US Army 9th Infantry Division. The original Mobile Riverine Force!

Armored Troop Transports tied up alongside a Mothership.

Armored Troop Transports

Riverine Monitor

Monitors and Troop Transports tied up to a Barracks ship.

Hospital Barge.

In Vietnam the 9th ID formed the mobile riverine force.  Along with that mission set they basically invented several of the concepts that many are calling for today.

Motherships?  They did motherships before they were cool.  Artillery barges?  Check.  Monitor patrol boats based off LCM's?  Check.  Monitor patrol boats that had landing pads for helicopters?  Check.  Barracks barges for troops after missions?  Check.

In other words the US Army in general and the 9th ID basically wrote the book on effective riverine operations.

Looks like the Army needs to take the Riverine mission back. 25th ID could assign a battalion to the task and operate throughout the Pacific.

More information on the US Army's Mobile Riverine Force during the Vietnam war can be found here.