Leading up to this battle, the North Vietnamese Army was reported to have moved back into the area northeast of Con Thien, so A and B Companies of the 1st Battalion 9th Marines "The Walking Dead Marines" were sent out to counter the North Vietnamese. When the fighting ended, the Marines had suffered 118 dead, 190 wounded. Alpha and Bravo Companies were badly mauled during the battle. 2 July 1967 resulted in the highest single day USMC losses in Vietnam. Among those killed were eight Navy corpsmen. The Battle of 2 July was the opening engagement in Operation Buffalo.