hoa Combat Base into the Arizona Territory. Company I came under heavy PAVN mortar fire, which killed most of the command staff. Despite being critically wounded, 1st Lt. Joseph Campbell, the Company Executive Officer, took command, organized defensive fire, and arranged for medevac helicopters before succumbing to his injuries.

On June 15, southeast of Hill 55, the 1/26 Marines overran a PAVN bunker system, killing 84 PAVN with the loss of 7 Marines.

Throughout June and July, the operation encountered minimal contact, indicating the PAVN had largely abandoned the area. On July 28, a Marine Stingray patrol spotted four PT-76 light tanks 3.5 km northwest of the An Hoa Combat Base. Artillery and airstrikes were called in, resulting in four secondary explosions. Reports later confirmed that two PT-76s had been destroyed, but no wreckage was found.

At 04:00 on August 1, a PAVN force attacked a Marine Stingray patrol in the Arizona Territory, killing 5 Marines and wounding 11, with the PAVN losing 3 soldiers. From August 1–2, A Troop, 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry, under the operational control of the 5th Marine Regiment, killed 96 PAVN in the Arizona Territory.

On August 6, Companies E and F of the 5th Marines engaged a PAVN company near the village of Cu Ban, overrunning their position and killing 23 PAVN for the loss of 1 Marine.

On the morning of August 17, the 3/5 Marines and BLT 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines attacked a suspected PAVN base near Chau Phong, southeast of Liberty Bridge, killing 53 PAVN without sustaining any losses. The next morning, further engagements near Chau Phong resulted in 13 Marines killed and 49 PAVN dead.

On August 29, a PAVN platoon ambushed Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, killing 12 Marines and wounding 18, while the PAVN suffered 25 casualties.

On September 14, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marines was ambushed 4 km south of Hill 55, resulting in 1 Marine killed and 4 missing. The next day, the bodies of the missing Marines were recovered, and 72 PAVN bunkers were destroyed in the area.

On September 18, BLT 2/7 Marines deployed along Route 4. The following morning, as they patrolled westward, they came under fire from entrenched PAVN positions. The battle lasted all day, with two companies from the 3/7 Marines helicoptered in for support. Marine losses totaled 14 dead and 54 wounded. On the morning of September 20, the Marines overran the position, finding only 3 dead PAVN from the 2nd Battalion, 36th Regiment. Company G, 2/7 Marines then encountered another PAVN force near Nong Son (2), losing 5 dead and 19 wounded before withdrawing to allow for supporting fire. On September 21, the Marines overran the PAVN bunkers, which were found to be the command post of the 36th Regiment, resulting in 69 PAVN casualties.