~ 720th Military Police Battalion Vietnam History Project ~ |
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Can Tho City was the capital of Phong Dinh Province, IV Corps Tactical Zone. Situated in the center of South Vietnam's economically and military vital Mekong Delta Region, was the hub of U.S. Naval operations in that region. The site was chosen because of its location on the Bassic River, making Can Tho ideal as a base from which naval forces could operate against Viet Cong supply traffic on surrounding waterways. Another attractive feature was the city's accessibility to logistic vessels deployed in the South China Sea. In addition to the naval facilities there was also an Army Airfield located in the Can Tho area that was home to several helicopter transport and assault units. Two major delta area highways important to the Vietnamese economy and allied military resupply convoys and also intersected the city. Highway QL-4 (The Peoples Road) from Vinh Long (north east) to Soc Trang (south west) and LTL-27 (north) to the Cambodian border area. |
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The only downside to being a major highway transportation hub was the lack of a bridge across the Bassic River. All ground based civilian and military traffic had to rely on the Bassic River Ferry System. |
1965 |
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Personal Reflections "I arrived in Saigon with the first handlers that eventually formed the 88th MP Company (K9). We flew out of Saigon for Soc Trang on a Caribou, twin-engine cargo plane. Living arrangements were pretty damn crude at Soc Trang when we got there. |
About half way thru my tour I got promoted to SP/4, and moved to Can Tho airfield as assistant detachment leader, and stayed there until the end of my first of three tours in Viet Nam." SP/4 Robert C. Gitchell, 88th MP Company (K9), MACV & 212th MP Company (Sentry Dog), 89th MP Group, MACV, & 95th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, 1965-1966. |
1965 Miscellaneous Photographs |
A "?" following the photo number denotes further identifications are needed, and an Email Link is provided. |
Personnel & Facilities |
 88th & 212th Veterans of Can Tho, post your photographs here! |
1966 |
10 January The 212th MP Company inactivated in Germany on 16 August 1965 was reactivated in-country as a Sentry Dog unit. |
17 January The 88th MP Company (K9) was deactivated and redesignated as the 212th MP Company (Sentry Dog), MACV, with their headquarters still located at Pershing Field, Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base, Capital Military District, Gia Dinh Province, III Corps Tactical Zone. |
The company remained subordinate to MACV (Tan Son Nhut Airbase) and continued their mission of fielding detachments (then called elements) throughout South Vietnam’s II, III and IV Corps Tactical Zones. |
15 March The 89th MP Group was activated in Vietnam, headquartered in Tent City B, Shea Compound, Ton San Nhut Air Force Base, Saigon in Gia Dinh Province, III Corps Tactical Zone and assigned subordinate to MACV. The date the Group became fully operational is unknown, however, shortly after Group’s arrival the 212th MP Company was assigned to it for administrative and logistical support with MACV still maintaining operational control. |
The Can Tho Detachment “S” with 3 handler posts at the Installation and Army Airfield was part of the 3rd Platoon under the command of 2LT John Milligan. |
8 September Commanded by COL Thomas F. Guidera, the 18th MP Brigade arrived in-country, and was headquartered in Saigon. The brigade was a HQ and HQ Company authorized a staff of fifty-five personnel and became the largest military police command in South Vietnam. |
26 September The 18th MP Brigade became active and assumed operational control of the 89th MP Group and its subordinate commands to include the 212th MP Company. The 212th was reassigned to the 18th MP Brigade for operational control and subordinate to the 95th MP Battalion (Long Binh Post) for administrative support. At this change of command the company changed from the MACV to the 18th MP Brigade patch. |
1966 Miscellaneous Photographs |
A "?" following the photo number denotes further identifications are needed, and an Email Link is provided. |
Personnel & Facilities |
| 88th & 212th Veterans of Can Tho, post your photographs here! |
1967 |
On the 18th MP Brigade Operations Report-Lessons Learned, 1 May-31 July 1967 the previous company detachments at Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa Province, II CTZ) and Can Tho (Phong Dinh Province, IV CTZ) no longer appeared on the organizational list for the company, and there was no information as to why. |
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The airfield was unable to expand because of its proximity with the city limits (the largest city south of Saigon) and a new U.S. Air Force Base with their own organic Air Police security was being planned for Binh Thuy as early as 1965 with construction beginning in early 1966. The new facility on the Basic River, also housed U.S. Navy Riverine Forces who moved from Can Tho to Binh Thuy along with several U.S. Army air assets by mid-summer of 1967. |
According to 2LT John Milligan, 3rd Platoon Leader, the Can Tho detachment was closed and the assets, handlers and K9's were redistributed. |
| Editor’s Notes: It appears that in February of 1971 during the MACV Intensified Vietnamization Program the company was considering the redeployment of a sentry dog detachment at Can Tho in support of the 307th Combat Aviation Battalion (CAB). However it was held in abeyance due to a severe shortage of K9’s and handlers to staff it. |
There was no additional information in the available quarterly reports of the brigade, group or battalion on the status of the proposed deployment throughout the remaining years of the U.S. involvement in the war. |
1967 Miscellaneous Photographs |
A "?" following the photo number denotes further identifications are needed, and an Email Link is provided. |
Personnel & Facilities |
| 212th Veterans of Can Tho, post your photographs here! |
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