COUNTY FAIR

Year Published: 1967

Description: Made during the Vietnam War, this 1967 Marine Corps documentary presents "Operation County Fair". County Fair was a civic action program intended to clear Vietcong from villages while helping support villagers. As part of that they were supposed to receive medical care, fed, entertained and protected by the Marines. Like most of the civic action programs during the war, County Fair had a mixed outcome. The Vietnamese often welcomed the Marines into their villages, but lived in fear of the moment they would depart and the Viet Cong will return and exact retribution for their co-operation. County Fair operations began before dawn, with the Vietnamese forces and the Marines surrounding and sealing off a target village. No one got in or out. A set of announcements over a PA system informed everyone of what was about to happen. The Marines gathered the village inhabitants into a central location and took a head count and checked their government issued identification cards. While the villagers were absent from their homes, a team went into the village and searched through houses, tunnels, bomb shelters, and animal pens. As seen at 7:30, a group of Marines known as the Blocking Force searches for V.C. while the village is occupied. They looked for caches of weapons, hiding Viet Cong, radio equipment, or other contraband items. Anyone found in the village was questioned. The villagers in the holding area received a hot meal, inoculations against disease, and were invited to see movies, hear political speeches, receive a lesson on an agricultural subject, or play games. At 8:48, as seen in the film, an air strike is called in by Marines engaged in a firefight with Viet Cong. At 9:25, KIA Viet Cong are examined and prisoners taken. At 10:00, captured V.C. supplies including money are found, and Marines find a tunnel which is searched and then blasted shut. At 11:20, rice seized by the V.C. is picked up by helicopter to be returned to the Vietnamese village it was seized from. At 12:00, a Marine band is seen playing music for the Vietnamese whose village has been probed as part of this particular County Fair. All clearing or search and destroy operations labeled as "County Fair" appear to have taken place in Quang Nam province of Viet Nam.

Complete Record: Made during the Vietnam War, this 1967 Marine Corps documentary presents "Operation County Fair". County Fair was a civic action program intended to clear Vietcong from villages while helping support villagers. As part of that they were supposed to receive medical care, fed, entertained and protected by the Marines. Like most of the civic action programs during the war, County Fair had a mixed outcome. The Vietnamese often welcomed the Marines into their villages, but lived in fear of the moment they would depart and the Viet Cong will return and exact retribution for their co-operation. County Fair operations began before dawn, with the Vietnamese forces and the Marines surrounding and sealing off a target village. No one got in or out. A set of announcements over a PA system informed everyone of what was about to happen. The Marines gathered the village inhabitants into a central location and took a head count and checked their government issued identification cards. While the villagers were absent from their homes, a team went into the village and searched through houses, tunnels, bomb shelters, and animal pens. As seen at 7:30, a group of Marines known as the Blocking Force searches for V.C. while the village is occupied. They looked for caches of weapons, hiding Viet Cong, radio equipment, or other contraband items. Anyone found in the village was questioned. The villagers in the holding area received a hot meal, inoculations against disease, and were invited to see movies, hear political speeches, receive a lesson on an agricultural subject, or play games. At 8:48, as seen in the film, an air strike is called in by Marines engaged in a firefight with Viet Cong. At 9:25, KIA Viet Cong are examined and prisoners taken. At 10:00, captured V.C. supplies including money are found, and Marines find a tunnel which is searched and then blasted shut. At 11:20, rice seized by the V.C. is picked up by helicopter to be returned to the Vietnamese village it was seized from. At 12:00, a Marine band is seen playing music for the Vietnamese whose village has been probed as part of this particular County Fair. All clearing or search and destroy operations labeled as "County Fair" appear to have taken place in Quang Nam province of Viet Nam.

Transcription

[Music] this is the countryside in Vietnam quiet pastoral peasants growing rice as they've done for centuries 8 out of 10 South Vietnamese live here in the country tending their crops their cattle trying to live in peace but it's a fragile piece and what may be a quiet rice Patty this morning is a battlefield this afternoon the war in Vietnam has many sounds and the people know most of them well but today in a small Hamlet near these marines it will be a new s The Villages surrounded stay in your homes do as you were told this is Operation County [Music] [Applause] Fair County Fair is a unique type of operation pioneered by the United States Marines it is now being used by all the Free World forces in their combined effort to Halt communist aggression in Vietnam County Fair is basically a clearing operation But it includes much more Before Dawn this Hamlet was surrounded by Marines then came the surprise announcements your government is here to help you to remove the threat of Viet Kong terrorism do not be afraid this is a combined operation Marines providing security and support Vietnamese local officials Chen troops dealing with their own people to protect them from possible harm the people are removed from their Village they are told to take their identification papers and gather at a collection Point [Music] nearby County Fair is beginning to take shape the countryside streams with people leaving home for the day as they walk to the collection area the people are reminded the government of South Vietnam their government has come to help [Music] them as the people leave their Hamlet they see a marine making sure the cattle Don't Stray that's part of County Fair too at the collection area tents go up tables and chairs come out and County Fair Picks Up Tempo local authorities screen the villagers and check their papers Viet Kong agents trying to blend in with the people are weeded out after the screening new ID cards are issued to everyone who [Music] passes next indoctrination an important part of County Fair this man is a former Viet Kong agent he tells the villagers why he quit the VC how the government's Chu hoyy or Open Arms program helped him start a new life the people also see information movies and hear lectures from local officials the theme is simple your government is here to help you and free you from the vit Kong there are many ways of proving to the people the government means what it says one way is very simple to feed them a clearing Mission inevitably means that villagers are dislocated from their homes for a day maybe longer in Vietnam where the economy is so marginal keeping a person from his crops and Fields for just one day could force his entire family to go hungry for that day so Marine Cooks serve hot food sometimes 12200 meals a day a simple bowl of soup or handful of rice can win [Music] [Music] friends [Music] there's another way to show the people their government can help them it's by giving Medical Aid in Vietnam there is an appalling shortage of doctors something like one doctor for every 25,000 people there are many diseases infection is common for many of these people it's the first time a doctor has ever check them or their children Navy Corman and Vietnamese doctors and nurses work together treating the people this is another example of the combined nature of County Fair [Music] operations besides the medical and dental care the people are given bars of soap purchased with funds obtained through the Marine Corps Reserve Care Program nothing is more important to good health in Vietnam than soap and personal cleanliness every County Fair needs a pi Piper while their parents see movies and listen to lectures the children are LED away to sing songs and play games but County Fair is not all fun this is the Marine blocking Force while the villagers are at the collection point the Marines keep their Cordon tight so no communist trapped in the operation can escape the Marines search for bunkers and tunnels and Viet Kong county fairs are not intended as combat missions but in Vietnam every operation can mean contact with the [Applause] Enemy [Music] C 78 little between an observer plane spots the enemy position 1 standby stand by Mark Mark [Music] [Music] as quickly as it started the firefight is over and the Marines move toward the enemy [Music] positions [Applause] prisoners are taken evidently the Viet Kong here had something to protect or hide something they were ordered to fight over but they refuse to tell what they talk sullenly to their [Music] captors finally the reason for the fight becomes clear the VIP Kong were paying their troops and agents this man is the pay Master now he's been captured money and all the Marines continue stalking the [Music] VC they find a tunnel that will be searched then blasted [Music] shut Vietnamese troops and police concentrate on searching the hamlets they look for weapons explosives tunnels anything the Vietcong can use in one one Village alone 29 tunnels were [Music] [Applause] found in this Village they find rice Viet Kong tax rice most of it was taken from the people here but some had been collected in nearby [Music] villages [Music] [Music] a marine helicopter comes in to get part of the rice it will be returned to the people it was taken from this County Fair is almost over the day that started with an atmosphere of doubt and fear becomes an afternoon of [Music] festivity for the band there's enthusiastic assistance from local side men even the music and County Fair is a combined effort [Music] these are the people we are fighting for in Vietnam and County Fair operations are just one of the ways we fight for them if if the operation has been successful the people return to their village with faith in their government maybe for the first time their Village has been freed from Vietcong control and the people can now lead the type of Life they [Music] want most of the troops are leaving now but a combined action company is staying behind United States Marines and local Vietnamese forces will defend this Village together from now on this County Fair is completed and one more step has been taken towards victory in [Music] Vietnam

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