716th Military Police Battalion

Last updated
716th Military Police Battalion
716MPBnDUI.jpg
Unit insignia
Active10 January 1942–present
CountryUnited States
Branch Active duty
Type Military police
Size Battalion
Part of 16th Military Police Brigade
Garrison/HQ Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Nickname(s)"Peacekeepers"
"Saigon Warriors"
Engagements World War II
Vietnam War
Gulf War
Iraq War
War in Afghanistan
Commanders
Current
commander
LTC Phillip E. Mason
Command Sergeant MajorCSM David J. Parthemore
Notable
commanders
LTC Gordon D. Rowe

The 716th Military Police Battalion is a military police battalion of the United States Army based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. It is a subordinate unit of the 16th Military Police Brigade.

Contents

Organization

The battalion is subordinate to the 16th Military Police Brigade. It is headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

History

World War II

Constituted on 10 January 1942 in the Army as the 716th Military Police Battalion, it was activated during the Second World War at Fort Wadsworth, New York on 15 January 1942. [1]

1950s and 1960s

In September 1962 the battalion, then based at Fort Dix, Trenton, New Jersey, was deployed together with the 5th and 17th Field Hospitals, a public information section and a composite intelligence detachment as Task Force Charlie, part of the Federal military forces deployed to support the enrolment of James Meredith at the segregated University of Mississippi. [2] :91 Arriving at the university on the morning of 1 October the battalion was used to secure the campus in the aftermath of the overnight rioting. [2] :115–7 A company from the battalion would remain deployed at the university until 23 July 1963. [2] :134

Vietnam War

International MP patrol, Saigon, October 1965 NH 73239 International Police patrol.jpg
International MP patrol, Saigon, October 1965

Company C, 52nd Infantry Regiment arrived in South Vietnam on 1 December 1966 and was assigned to the battalion.

By late 1967 the battalion's mission was security and law enforcement in the Saigon/Cholon/Tan Son Nhut metropolitan area, South Vietnam. Specific security missions, involving approximately 83% of the military police/security guard resources of the battalion, included the US Embassy, the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) Complex, VIP and General's quarters, Bachelor Officers’ Quarters (BOQ's), Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (BEQ's) and critical US facilities and installations throughout the city. This security mission was primarily aimed at deterring terrorist acts. The law enforcement mission involved normal military police functions in a metropolitan area, to include criminal investigations. The battalion supported the requirements of the provost marshal, US Army Headquarters Area Command, for military police/security guards within the resources available. [3]

During the Tet Offensive of January–February 1968 the unit played a major role in the defense of Saigon against Vietcong (VC) attacks, in particular the attack on the US Embassy, battle of Cholon and Phu Tho Racetrack and the attack on the Joint General Staff Compound. [4] :325–46 At the start of the Tet Offensive the battalion was configured to perform traditional military policing roles, however it soon found itself engaged in urban combat for which it was ill-equipped. The battalion was to provide support for USAHAC in the conduct of disaster recovery operations by providing security, damage control and prevention of pilferage. The concept of operations envisioned a disaster or VC destruction such as the blowing up of a US billet (similar to the Victoria Hotel attack) by VC personnel. After confirmation of a disaster by the provost marshal, the battalion was to dispatch a 25-man alert force to the affected area. The team was organised into a control and cordon team which would seal off and clear the damaged area of all unauthorized personnel; a rescue team which would evacuate casualties from the building and a search team to assists explosive ordnance personnel in locating other bombs or explosives. There was no provision in the plan for use of battalion military police as fighting units. This concept was applied in response to the initial attack on the Joint General Staff Compound which was believed to be an attack on BOQ-3 and the alert force was ambushed by VC resulting in 17 MPs killed. [3] :13

Companies A and B were based at the Capitol BEQ 107 Dong Khanh St (now called: Hem 107 Tran Hung Dao on Google Maps) ( 10°45′09″N106°40′02″E / 10.7524°N 106.6673°E / 10.7524; 106.6673 ), Cholon while Company C was based at MACV headquarters annex. [3] :22

Companies A, B and C were inactivated on 29 March 1973 in South Vietnam. [1]

Post-Cold War

The unit served in the Gulf War (1990–91), Iraq War (2003-4 and 2007-8) and the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), West Africa Ebola Response (2014-2015) [1]

Honors

Unit decorations

RibbonAwardYearNotes
U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg Presidential Unit Citation (Army)1968Saigon Tet Offensive [1]
United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg Presidential Unit Citation (Navy)2003Iraq
Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army)American Theater
Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army)1966for service in Vietnam
Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army)1968for service in Vietnam
Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army)1968–1969for service in Vietnam
Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army)1990–1991for service in Southwest Asia
Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army)2003–2004for service in Iraq
Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army)2004–2005for service in Afghanistan
Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army)2007-2008for service in Iraq
Meritorious Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Meritorious Unit Commendation (Army)2012for service in Afghanistan
U.S. Navy Unit Commendation ribbon.svg Navy Unit Commendation
Vietnam gallantry cross unit award-3d.svg Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm1965-1968for service in Vietnam
Vietnam gallantry cross unit award-3d.svg Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm1968-1973for service in Vietnam

Campaign streamers

ConflictStreamerYear(s)
Vietnam WarVietnam Defense
Vietnam WarCounteroffensive
Vietnam WarCounteroffensive, Phase II1966–1967
Vietnam WarCounteroffensive, Phase III1967–1968
Vietnam WarTet Counteroffensive1968
Vietnam WarCounteroffensive, Phase IV1968
Vietnam WarCounteroffensive, Phase V1968
Vietnam WarCounteroffensive, Phase VI1968–1969
Vietnam WarTet 69/Counteroffensive1969
Vietnam WarSummer–Fall 19691969
Vietnam WarWinter–Spring 19701970
Vietnam WarSanctuary Counteroffensive1970
Vietnam WarCounteroffensive, Phase VII1970–1971
Vietnam WarConsolidation I1970
Vietnam WarConsolidation II1971
Gulf War Defense of Saudi Arabia1990
Gulf WarLiberation and Defense of Kuwait1990
Gulf WarCease-Fire1991
Operation Iraqi Freedom Liberation of Iraq2004–2005
Operation Iraqi FreedomTransition of Iraq2006–2008
Operation Iraqi FreedomIraqi Surge
Operation Iraqi FreedomIraqi Sovereignty

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tet Offensive</span> Military campaign during the Vietnam War

The Tet Offensive was a major escalation and one of the largest military campaigns of the Vietnam War. The Viet Cong (VC) and North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) launched a surprise attack on January 30, 1968, against the forces of the South Vietnamese Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), the United States Armed Forces and their allies. It was a campaign of surprise attacks against military and civilian command and control centers throughout South Vietnam. The name is the truncated version of the Lunar New Year festival name in Vietnamese, Tết Nguyên Đán, with the offense chosen during a holiday period as most ARVN personnel were on leave. The purpose of the wide-scale offensive by the Hanoi Politburo was to trigger political instability, in a belief that mass armed assault on urban centers would trigger defections and rebellions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military Assistance Command, Vietnam</span> Joint-service command of the US Dept. of Defense in South Vietnam (1962-73)

The U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) was a joint-service command of the United States Department of Defense, composed of forces from the United States Army, United States Navy, and United States Air Force, as well as their respective special operations forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tet 1969</span> North Vietnamese and Viet Cong attacks

Tet 1969 refers to the attacks mounted by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) in February 1969 in South Vietnam during the Vietnam War, one year after the original Tet Offensive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Theater Sustainment Command</span> Military unit

The 1st Theater Sustainment Command is a major subordinate unit of United States Army Central at Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vietnamese Rangers</span> Rangers of the former Army of the Republic of Vietnam

The Vietnamese Rangers (Vietnamese: Biệt Động Quân; Chữ Hán: 別動軍), commonly known as the ARVN Rangers or Vietnamese Ranger Corp (VNRC), were the light infantry of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Trained and assisted by American Special Forces and Ranger advisers, the Vietnamese Rangers infiltrated beyond enemy lines in search and destroy missions. Initially trained as a counter-insurgency light infantry force by removing the fourth company each of the existing infantry battalions, they later expanded into a swing force capable of conventional as well as counter-insurgency operations, and were relied on to retake captured regions. Later during Vietnamization the Civilian Irregular Defense Group program was transferred from MACV and integrated as Border Battalions responsible for manning remote outposts in the Central Highlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">May Offensive</span> Second phase of the 1968 Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War

Phase Two of the Tet Offensive of 1968 was launched by the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and Viet Cong (VC) against targets throughout South Vietnam, including Saigon from 29 April to 30 May 1968. The May Offensive was considered much bloodier than the initial phase of the Tet Offensive. U.S. casualties across South Vietnam were 2,169 killed for the entire month of May, making it the deadliest month of the entire Vietnam War for U.S. forces, while South Vietnamese losses were 2,054 killed. PAVN/VC losses exceeded 24,000 killed and over 2,000 captured. The May Offensive was a costly defeat for the PAVN/VC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">52nd Infantry Regiment (United States)</span> Military unit

The 52nd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Toan Thang I</span>

Operation Toan Thang I was a U.S. Army, Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), 1st Australian Task Force and Royal Thai Volunteer Regiment operation conducted between 8 April and 31 May 1968 in the Vietnam War. The operation was part of a reaction to the Tet Offensive designed to put pressure on Vietcong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces in III Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 in the Vietnam War</span>

The year 1968 saw major developments in the Vietnam War. The military operations started with an attack on a US base by the North Vietnamese People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) and the Viet Cong (VC) on January 1, ending a truce declared by the Pope and agreed upon by all sides. At the end of January, the PAVN and VC launched the Tet Offensive.

The Battle for Quang Tri occurred in and around Quảng Trị City, the northernmost provincial capital of South Vietnam during the Tet Offensive when the Vietcong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) attacked Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and American forces across major cities and towns in South Vietnam in an attempt to force the Saigon government to collapse. This included several attacks across northern I Corps, most importantly at Huế, Da Nang and Quảng Trị City. After being put on the defensive in the city of Quảng Trị, the Allied forces regrouped and forced the PAVN/VC out of the town after a day of fighting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Binh Post</span> US military base in Vietnam

Long Binh Post is a former U.S. Army base located in Long Bình, Đồng Nai between Biên Hòa and Saigon, Vietnam. The base functioned as a U.S. Army base, logistics center, and major command headquarters for United States Army Vietnam (USARV). Long Binh Post was also unofficially known as "Long Binh Junction, influenced by the widely used initials of then-President Lyndon B. Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Fairfax</span>

Operation Fairfax was a joint counterinsurgency/pacification operation conducted by the II Field Force, Vietnam and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in Gia Định Province, near Saigon lasting from November 1966 to 15 December 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tet offensive attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base</span> Battle in Vietnam involving the United States in early 1968

The attack on Tan Son Nhut Air Base, headquarters of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force (RVNAF) and the United States Air Force (USAF) 7th Air Force, occurred during the early hours of 31 January 1968. Tan Son Nhut Air Base was one of the major air bases used for offensive air operations within South Vietnam and for the support of United States Army and Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) ground operations. The attack by Vietcong (VC) and People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) forces was one of several major attacks on Saigon in the first days of the Tet offensive. The attack was repulsed with the VC/PAVN suffering heavy losses; only superficial damage was done to the base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tet offensive battle of Cholon and Phu Tho Racetrack</span> Battle during the Vietnam War

The battle of Cholon and Phú Thọ Racetrack began during the early hours of 31 January 1968 and continued until 11 February 1968. The attacks by Vietcong (VC) forces were one of several major attacks around Saigon in the first days of the Tet offensive. The attacks were repulsed with the VC suffering heavy losses and substantial damage to the densely populated area of Cholon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tet offensive attack on Joint General Staff Compound</span>

The attack on the Joint General Staff (JGS) Compound, the headquarters of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, occurred during the early hours of 31 January 1968. The JGS was located east of Tan Son Nhut Air Base. The attack by Vietcong (VC) forces was one of several major attacks on Saigon in the first days of the Tet offensive. The attack was repulsed with the VC suffering heavy losses; no material damage was done to the compound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tet offensive attack on US Embassy</span> 1968 Vietcong military offensive

The Tet offensive attack on the US Embassy took place on the early morning of 31 January 1968 when a 19-man Vietcong (VC) sapper team attempted to seize the US Embassy in Saigon at the start of the VC's Tet offensive. While the VC successfully penetrated the embassy compound, they were unable to enter the chancery building and were pinned down by security forces, with the lone survivor eventually surrendering to US forces. Notwithstanding the attack's failure it had a profound political and psychological impact in the United States.

Operation Barking Sands was a pacification operation during the Vietnam War conducted by the 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division that took place in Hậu Nghĩa and Bình Dương Provinces, lasting from 18 May to 7 December 1967.

The Battle of Bến Tre took place during the Tet Offensive of the Vietnam War when Vietcong (VC) forces attacked Bến Tre, the capital of Kien Hoa Province, on 31 January 1968. The battle lasted until 5 February when U.S. and South Vietnamese forces ejected the VC who suffered 328 killed.

Operation Walker was a security operation conducted during the Vietnam War by the U.S. Army’s 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade in Bình Định Province, South Vietnam from 17 March 1968 to 31 January 1969.

Operation McLain was a security operation conducted during the Vietnam War by the U.S. Army’s 3rd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division and the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) 44th Regiment, 23rd Division in Bình Thuận Province, South Vietnam from 20 January 1968 to 31 January 1969.

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army Center of Military History .

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Lineage and Honors Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment 716th Military Police Battalion (Saigon Warriors)". Department of the Army. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2019.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  2. 1 2 3 Scheips, Paul (2005). The Role of Federal Military Forces in Domestic Disorders, 1945-1992 (PDF). US Army Center of Military History. ISBN   9781517253783.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  3. 1 2 3 "Operational Report – Lessons Learned, Headquarters, 716th Military Police Battalion, Period ending 31 January 1968" (PDF). Department of the Army Office of the Adjutant General. 8 May 1968. p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2019.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  4. Villard, Erik (2017). United States Army in Vietnam Combat Operations Staying the Course October 1967 to September 1968. Center of Military History United States Army. ISBN   9780160942808.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .