You cannot go to war or into a battle without a plan. You cannot just shoot anyone you see in your path. Tactics is more knowledge than action. Anyone can shoot a gun and kill their enemy. What makes the Marines stand out, is how they ambush their enemy secretively and get the job done efficiently. .
Operation Dewey Canyon sets the perfect example of achieving decisions and being tactical. In this particular battle in the Vietnam War, the objective was to destroy a North Vietnamese base area. Colonel Robert H. Barrow led three battalions of the 9th Regiment down the mountainous terrain in the direction of Laos. So technically, the three battalions are heading toward a Vietnamese base, which is at the bottom of the mountain near Laos. Their strategy was to send one battalion straight southbound down the mountain, and the other two battalions heading southwest and southeast so they will surround the Vietnamese base. It sounds pretty obvious that they would go with that plan, but there is more to it than just walking down a mountainside and then destroying the base. The most important thing was that they interrupted their logistics because that is what threw their Vietnamese's whole plan off. .
Speed plays a very effective part in the Marines lifestyle when at battle. As a recruit in boot camp, one thinks that their drill instructor is just screaming at them and rushing them because they enjoy it. The answer is no. The drill instructors are always up and screaming in their recruits grill so they learn how to move and do it right and fast. They use the term "double-time." It is equivalent to when doctors say the acronym, "STAT: Sooner Than Already There." When these Marines are on the battlefields, they cannot by all means lollygag and take their sweet time getting from point a to point b. They must haul ass and hustle with their head on a swivel, looking out for any enemies.