 The camp was built by a detachment from Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 4. and turned over to the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines, on 27 July 1967.Together with Marine bases at Gio Linh, Đông Hà and Cam Lộ, Con Thien enclosed the area known to the Marines as Leatherneck Square.Con Thien was intended to be used as a base for the McNamara Line to prevent People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) infiltration across the DMZ.