Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency facilitates return of historic Vietnam War artifacts to the Marine Corps

DA NANG, Vietnam — U.S. and Vietnamese officials on Sept. 15 formalized the transfer of two Vietnam War-era U.S. Marine Corps artifacts from the former Camp Reasoner in Da Nang: the base’s historic signpost and an adjacent guardhouse.

Representatives of the U.S. Embassy and the Da Nang Department of Foreign Affairs signed the handover agreement during an official ceremony attended by U.S. Ambassador Jennifer Wicks, Consul General Melissa A. Brown, Vietnamese Vice Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Hang, and representatives from Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense, Military Region 5, the Veterans Association of Vietnam, and Da Nang city officials.

“It is a great pleasure for me to join you all today to commemorate another tangible sign of the shared commitment of both our countries to advancing reconciliation, addressing war legacies and strengthening the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership,” Wicks said.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ho Quang Buu, vice chairman of the Da Nang City People’s Committee, affirmed that the return of the artifacts demonstrates the humanitarian traditions of the Vietnamese people, as well as a mutual commitment to putting aside the past, overcoming the consequences of war and building future peace and cooperation between both nations. “At the request of the United States, including the wish of a number of United States veterans, Vietnam is handing over the artifact to the United States in the spirit of goodwill, cooperation, and humanitarianism,” said Ho. “The artifacts will serve the purpose of display and commemoration while honoring the value of peace, healing, and reconciliation between our two countries.”

Ho also highlighted the progress of Vietnam-U.S. relations under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, emphasizing the critical role of war legacy cooperation. “Within the framework of the Vietnam-United States Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for Peace, Cooperation and Sustainable Development, relations between our two countries have continued to develop progressively across many fields,” said Ho. “Among these, collaboration in addressing the legacy of war is of particular significance. It has contributed to building trust, fostering healing, and reconciliation between Vietnam and the United States. Over the years, the two sides have worked closely together in clearing unexploded ordinance, remediating dioxin contamination, supporting people affected by the war, and searching for those missing in action from the war.”

The transfer effort was propelled over several years by Marine veterans, veterans’ associations, and U.S. lawmakers, gaining momentum in 2020 when a bipartisan group of 12 Marine Corps veterans in the U.S. House of Representatives urged then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to begin diplomatic negotiations with Hanoi to repatriate the artifacts.

The signpost and guardhouse will be moved to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) Detachment 2 warehouse in Vietnam while awaiting transportation to the United States. DPAA supported the embassy-led initiative. “Because DPAA maintains the primary, trusted relationship with the Vietnamese government for wartime recovery operations, we have utilized our specialized access to champion this project at the highest levels,” said Chris Phelps, DPAA Indo-Pacific director. DPAA and its predecessor organizations have conducted official investigation and recovery missions in Vietnam since November 1985, carrying out four major joint field activities each year in addition to supporting broader war legacy efforts. “While the Camp Reasoner repatriation began as a grassroots initiative championed by Marine Corps veterans and the U.S. Embassy Defense Attaché Office, DPAA has served as the critical operational, technical and diplomatic bridge required to turn this veteran-led vision into a reality,” Phelps said.

Camp Reasoner, established on the slopes of Hill 327 southwest of Da Nang International Airport, served as headquarters for the 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion and later the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the war. It was named for 1st Lt. Frank Reasoner, who on July 12, 1965, “sacrificed his life to cover the evacuation of a wounded Marine radio operator.” He was the first Marine awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War. At the camp entrance, Marines erected a hand-lettered concrete and masonry sign featuring the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion emblem of a skull and crossbones with the motto “Swift, Silent, Deadly,” flanked by stone pillars and accompanied by an original guardhouse.

After the war, Hill 327 became a commercial rock quarry, yet the sign structure and guardhouse remained intact.