Maj. Gen. Lewis Walt takes command of the 3rd Marine Division from Maj. Gen. William Collins. Walt was concurrently named Commander of the III Amphibious Force (III MAF), the first corps-level Marine Corps headquarters in history. As such, Walt was in command of two Marine divisions and responsible for I Corps Tactical Zone, the northernmost region of South Vietnam, which bordered the Demilitarized Zone. His command also included serving as Chief of Naval Forces Vietnam, as well as being Senior Adviser to the commander of South Vietnam's I Corps, who was responsible for the security of the northern portion of South Vietnam. After supervising the U.S. and South Vietnamese build up in that region from 1965 to 1967, General Walt returned to the United States and later served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. He retired from active service on February 1, 1971.
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- Battle of Midway begins, 1942
- American Revolution
- Lieutenant Colonel George Washington builds Fort Necessity, 1754
- Automotive
- Henry Ford test-drives his "Quadricycle", 1896
- Civil War
- Confederates evacuate Fort Pillow, 1862
- Cold War
- Tiananmen Square massacre takes place, 1989
- Crime
- Pollard admits to selling top-secret information to Israel, 1986
- Disaster
- Trains collide in Bangladesh, 1972
- General Interest
- Congress passes the 19th Amendment, 1919
- Dunkirk evacuation ends, 1940
- Angela Davis acquitted, 1972
- Hollywood
- Angelina Jolie born, 1975
- Literary
- The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers is published, 1940
- Music
- Four dozen people witness "The gig that changed the world", 1976
- Old West
- Express train crosses the nation in 83 hours, 1876
- Presidential
- FDR asks for drought-relief funds, 1934
- Sports
- Celtics battle Suns through three overtimes in NBA Finals, 1976
- Vietnam War
- Kennedy and Khrushchev agree on neutrality for Laos, 1961
- Walt takes command of 3rd Marine Division, 1965
- World War I
- Brusilov Offensive begins, 1916
- World War II
- The Battle of Midway begins, 1942
Walt takes command of 3rd Marine Division
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This Week in History, Jun 4 - Jun 10
- Jun 04, 1961
- Kennedy and Khrushchev agree on neutrality for Laos
- Jun 04, 1965
- Walt takes command of 3rd Marine Division
- Jun 05, 1968
- Robert Kennedy shot after California primary
- Jun 05, 1972
- Laird testifies before Congress
- Jun 06, 1964
- U.S. reconnaissance jets shot down over Laos
- Jun 06, 1972
- South Vietnamese forces clear Kontum of communist troops
- Jun 07, 1965
- Westmoreland requests 44 battalions
- Jun 07, 1972
- McGovern continues to campaign against the war
- Jun 08, 1965
- U.S. forces are available for ground support
- Jun 08, 1969
- Nixon and Thieu meet at Midway
- Jun 09, 1964
- CIA report challenges "domino theory"
- Jun 09, 1972
- South Vietnamese soldiers reach An Loc
- Jun 10, 1965
- Battle begins at Dong Xoai
- Jun 10, 1968
- Westmoreland gives farewell press conference in Saigon
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