In January, 1962, 42 Marines from the 1st Composite Radio Company, FMF, designated Sub-Unit #1, 1st Composite Radio Company, were the first U.S. Marines to participate in the ongoing build-up which was to become the Vietnam war. This unit was to evolve, becoming the 1st Radio Battalion. Our mission was to gather information about the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army through radio intercept and radio direction finding operations and use that knowledge for both offensive and defensive fighting purposes.