1968 A Company Time Line
~ 720th Military Police Battalion Reunion Association ~ Vietnam History Project ~
This Page Last Updated 13 November 2008
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18th Bde.
720th
The Tet New Years Offensive

January The A and C Company River Patrol Unit squad was deactivated and B Company was assigned full responsibility of staffing and maintaining the unit.

29 January The days following the start of the Communist Tet New Years Offensive A Company distinguished itself as part of the 720th MP Battalion post reaction force that assisted in the counterattack of the 275th Viet Cong Regiment and the U-1 Viet Cong Local Force Battalion that assaulted Long Binh Post in the early morning hours.
        Throughout the following days and weeks A and B Company and elements of the 615th MP Company using their gun jeeps and V-100 armored cars ran the communist gauntlet over a dozen times while escorting critically need ammunition and supplies to the beleaguered 716th MP Company in Saigon and to the Tan Son Nhut Airfield.

       A Company elements were also part of the battalion reaction force that braved the enemy kill zones to rush ammunition and supplies and remove the wounded from the Codigo Docks Ammunition Barge Site when the guard elements of the 95th MP Battalion came under intense enemy attack.
18 March SP/4 Frederick R. Balcer was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service from March 1967 to March 1968, under 18th MP Brigade General Orders #214.
8 April A Company was assigned the primary responsibility of staffing for Operation OVERTAKE, operational control was reassigned from the 92nd MP Battalion to the 95th MP Battalion, utilizing A Company, and elements of the 95th MP Battalion.
95th
16 April Brigadier General Karl W. "Big Gus" Gustafson, Commanding Officer of the 18th Military Police Brigade and The USARV Provost Marshal General, authorized the presentation of a Certificate of Achievement to all members of the 720th MP Battalion for their Meritorious Performance of Duty during the Tet Offensive from 31 January to 10 February 1968.

28 May, 2250 hours At 10:50PM SSG John Herman Wilkens,  SP/4 Dennis Rae Mason, and  PFC Roy William Neal, A Company, were killed in a Viet Cong Ambush of their escort jeep while providing convoy security for "Operation OVERTAKE Darkness" on Highway 1A, in Gia Dinh Province.

Wilkens
Mason
Neal
29 May, 1900 Hours Fifteen Vietnamese National Police (Cahn SAT's) from Gia Dinh and twelve from Thu Duc arrived in the A Company area for permanent assignment. The remaining fifteen and eight from Gia Dinh and Thu Duc, respectively, were on duty and were picked up on 30 May 1968. All were to be billited in A Company and assigned to Operation Overtake duties.
21 June SGT Jack E. Martin was awarded the Good Conduct Medal for the time period of 28 July 1965 to 27 July 1968, under HQ 720th MP Battalion General Orders #21.
23 June CPT Donnelly E. Brothers assumed command of A Company from CPT Robert V. Vogt, who was reassigned to the 92nd MP Battalion.
26 June To better coordinate the logistics and command and control functions of the unique operations in the TAOR, B Company assumed full control of the infantry mission, Operation STABILIZE, A Company relinquished it's duties at Outpost #4 in Lon Binh Tan.
2 July The following personnel received promotions to To Sergeant E5 under HQ 720th MP Battalion Special Orders #155; Philip J. Beaver, Kenneth R. Benefield, Alan M. Jones, Gary M. Lathrop, Gary A. Sundt.
        The following personnel were awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service, under General Orders #446, 18th MP Brigade. SP/4 Kenneth R. Benefeld November, for service from 1967 to July 1968, SGT Leroy A. Hayes, for service from July 1967 to July 1968.
17 July SP/4 Donnie A. Ross, received a letter of appreciation from CPT Donley W. Brothers Commanding Officer, for his superior knowledge as company Mail Clerk during a debriefing interview on 14 July, by the 18th MP Brigade pre-IG Inspection Team.
12 August The following members of A Company were awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service under 18th MP Brigade General Orders #567. SP/4 Donnie A. Ross, SP/4 Richard A. Stockton, SP/4 James B. Ahfeld, Jr,  SP/4 Julian L. Bain,  SP/4 Albert J. Kappes, III, PFC Charles E. Beck, PFC Michael C. Biggs, PFC Kenneth R. Roemer.
20 September   At 0440 hours (4:40AM), the 60 foot long reinforced concrete bridge across the Buong River on Highway QL15, just south of the Long Binh Post was destroyed during a Viet Cong attack. The explosion dropped the span into the river making it impassable. Members of the 92nd Engineer Battalion, 20th Engineer Brigade, under security of MP’s and APC’s of A & C Company, 720th MP Battalion and Popular Forces soldiers from Phuoc Cang, imediately began construction of a temporary bypass.
WANTED: Information, photographs or personal stories relating to the bridge destruction and repair, please contact the History Project Manager via the Email Link at the top of the page.
6 October A squad of MP’s from A Company relieved the four man C Company Detachment at the at Bear Cat Base Camp, 9th Infantry Division Provost Marshals Office. The A Company detachment was responsible for the entire operation and liaison with the Royal Thailand Army Volunteer Force Military Police also based at Bear Cat.
9th ID
20 October The following personnel were promoted to the rank of Private First Class (E-3) under Unit Orders #67 signed by CPT Donley W. Brothers.

David L. Fernandez, James R. Lamar, Michael Lee, William Lee, III, Stephen D. Maddalin, David E. Malcom, Warren L. Martin, Larry J. Miley, George F. Molda, Joseph W. Morrison, Paul A. Neiferd, Kenneth M. Netzel, Warren L. Odhan, Jr., Martin G. Obsterreich, Ledford S. Russell, Kenneth E. Schuchter, James R. Summerville, Jerry L. Tope, David R. Uppman, and Thomas L. Wantz.
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