Under the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) Vietnamization consolidation operation plans, more and more combat arms and their support commands from all four Military Regions began preparation for stand down and return to the states. The voids in Military Region III & IV were being consolidated and filled with ARVN units. Unfortunately, with the deceleration of the U.S. war effort, the number of new trained handlers and K9's arriving from stateside began to dwindle.

    During the period of 1 November 1969 to 31 January 1970, the company provided handler teams for physical security missions at the following facilities: B Company TAOR Missions (Scout Dog Unit), 3rd Ordnance Ammunition Supply Depot (Long Binh Post), Long Binh Post Perimeter, Tay Ninh Ammunition Depot, Long Thanh (North) Airfield, Vinh Long Airfield, Vung Tau Ammunition Depot, Soc Trang Airfield, and Saigon Port.

     During the month the 18th MP Brigade received and distributed 144 Motorola FM Model HT-220 Handi-Talkie portable radios and 17 Motorola Base Stations to all Brigade dog-handler companies. Instead of being purchased, the radios and base stations were leased from Motorola Incorporated to avoid the necessity of repair and maintenance.

16 February  As an end to MG Gustafson’s six-day tour of the 18th MP Brigade units in South Vietnam that began 10 February, Gustafson told the officers and senior noncommissioned officers and military police throughout Vietnam:

     “The average military policeman graduating from Fort Gordon’s basic MP course has 14 &1/2 years of schooling--that’s two and a half years of college,” he said. “That’s the best the Military Police Corps has ever seen. And we have to motivate and challenge these men,” the major general continued, “because they’re sharp.” “Give them a chance to try out their ideas, “ he admonished, “Don’t have them always do it just your way.” The Provost Marshal General also mentioned, “Some of the time the attitude is don’t rock the boat.”

     “I want new ideas that show how to do the job better.” On another topic he added that the MP’s are now a combat support unit. “We’re up with the combat arms, and division commanders are saying, “Give me more MP’s!” “I’m proud of you,“ he concluded, “and I’m proud of the job you are doing.”

13 March, Vung Tau Detachment  As a result of the Intensified Vietnamization Program, under USARV OPLAN Vung Tau II, the Ammunition Supply Point in Vung Tau, Phuoc Tuy Province, Military Region III, was turned over to the ARVN Air Force. USARV units stationed in Vung Tau, to include the 212th MP Company (Sentry Dog) Detachment were re-stationed, inactivated, or reduced in strength on a phased basis where a minimum size force consistent with the accomplishment of USARV tasks would still be achieved.

April

Exact Date Unknown, Soc Trang Detachment  SP/5 Eric G. Olsen and SP/5 Robert R. Taylor of Fossil, OR, are two of the 212th MP Company veterinary technicians stationed at the detachment lab.

3 April, HQ Long Binh Detachment   For 16 straight weeks starting in February 1969 and ending 3 April 1970, 16 separate classes were held at the company cantonment for officers, NCO’s and veterinary technicians of Army Of The Republic Of South Vietnam (ARVN) dog platoons from throughout the Republic of Vietnam.

     The attendees were trained on the fundamentals of dog care, grooming and training. In addition each class received an orientation of the company’s kennels and operations on Long Binh Post.

During the period of 1 February to 30 April, the company provided sentry dog teams for physical security missions at the following facilities: Long Binh Ammunition Supply Depot, Long Binh Scout Dog Section, Long Binh Perimeter, Tay Ninh Ammunition Supply Depot,,Long Thanh (North) Airfield, Vinh Long Airfield, Vung Tau Ammunition Supply Depot, Soc Trang Airfield and Saigon Port.

21 April, HQ Long Binh Detachment   The 18th MP Brigade conducted a two day Sentry Dog Working Conference. Representatives from the Okinawa (Japan) Sentry Dog School, 7th Air Force, 1st Military Police Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, 1st Logistical Command, 522nd Medical Detachment-Veterinary Service, USARV Operations, Provost Marshals Office and Doctrine-Systems-Analysis & Evaluation Division (ACTIV), and representatives from throughout the 18th MP Brigade involved in sentry dog operations were in attendance. As a result of the information obtained during the conference, many of the Brigade sentry dog operational policies were to be adjusted.

Exact Date Unknown, HQ Long Binh Detachment   Relative to the 16 training classes conducted by the company for ARVN dog platoon cadre that ended on 3 April, a total of 30 sentry dogs were shipped by the company to MACV for distribution to ARVN sentry dog units.

Exact Date Unknown, Tay Ninh Detachment  SP/4 Joseph Boylan was interviewed by the 18th MP Brigade Newspaper "The Roundup" and told them of his plan to become a smoke jumper for the National Fire Service when he completed his military service.

Interview  “I enjoy the woods, nature, the true spirit of the land. I also enjoy skydiving. So, I really want to team them up in smoke jumping. The techniques are complex. In a matter of minutes, while a heavy fire is raging, you must decide where to dig, what type of wood is present at the site and what trees to leave up so the fire burns slowly.

     Smoke jumpers perform tower watch, ‘on-ready’ alerts and the actual jumps. Our enemy right now is the VC; smoke jumpers enemy is fire, and it’s just as deadly.

Personal Reflection “I had 2 dogs during my tour. At the Long Binh Detachment I worked with Barron (#3M01), a Lab & Shepherd mix with an all black coat (he bit my left arm up one night when I tried to take a frog from him that he picked up to eat. I never really understood why he did that. We were matched so well, there were never any problems but he was always skittish when he ate.

     I switched dogs before going to Tay Ninh; that dog was named Sam. I believe his serial number was 04A5 and he was all Shepherd. Sam and I finished our tour in Tay Ninh. Both were excellent Sentry Dogs!”  SP/4 Joseph A. Boylan, 212th MP Company (Sentry Dog), 720th MP Battalion, June 1969-July 1970.

Exact Date Unknown, Tay Ninh Detachment A squad of VC sappers attacked the 25th Infantry Division Tay Ninh base camp ammunition supply depot perimeter under the cover of a 122mm rocket attack on the base. SP/4’s John Cranmer and Angel Ojeda of the company's 1st Platoon, Team "B" Detachment were walking depot perimeter with their K9's.

     Even as the enemy rockets passed overhead as a part of the panned diversion to the ground attack, their K9's ignored the noise and following explosions and immediately detected the sent of the sapper team outside the wire. Both MP's opened fire towards the nearby tree line where they drew return small arms and RPG fire, and were quickly joined by supporting fire from troops in the 25th Division perimeter bunkers. The assault on the depot was deterred, and responding helicopter gun ships swept the area causing the enemy to finally withdraw.

1 May-30 June 1970

2 May, HQ Long Binh Detachment  1LT Theodore Rhodes departed the company.

3 May, HQ Long Binh Detachment 1LT John F. White was assigned as Platoon Leader.

June

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1 July-30 June 1971

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Long Binh Post (Bien Hoa Province, Military Region III) 3rd Ordnance Ammunition Supply Depot, 15 posts, 38 teams. Class I Yard [Perishable Food Stocks], U.S. Army Depot, 2 posts, 5 teams and the 483rd Field Service Yard (Clothing Reclamation Point), 2 posts, 5 teams.

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Tay Ninh (Tay Ninh Province, Military Region III) 277th Supply & Service Battalion Ordnance Supply Point, 4 posts, 10 teams. Post Exchange Storage Yard, 2 posts, 10 teams.

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Long Than-North (Bien Hoa Province, Military Region III) Army Airfield, 10 posts, 26 teams.

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Saigon (Gia Dinh Province, Military Region III) Newport Docks, 1 post, 1 team.

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Vinh Long (Vinh Long Province, Military Region IV) Army Airfield, 5 posts, 13 teams.

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Soc Trang (Ba Xuyen Province, Military Region IV) Army Airfield, 3 posts, 8 teams.

18 September, CPT Peter J. Shay departed as commanding officer.

21 September, HQ Long Binh Detachment   The company strength was 126 K9’s of which 74 were categorized medically as suspected to be suffering from Tropical Canine Pancytopenia (TCP) formerly referred to as Idiopathic Hemorrhagic Syndrome (HIS). The disease affected approximately 50 K9’s per each 1,200 K9’s in-country per month.

     The dogs identified in this category could not be returned to the United States Army Pacific Area Command (USARPAC) Sentry Dog School for retraining. Losses in personnel due to rotation and losses to K9's from euthanasia due to TCP changed the policy from recommending that future dog handlers arrive without K9's, to a policy that only a small percentage of dog handlers arrive with K9'.

31 October, HQ Long Binh Detachment   At the end of the month the company was provided staffing of handler teams for physical security missions in the following facilities:

Long Binh Ammunition Supply Depot

Long Binh Perimeter

Long Than Airfield

Vinh Long Airfield

Vung Tau Ammunition Supply Depot

Soc Trang Airfield

Saigon Port, the report didn’t specify if the posts were on the Saigon City side or at the Newport Docks.

1 November, Soc Trang Detachment  The six Sentry Dog teams working the Soc Trang Detachment Air Base were relocated to Long Binh Post concurrent with the Army of The Republic of Vietnam (ARVN), military authorities taking over the Soc Trang Army Airfield under the MACV Intensified Vietnamization Program.

New Patrol Dog Concept Is Evaluated

HQ Long Binh Detachment Under an 18th MP Brigade operations plan, two Patrol Dogs and handlers were received by the 720th MP Battalion for an evaluation of their capabilities in the Republic of Vietnam. One Noncommissioned Officer, a graduate of the Sentry Dog School was detailed to evaluate the patrol dog and handler teams during their four phases of employment and issued the Patrol Dog Evaluation Summary Report.

Annual General Inspection

23-27 November  The Battalion (including the 212th) underwent its Annual General Inspection (AGI) by Headquarters, USARV from 23 to 27 November. A total of 223 functional areas were to be examined by members of the inspection team.

30 November   COL (MG Retired) Paul M. Timmerberg Commander of the 89th MP Group congratulated the Battalion with a letter in which he stated, “Your have recently distinguished yourselves and your organization by being evaluated as one of the most outstanding battalions in USARV. It is noteworthy that no single area among several hundred was rated as unsatisfactory. You are most deserving of all the praise that has been and will be extended to you and are worthy of the title, “meritorious unit.”

     Having served with the Battalion in Occupied Japan as a young lieutenant at the start of his career, COL Timmerberg had to have been extremely proud of the inspection results.

     MG Charles M. Gettys, Chief of Staff USARV, forwarded an official command letter through the 18th MP Brigade and 89th MP Group to the Battalion Commander, commending the Battalion for the evaluation achieved during the Annual General Inspection. Endorsements were added at Brigade and Group. Upon receipt of the letter and succeeding endorsements, they were reproduced in sufficient quantity and personally endorsed to the Battalion personnel by its Commander LTC Robert P. Schmitz.

Exact Date Unknown, Long Bnih HQ Detachment  1SG Daul H. Brown was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service.

9 December, HQ Long Binh Detachment CPT James D. Folsom assumed command of the 212th MP Company from 1LT Michael P. Sudnick.

26 December, HQ Long Binh Detachment  SP/4 Warren J. Wright of the 212th MP Company (Sentry Dog), HQ Detachment, S3, Long Binh Post was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service from February 1970-February 1971 under 18th MP Brigade General Orders 429.

30 December, HQ Long Binh Detachment   SP/4 John H. Van Wagenen received a Certificate of Achievement signed by GEN Creighton W. Abrams from the Headquarters, USARV for his service during the periods of 10 February 1970 to 9 February 1971.

 If you received a similar certificate or can provide any information relative to the qualifications and or circumstances behind their issuance by USARV, please contact the History Project Manager via the Email Link at the top of this page.