Over the course of the vietnam war stealth, bravery, perseverence, and a committment to duty, were the defining attributes of the men with painted faces – the men of the long range recon patrols. They were the first people in. They were the people with the information to give to commanding officers who were to commit the grunts and the guns. The unit took risks far beyond any conventional unit, going deep behind enemy lines, where discovery meant death. Spying on the enemy in his own back yard, the LRRPs became the eyes and ears of the units they served. Sacrificing man-power for stealth, small groups of four to six men patrolled deep within enemy territory for a week at a time gathering intelligence and where necessary, attacking with the power and fury of a platoon-sized force.
