While on destroyer duty in Vietnam during late 60s and early 70s, as a Weapons Department petty officer I was a member of the ship's landing party. Training was limited, informal and only onboard. We got to shoot M1911s, M1s, BARs, Thompsons and a .30 cal machine gun at debris tossed overboard. The closest I ever got to going on a mission was at Quang Tri when NVA came South across the DMZ (March 1972). We were told there were marines that might need to be evacuated. Fortunately, ground forces were able to provide the required resources so we were not deployed. I believe the crew had the motivation and attitude for the mission, but doubt if we had the skill set. After reading "The Sand Pebbles" and watching the movie, San Pablo's crew appeared to have had more training than ours.