Amphibious Scouts & Raiders - Arlington, VA
Posted by: 
ToRo61
N 38° 52.871 W 077° 04.135
18S E 320541 N 4305626
The memorial dedicate to Amphibious Scouts & Raiders
Waymark Code: WMRZEA
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 08/28/2016
Views: 4
The Navy Scouts and Raiders were created before the Navy Combat Demolition Units (NCDUs). The Scouts and Raiders were first formed in September 1942, nine months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, from the Observer Group, a joint Marine Corps-Army-Navy unit. The Observer Group was the first unit trained in amphibious reconnaissance.
They trained in inflatable boat insertions from submarines around the Chesapeake Bay and at the Amphibious Training Base (ATB) Little Creek in Virginia and in Fort Pierce, Florida. They were training for an intense clandestine mission in North Africa.
With US Marines limited to the Pacific Theatre of Operations, the Observer Group was disbanded, with the Marine Corps counterpart forming the Amphib Recon Company; the Army/Navy unit formed the Scouts and Raiders with the Army later leaving. The U.S. Navy began the Scouts and Raiders to provide reconnaissance and raiding missions to support amphibious landings. The unit could conduct raids and sabotage missions from a pair of men to platoon sized operations.
The unit continued its deployment to North Africa as planned, where they earned eight Navy Crosses. Robert Halperin, a former NFL football player and future Olympic medalist, received a Presidential Citation and the Navy Cross for his work during the amphibious landings in French Morocco.[10] This was just the first of many war-time missions for the versatile Scouts and Raiders.
About memorial
At the Arlington National Cemetery, Section 31, the tree with the memorial commemorating the Navy and Army Amphibious Scouts and Raiders 1942-1945.
Website pertaining to the memorial: [Web Link]
List if there are any visiting hours:
Open: 365 days a year
8am-7pm (April-September)
8am-5pm (October-March)
Entrance fees (if it applies): 0
Type of memorial: Plaque
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Visit Instructions:
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