720th
Dong Tam Detachment & Convoy
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This Page Last Updated   14 July 2014
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Dong Tam was the second and final headquarters base camp of the 9th Infantry Division in the Republic of Vietnam. When conceived and erected in IV Corps Tactical Zone during January 1967 it had been known as Camp Dong Tam.
9th

        Dong Tam was engineered out of inundated rice paddy land on the north bank of the My Tho River east of, and adjacent to, the mouth of the Kinh Xang (Canal). Silt and sand from the river bottom had been pumped to a depth of six feet to create a stable land mass suitable for construction that encompassed 600 acres. Work commenced in January 1967 and never stopped. Dong Tam was continually improved and expanded within its own acreage.

        The Army named the site Dong Tam, meaning United Hearts and Minds in Vietnamese.

        Dong Tam's purpose had been twofold - a nerve center for 9th ID operations but, more importantly, a political statement to the Communist. Dong Tam was made into a showplace of civilian amenities - churches, golf course, pool, athletic field, large post exchange, civilian stores, barbers, a hospital, a huge heliport, an airport with 1,000-foot runway, manmade harbor, a snack bar, and more.
MACV
        It is unclear what U.S. or allied units were situated in Dong Tam after the departure of the 9th Infantry Division. It is believed that the area was then under the command of Military Assistance Command Vietnam, (MACV) advisory group. Visit the 9th Infantry Division Website for the Dong Tam Base.
1968     Headquarters of the U. S. Army 3rd Brigade, 9th Infantry Division
August The HQ and colors of the 9th Infantry Division relocated from Bear Cat , in III Corps Tactical Zone (CTZ), to Dong Tam where they remained until the Division withdrew from Vietnam in August 1969.
1969
There is no activity on file for this year.
1970
        The 188th MP Company, 92nd MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade provided a detachment at Dong Tam. The detachment provided MPs for discipline, law and order patrol and convoy escort. Since the Don Tam Base was only four miles west of My Tho.
92nd
January CPT Robert E. Conner, 188th MP Company, 92nd MP Battalion, replaced CPT Ray W. Lattimore as the My Tho, Dong Tam, and Tan An Detachment's commander and MACV Team-75's MP advisor to the 7th ARVN Infantry Division.
5 February The 188th Military Police Company detachment in Dong Tam was reassigned to the command of the 720th Military Police Battalion when its parent unit the 92nd Military Police Battalion was the first MP headquarters to be deactivated and withdrawn from Vietnam.
720th
August CPT Robert E. Conner the Detachment commander and MACV Team-75's MP advisor is transferred to the 720th MP Battalion as the A Company Commanding Officer.
Reflection In about July or August 1970, the My Tho detachment moved to Dong Tam. We still did the convoy escort on Hwy 4, as we had at My Tho, and we had the law enforcement duties for Dong Tam base. We were mortared quite often at Dong Tam, and we had a large, well used, bunker next to the barracks. For awhile we all moved our bunks into the big bunker, but a man came down with hepatitus, and we moved back into the barracks. We also had a bunker attached to the MP station that was handy for use day and night. A stretch of road called "Ambush Alley" connected the base to Hwy 4. It was a very dangerous road at night.

     The barracks were two story buildings, and not all that bad. For a while, there was a hole right over my bunk where a mortar round and blown a hole in the roof, but it was fixed before the rain came. When it rained the down stares flooded ankle deep. Still, it was not bad. We ate at the MACV unit, and they had outstanding food. We ate midnight chow at the navy mess hall, and it was good too. We even had a small "club" downstates in the barracks.

     At that time, Dong Tam was, for the most part, an ARVN base. Many of the old 9th Division buildings were empty, and others were full of ARVNS with their wives, kids, pigs, and chickens. The American units on the base included the MACV detachment, an engineer unit, a medical detachment, and the MPs. There was also a navy base for the river patrol boats and a SEAL detachment. We got along well with the other units, for the most part. For a while, a Korean ran a Pizza shack on the base. One time after a mortar attack, some of us ran to the Pizza shack as soon as the rounds stopped falling, because we knew that there would not be a line. There was an American NCO/EM club on base, and there was an outdoor movie theater where movies were shown on a wall.

     We we were pretty isolated from company HQ at Vinh Long, and to contact the company we had to use a Vietnamese operated phone system and run the call through switch boards in a few towns before the call got to Vinh Long. The detachment commander was a lieutenant. We had two while I was there, and they were both good officers. For a while the battalion commander himself flew in for repeated inspections. I am not sure why he gave such attention to our little detachment. The battalion commander was an impressive officer, and I had a lot of respect for him.

     The men were almost all draftees, and they were not happy with being in the army. Still, they were a good bunch of guys, and I never saw them fail to do what was expected of them. SSG Joel Nichols, 188th MP Company, 92nd & 720th MP Battalion, 1969-1970.

    The statement that “In about July or August 1970, the My Tho detachment moved to Dong Tam” is incorrect. It was later, no sooner than September.
   I commanded the My Tho Detachment through August 1970, when it was still located at the MACV Team 75 “Seminary” compound on the main road from QL-4 into My Tho. CPT Robert E. Conner, 188th MP Company, 92nd & 720th MP Battalion, 1969-1970.

September B Company of the 720th MP Battalion assumed responsibility for the discipline, law and order missions in IV Corps from the 188th MP Company. The 188th was scheduled for reassignment to DaNang in II Corps so to avoid the logistical problem associated with the move, B Company who had just completed their infantry assignment from Operation STABILIZE in the Tactical Area of Responsibility was redesignated as the 188th MP Company, and sent to DaNang. Some members of both companies remained in their original unit to maintain operational stability during the transition.

        The Battalion became tactically responsible for the manning and logistical support of all military police and provost marshal office detachments throughout III and IV Corps Tactical Zone's.

        Members of the detachment were responsible for security of Highway QL4 (The Peoples Road), convoy escort through the Dong Tam area, and they would also conduct law and order patrols into My Tho.
1971 Dong Tam PMO Relocated and Convoy Escorts Started
February-April During the months of February, March and April the Dong Tam Convoy was being run daily.

1 April B Company relocated the Dong Tam Provost Marshal Office to Tan An. The move and realignment enabled the MP’s to be more responsive to traffic accidents and incidents and to provide greater area coverage.

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