2/47th Inf. Opn. Rockcrusher Panther Shirt
The 2/47th "Panthers", under the operational control (OpCon) of the 1st Cavalry Division, were the first troops to enter the Fish Hook area of Cambodia during the Cambodian incursion on May 1, 1970. Accompanied by tanks of the 2/34th Armor, "Dreadnaughts" which were assigned to the Panthers for "Operation Rockcrusher", the M113 tracks led the way across the border for other units of the task force, After two months of hard fighting the unit returned to RVN. The only recognition these troops received for the hard-fought, very successful campaign in Cambodia was a small bronze star for the Vietnam Service Medal. The "Sanctuary Counteroffensive, 1970" cost 284 American soldiers KIA, 2,339 WIA, and 13 MIA. Then, a year later, the Valorous Unit Award was approved for the Panthers and other units participating in the invasion. Since it did not show up on their individual service records, very few soldiers have ever learned of this honor. The streamer on the Battalion Colors reads "Fish Hook" The Panthers were part of the 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division which had been been shuttled from one division to another since the rest of the "Old Reliables" had returned to the United States, eight months earlier. This inspired the Panthers to adopt the additional nickname "Bastards". They had a flash run up by a local tailor to wear above the unauthorized Panther Pocket Patch that dated back to 1967 and the division's arrival.
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