VC and PAVN combatants who defected and became aligned with the South Vietnamese government were known as Hồi Chánh, a term loosely translated as "members who have returned to the righteous side".

Only a very small number of these Hồi Chánh were selected, trained, and deployed with the USMC and later also other American and Allied (non-Vietnamese) infantry units between 1966 and 1972.

A further complication was that almost all Hồi Chánh Viên had a distrust of South Vietnamese soldiers and interpreters because of the degree to which friendly forces had been infiltrated by enemy agents.

As the program evolved, recruitment of non-military VC cadre and defecting PAVN officers were added, and these Kit Carson Scouts also became valuable sources of military intelligence in the conduct of the war.

[4][2]: 102 [5] In September 1967, General William Westmoreland issued an order directing all infantry divisions in Vietnam, including U.S. Army units, to begin using Kit Carson Scouts in conjunction with friendly operations.

As the Marines redeployed from South Vietnam the number of Kit Carson Scouts serving with III MAF dropped to 111 in July and 95 in December.