188th

Physical Security duty on the Saigon and Newport Docks and Port Terminals

The 188th continued its physical security assignments under the 92nd MP Battalion at the Saigon and Newport Port facilities.

The two man MP patrols worked at the main gates, foot and motorized jeep patrols inside the docks and warehouses operated by the 4th Transportation Command.

4th

Not every team of MPs were assigned a jeep to take them to their posts. Those teams without a jeep utilized a military bus provided by the 4th Transportation Command for transport to the docks.

There was also an assignment for perimeter security patrol at a Women's Army Corps [WAC] Compound and at the MACV Headquarters building in Saigon, and a detachment assigned to conduct barge and dock security at the Cat Lai U.S. Naval Intermediate Support Base on the Dong Nai River in Bien Hoa Province.

The 188th MPs worked 12 hour shifts seven days a week and days off were a rarity. When they did find free time, their opportunities for relaxation were numerous. Besides the standard U.S. Military sites for off duty activities, the city of Saigon offered plenty of cultural and historical sites of interest to visit.

Familiar scenes in and around Saigon

8 March CPT Jacob C. Quickel passes command of the 188th MP Company to CPT David L. Lemon.

June SP/4 Donald W. Parsells is visited by his brother SP/4 Fred Parsells who is serving in the 194th MP Company, Monkey Mountain, DaNang. Click on photo for story of the visit >

29 July CPT David L. Lemon passes command of the 188th MP Company to CPT Lawrence J. Laske.

19 November CPT Lawrence J. Laske passes command of the 188th MP Company to CPT Ralph F. Trisko.

3 December CPL George Franklin Antonitis, age 24, from Salsbury, NC, drowned after falling from a barge he was inspecting in the Dong Nai River, at Cat Lai in Bien Hoa Province.

CPL Antonitis