biography

I enlisted in the US Army 2 February 1960. After basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina I was sent to Military Police training at Fort Gordon, Georgia. After graduation, one of the top 10 in class, I was attached to a small unknown unit in Washington, DC. While on Leave, I married my childhood sweetheart, Florence.

In August 1960 I was involved in an auto accident, that sent me to the Walston Army Hospital, Fort Dix, New Jersey for treatment of severe burns. I managed to convince the Medical Corps not to retire me due to injury, and I was sent to the MP Company at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey.

In March 1963 received orders to Camp Darby, Livorno, Italy where I served as a gate guard and on patrol duty until I was picked to join the Accident Investigation and Prevention Section of the Provost Marshal Office. During this duty in 1964, I was made an Acting Sergeant and took over as the Noncommissioned Officer In Charge of that office and subsequently promoted to Sergeant (E-5). I also served as the Desk Sergeant while there.

In July 1966 I had to give up the Italian Riviera and return to the 54th MP Company at Fort Ord, California. The 54th at that time was assigned to correctional duties at the Stockade at Fort Ord. Within several months I left the stockade and was assigned on temporary duty status (TDY) to the 298th MP Company to work as a Desk Sergeant. The reassignment was thanks to an old friend that was now a Sergeant Major who helped with my Desk Sergeant training.

I received orders in June 1967 to the 18th Military Police Brigade, which I accepted gladly. While awaiting orders at the 90th Replacement Battalion on Long Binh Post, I received my orders for assignment to B Company, 720th MP Battalion.

My first assignment was to a convoy escort squad, I do not recall to where we escorted the convoys. After about a month or so I was reassigned to the Long Binh Post MP Station.

At this time the 615th MP Company was assigned to the discipline, law, and order mission in the city of Bien Hoa. Somehow I was assigned TDY status to the 615th to learn the sector and to work as a Desk Sergeant. I was eventually transferred to the 615th MP Company where I served until May 1968.

Due to family reasons, I let my enlistment expire and was honorably discharged and departed Vietnam.

Since I left the Army, I had thought many times of returning, but it never happened. Over the years I have remembered many of the great people with whom I served, some that are no longer with us, and I want to say how proud I am.

My wife Florence and I had three children before I went to Vietnam and one more when I returned. I now have five grandsons. Sadly, my wife Florence passed suddenly in January 1998.

I have since remarried and live with my wife Marie in Bensalem, Pennsylvania ( just north east of Philadelphia).

Thanks to the 720th MP Battalion History Project my family can see that we were serious about the work that we did and it was an important contribution.