c company

C Company duties in 1972 consisted of convoy escort and security guard duty at the United States Army Republic of Vietnam Headquarters (USARV) and the billet area of the General Staff members on Long Binh Post.

By 1972 most of Long Binh Post was vacant and security of the empty buildings and military property was paramount. Scavenging of building materials, theft of stored military supplies and squatters moving into the buildings was an ongoing problem.

MPs of the battalion would perform internal building checks and evict the squatters, mostly prostitutes. There was also a serious problem with large packs of wild dogs, some carrying illness and disease, running loose on the post. That problem, unfortunately, had to be solved with patrols assigned to hunt them down and kill them.

With the anti drug abuse program started in 1968 in full swing by 1972 towards the end of U.S. Military involvement in the theater of war, the units were often hit with unannounced urine testing. The surprise testing was conducted randomly and could occur at any time.

C Company members would be taken from a company formations and required to submit witnessed urine samples that were tested at special military labs established just for the anti drug abuse program in country.

As with previous tours, members of the company supported various civic projects and charities with their own funds and donated time and labor. One of their favorite projects was always the welfare of orphaned children.

March Members of C Company were given orientation training on the use of the recoilless rifle against Russian tanks in the weeks prior to the massive Easter Tide Communist Offensive.

21 March C Company assumes the physical security assignment at the United States Army Republic of Vietnam (USARV) Headquarters the perimeter, and the general officer's billet area. The work was split into three shifts: 0630-1430 (6:30AM to 2:30PM) hours; 1430-2230 (2:30PM to 10:30PM) hours; 2230-0630 (10:30PM to 6:30AM) hours.

The General's were: LT GEN William McCaffrey, BG Cook, and General's Antonelli and General Schwitter (their actual general rank is unknown). The duty at USARV and the General Staff Compound was strictly "spit shine and pressed kakis," the MPs that worked it referred to themselves as "The Palace Guard."

April LTG William McCaffrey, Commanding Officer of Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV), and LTC Charles A. Hammaker, Commander 720th MP Battalion, conducted an inspection of the C Company convoy escort unit.

19 April The following personnel were promoted from Private First Class (PFC) to Specialist Forth Class (SP/4), William M. Bennett, David M. Dragich, James Johnson, Donald S. Thiemann, and Kermit L. Buggs.

20 April The following Personnel from C Company were promoted from Private First Class (PFC) to Specialist Fourth Class (SP/4), William M. Bennett, David M. Dragich, James Johnson, Donald S. Thiemann and Kermit L. Buggs.

CPT Peter C. Miles, Company Commander, was appointed as the custodian of the C Company Unit Fund.

27 April Rumors began circulating that C Company was going to stand-down and return to the United States.

18 May With the process of stand-down kicking in, all C Company convoy escort assignments come to an end.

27 May The rumor of a stand-down becomes official.

June Members of C Company that are staying to finish their tours were moved to the billet areas of both A and B Companies pending reassignment to other companies in the theater of war. Many of the men would later be assigned to the 615th MP Company.

1 July All the C Company V100 Commando Cars have been reassigned from C Company to other units.

21 July C Company ceases to be a functional MP company, all personnel pending reassignment to other companies have been moved.

13 August The 720th MP Battalion cased its colors and departed Vietnam. Those MPs with less than 6 months left on their tours were reassigned to other MP Companies and detachments operating in the Vietnam theater, the others were sent to stateside duty.

31 August All three letter companies were inactivated, C Company was later redesigned as the 411th Military Police Company. The 411th MP Company's motto is "Speed and Power," and it continues to proudly serve today under the 720th MP Battalion which is now a HQ detachment stationed at Fort. Hood, Texas under the 89th MP Brigade (formerly the 89th MP Group).