1st Force Reconnaissance Company The First Force Reconnaissance Company ( commonly referred to as the 1st Force Recon ) was the deep reconnaissance / direct action unit of the United States Marine Corps , that was assigned to the Fleet Marine Force , Pacific and its subordinate elements of the Marine Air - Ground Task Force . Most of the operators went to the newly created Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command ( MARSOC ) , to the 1st Marine Special Operation Battalion . Mission . The company augmented active - duty forces or were mobilized to conduct pre - assault and deep post - assault reconnaissance and surveillance in support of Expeditionary Strike Group Three and I Marine Expeditionary Force and its subordinate elements ; 11th , 13th and 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit s , the 1st Marine Expeditionary Brigade . Organization . In 1957 , 1st FORECON contained an amphib recon platoon , deep recon platoon , and a pathfinder platoon . By 1960 , 1st Force Recon Company was located at Camp Del Mar ( 21 Area ) and 13 Area of MCB Camp Pendleton and consisted of 6 reconnaissance platoons . One platoon rotated to Okinawa every 13 months to support the 3rd Marine Division and to provide pre - assault beach reconnaissance and post assault deep recon missions . The detached platoon was known as the Subordinate Unit # 1 , 1st ( or 2nd , 3rd , etc . ) Recon platoon . As of 2006 , before its eve of deactivation , its company table of organization was registered at a full strength of six reconnaissance platoons ; one headquarters and service platoon , two direct action platoons , two deep recon platoons , and one scout sniper platoon augmented from 1st Marine Division ' s Scout Sniper company . History . First Force Reconnaissance Company was activated on 19 June 1957 at Camp Margarita ( Area 33 ) , Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton , California . It was formed from the Reconnaissance Platoon of Marine Corps Test Unit # 1 that was assigned to take over the guideon of 1st Amphibious Reconnaissance Company , that was under command of Captain " Cycle " Michael Sparks . Many Marines from the amphib recon company and 1st Reconnaissance Battalion augmented the new Fleet Marine Force - " level " reconnaissance capabilities to force commanders . The Company ' s first company commander was Major Bruce F . Meyers , with Captain Joseph Z . Taylor as his executive officer . Meyers was MCTU # 1 ' s project test officer that led the development and refinement of submarine insertions / extractions techniques , low level static line and military free fall parachute insertion , the closed - circuit SCUBA procedures and capabilities developed the initial deep reconnaissance capability within the Department of Defense . By 1958 , approximately half of the 1st Force Reconnaissance Company was reassigned and transferred to Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune , North Carolina to form the 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company ; under command of Joseph Z . Taylor , promoted to Major . On 26 October 2006 , 1st Force Reconnaissance followed the same footsteps as the 2nd Force Recon Company , also too becoming deactivated . The remaining force recon Marines either integrated into the Deep Recon Platoons ( DRP ) of 1st and 3rd Division Recon Battalions , or folded into 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion ( 1st MSOB ) of the Marine Special Operations Command ( MARSOC ) . Post - Korean War . 1st Platoon , Sub Unit # 1 , embarked onto the USS " Cook " ( APD - 130 ) and sailed for southern Thailand , to the Royal Thai Navy base of Sattahip , in December 1964 . The 1st Platoon conducted reconnaissance patrols with the Royal Thai Marine Corps , with one Thai Marine attached to each of the 4 - man force recon teams . By the end of January , they finished their recon operations in Thailand and sailed for Vietnam for the planned amphibious landings in March 1965 . Vietnam War . Prior to the first of many Marine amphibious landings made by the 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade throughout March 1965 , 1st Platoon , Sub Unit # 1 , 1st Force Reconnaissance Company ( - ) , conducted preliminary reconnaissance of the planned amphibious beach landings . The sub unit was the first Force Recon unit to serve in Republic of Vietnam and was led by Captain David Whittingham . Their first mission was to reconnoiter the area around Cam Ranh Bay for its selection as major port for the U . S forces in south Vietnam , they also carried out reconnaissance and survey of the beaches around Da Nang prior to the Marine Battalion landing . By early May 1965 , the 2nd Platoon had joined 1st Platoon with the Subordinate Unit # 1 and its both platoons were assigned to the United States Special Forces A - Team , A - 103 , conducting specialized reconnaissance and combat raiding missions . They operated from Da Nang , Phu Bai , Chu Lai , Gia Vuc and Kham Duc , in the I Corps Tactical Zone ( ICTZ ) . Their mission were to collect any enemy intelligence in the mountain approaches to the Marines ' tactical area of operation along the Laos border , and to report any findings directly to the general staff of the III Marine Amphibious Force . November 1965 , 2nd Platoon was attached to the Special Forces team A - 106 at Ba To . A combine patrol from Ba To was attacked on the night of the 16 December , three Marines a Green Beret Sergeant and 10 members of the Civilian Irregular Defense Group ( CIDG ) were killed . By mid - December 1965 , 3rd platoon arrived to the Republic of Vietnam and was attached to Special Forces team A - 107 at Tra Bong . The rest of the Force Recon Company ( its remaining two platoons , 4th and 5th Plt . ) arrived in June 1965 . Training . During its beginning formation within the 1st Marine Division , 1st Force Recon conducted sustainment training in obstacle clearing for landing zone preparation in support of early - Marine Corps helicopter - borne operations ; and other mission - essential amphibious reconnaissance , parachute insertion , and pathfinder tasks . Because of the efforts made by Meyers and his other adjoining Marine and Navy parachute testers , they developed the Helicopter Rope Suspension methods , plus invented the Special Personnel Insertion / Extraction ( SPIE ) rigging that are widely used by Special Operations Forces services worldwide . During the late 1990s and early 2000s , 1st Force Recon Company trained in a variety of locations during their Unit Training Phase . These locations included : Notes . Correction on the location of 1st Force Reconnaissance Company Garrison / HQ 1st Reconnaissance Battalion is located at Camp Margarita ( 33 Area ) , not 1st Reconnaissance Company who was located at Camp Las Flores , ( 41 Area ) by its de - activation in 2006 .