c company

The Tet New Years Offensive

17 January CPT Dale R. Price assumed command of C Company from CPT Bert D. Edmondson.

22 January A Viet Cong flag, medical supplies, a Chicom (Chinese Communist origin) rifle and official documents were captured from a Viet Cong hospital and base camp five miles south of Long Binh Post, on the outskirts of the Tactical Area Of Responsibility (TAOR). by a river patrol from C Company.

29 January And the days following the start of the Communist Tet New Years Offensive C 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 C Company elements established checkpoints on the highways near Long Binh Post to Saigon. The emergency conditions made extreme traffic control measures necessary. Their duty was to see that only essential military support traffic was allowed on the highways. They 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 Cogido Docks Ammunition Barge Site when the guard elements of the 95th MP Battalion came under intense enemy attack.

C Company was also tasked with Operation SHOTGUN escorts and assigned 3 armored gun jeeps and 9 enlisted men. The jeeps escorted the nightly runs of busses loaded with unarmed replacement troops from Bien Hoa and Tan Son Nhut Air Field to the 90th Replacement Battalion at Long Binh.

February C Company began its assignment to Operation OVERTAKE. They provided 2 Armored Personnel Carriers (APC's) and 6 enlisted men for the night escorts from Newport Docks to the Tu Duc Intersection, a stretch of road nicknamed "Rocket Alley."

C Company also provided 1 APC and crew each night for added security at the Tu Duc National Police Station under the 95th MP Battalion and another APC and crew for night security at the Cogido Barge and Dock site. Two APC's and crews were also sent to Saigon to bolster the reaction force the 716th MP Battalion and remained until May during which time they trained members of the 716th in the maintenance, operation and deployment of the APC's.

95th

19 February C Company provided 1 NCO and 10 enlisted men to the 101st Air Borne Division replacement center at Bien Hoa for MP support. The MPs performed the Discipline, Law and Order mission until 18 March 1968.

8 April C Company was assigned the 40 mile Xuan Loc Convoy escort detail from Long Binh Post to the 11th Armored Cavalry Division base Blackhorse at Xuan Loc. Two APC's and 4 gun jeeps with 18 enlisted men were committed five days each week for the escorts until 26 June 1968.

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.

25 May PFC Daniel J. Flynn, age 20, C Company, of Kings Park, New York, was killed in action (died after midnight 26 May) when the Bear Cat Convoy Escort came under a heavy small arms and rocket propelled grenade ambush on Highway QL-15. Three other C Company MPs were wounded but recovered.

30 May SGT Apimenio "Api" Lara, age 23, C Company, died as a result of wounds received from small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenade fire when his gun jeep was ambushed during a night patrol in An Hoa Hung Village, 720th MP Battalion, Tactical Area Of Responsibility.

2 June, 0800 Hours At 8:00 AM Memorial Services were held at the 89th MP Group Chapel for SGT Lara. The eulogy was given by the Battalion Commander, LTC Zane V. Kortum.

6 June SFC Frank Alloysius "Pappy" Condon, age 47 of Augusta, Georgia, and SP/4 Lewis Randolph Lovell, Jr. age 21 of Martinsville, Virginia, were conducting a motorized patrol on the "Finger of Land" when their jeep was destroyed by a land mine in the 720th Tactical Area of Responsibility. Both men died at the scene.

10 June, 0800 Hours At 8:00 AM Memorial Services were held at the 89th MP Group Chapel for SFC Condon and SP/4 Lovell. The eulogy was given by the Battalion Commander, LTC Zane V. Kortum.

21 June The following personnel were awarded the Good Conduct Medal under HQ 720th MP Battalion General Orders #21. SP/4 Jack L. Burton 3 Aug 66 to 2 Aug 68, SP/4 Edward J. Maj 4 Oct 66 to 3 Oct 68, SP/4 Clyde A. Davidson 19 Jul 66 to 18 Jul 68, PFC James D. Crozier 3 Aug 66 to 2 Aug 68, SP/4 John H. Brown 16 Sep 66 to 15 Sep 68, SP/4 Robert L. Allen 4 Aug 66 to 3 Aug 68, SP/4 Michael A. Gamblin 18 Jun 65 to 25 Jul 68.

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 and C Companies continued their general purpose missions.

This freed C Company for two additional assignments, one was their full time assignment to the grueling 186 mile daily Tay Ninh/Cu Chi Convoy escort run. Under Operational Control (OPCON) of the 25th Infantry Division, C Company assigned 7 gun jeeps, 21 enlisted men daily.

25th

A normal convoy might have as few as eighty vehicles and as many as three-hundred. The round trip from Saigon to Tay Ninh City for this daily convoy would encompass a total of 186 miles over some of the best and worst roadway conditions in Vietnam. The convoy route initially passed through the city of Saigon but due to the massive traffic problems it created was later changed to the outskirts of the city (northwest) past Di An, Phu Loi, and through Chu Chi. Later the convoys mobilization point would be moved to Long Binh Post. The convoy which carried every imaginable kind of cargo for the huge 25th Infantry Division base camp would start off early every morning regardless of the weather and roadway conditions. The Tay Ninh Convoy was the largest and longest continuous daily convoy run during the entire war.

The other was providing security for the 74th Field Hospital Prisoner of War Detention Hospital Compound. The mission was performed by 2 NCO's and 15 enlisted men, 24 hours a day.

2 July The following personnel received promotions to E5; To Sergeant E5, Elroy Edwards, James P. O’Neil. To Specialist 5th Class, E5, Ronald C. Henselman.

The following personnel were awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service, under General Orders #446, 18th MP Brigade. SP/4 Robert L. Allen, Sep 1967 to Jul 1968, SP/54 Jack L. Burton Jul 1967 to Jul 1968, PFC James D. Crozier Oct 1967 to Jul 1968.

9 July SP/4 Milton Jay Johnson, age 20, C Company, of Pitkin, Louisiana, died of illness believed to be related to malaria. The exact circumstances of his casualty are still unknown.

20 July C Company was assigned to their most significant special mission of the year with Operation CONDOR-II. During the operation C Company was tasked with the organization, supervision and security of moving the 6,000 man Royal Thai Army, Black Panther Division from the Saigon Docks to their new base camp at Bear Cat.

Operation CONDOR-II

12 August The following members of C Company were awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service under 18th MP Brigade General Orders #567, SP/4 David P. Adams, SP/4 Robert M. Schinzel, PFC Stephen A. Michael.

25 August The C Company Tay Ninh Convoy Escort suffered one MP killed in action, SP/4 Guy Allen Davison, age 20, of Everette, Washington, and 6 others wounded in the largest convoy ambush during the Vietnam War. The three North Vietnamese Army Battalions set up a kill zone one and a half miles long on both sides of Highway QL22.

29 August At the request of the 89th MP Group, C Company elements were called upon to provide a reaction force in conjunction with other members of the 720th MP Battalion Line Companies to respond and suppress a riot at the Long Binh Post, United States Army, Republic of Vietnam (USARV) Military Stockade. Along with members of the 95th MP Battalion. The commitment of supplemental manpower assistance to bolster the confinement guard staff was ended on 2 November 1968.

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, immediately 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 MPs from A Company relieved the four man C Company Detachment at the at Bear Cat Base Camp, 9th Infantry Division Provost Marshals Office.

9th

8 October C Company moved 1 officer and 16 enlisted men from the Phu Loi Detachment to the 1st Infantry Division base camp at Di An to be attached to the 1st Infantry Division Provost Marshals Office to aid in the mission of combat support. This detachment also provided manpower for a Traffic Control Point (TCP) along the convoy route as well as escort assistance for the Lai Khe Convoy. The MP's escorted two convoys daily from DI An to the 1st Infantry Division HQ at Lai Khe with two gun jeeps and 6 enlisted men on each convoy run. The detachment also escorted one convoy daily from DI An to Quan Loi using two gun jeeps and 6 enlisted men. The Quan Loi escort ended 19 December 1968.

1st

10 October 2LT Herbert W. "Herb" Bradley receives a promotion to First Lieutenant.

1 November C Company was tasked with the escort of the 1,600 men and 550 vehicles of the 1st Air Cavalry Division from Newport to three base camps. Four gun jeeps and 12 enlisted men were used daily for 11 days. The assignment successfully ended on 11 November 1968.

18 November CPT Donald P. Kirchoffner, Commanding Officer, C Company threw a farewell party for his close friend, CPT Paul R. Guimond, former commanding officer of B Company, who just completed his rotation with HHD and was leaving Vietnam on 19 November. The party was held in the C Company day room.

27 November C Company transferred two NCO's, and 20 enlisted men (EM) from Long Binh Post to the 25th Infantry Division base camp at Cu Chi. The detachment were assigned to supplement the 25th MP Company. They were assigned to roving patrols along Highway QL-1 and 8-A and two defiles, one between Trang Bang and Go Dau Ha and the other at the Phu Cong Bridge.

5 December C The following personnel from C Company were awarded the Army Commendation Medal for Meritorious Service, SP/4’s Larry R. Bates, Johnnie, L. Cottrell, Robert J. Lutz, Jamie G. Matos and Henry M. Stafford.

15 December SP/4 William J. Stafursky is reassigned to USARV Casualty, 24th Evacuation Hospital and will be sent stateside. SP/4’s Richard R. Roberts (Australia) and Kevin P. Georghegan (Hawaii) depart for R&R.

18 December The following personnel were assigned to the company as PVT’s (E2): Szadocsik, John F.; Sheedy, Arthur T. (2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon); Reynolds, Mark L.; Scalla, Theodore (3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon); Ricker, Joseph; Spencer, Michael M. (3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon).

19 December The DI An Detachment Quan Loi Convoy escort detail was reassigned to C Company personnel at Long Binh Post. The 188 mile round trip to Quan Loi at the edge of Cambodia was run daily. C Company assigned 2 gun jeeps and 6 enlisted men for escort of an average of 60 vehicles. The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment provided the route security along the way.

11th

On this date C Company was also tasked with the Phuoc Vinh Convoy escort to the 1st Air Cavalry Division base camp. Two gun jeeps and 6 enlisted men were assigned to the 110 mile round trip from Long Binh to Phuoc Vinh and back, 7 days a week.

1st

24 December PVT E2 James C. Sala was promoted to the rank of PFC E3.

28 December The following personnel were promoted from Private First Class E3 to Specialist 4th Class E4; James Montgomery, Roger A. Smith, Larry G. Gates, Roger S. Radtaz.