Enemy POW Major Field Operations
~ 720th Military Police Battalion Reunion Association ~ Vietnam History Project ~
        During 1966 and 1967 the 720th MP Battalion was often tasked to assign platoon size detachments to major combat field operations in the III and IV Corps Tactical Zones such as: Operations ATTLEBORO, 6 to 24 November 1966; DECKHOUSE IV, November 1966; CANARY, DUCK and IOLA, 7 December 1966 to 31 May 1967; DECKHOUSE V, 3 to 24 January 1967; CEDAR FALLS, 8 to 26 January 1967; JUNCTION CITY, 22 February to 14 May 1967; MANHATTAN, April 22 to 11 May 1967; BILLINGS, 20 June to 9 July 1967; PADDINGTON, 10 July to 27 July 1967; and SHENANDOAH 18 to 22 September 1967.
        The detachments assigned to these operations were tasked with multiple assignments to include, traffic control, discipline, law and order patrols, convoy and highway security, as well as enemy POW detainment, security and transport.
18th Bde.
89th GP
720th
        During two of the first POW operations, DECKHOUSE V and CEDAR FALLS problems were experienced in the holding and processing of detainees and POW's.

        During Operation CEDAR FALLS, the detachment constructed the POW Cage and Refugee holding area within sight of each other which created difficulties in that many of the refugees and POW/Detainees were related.

        In Operation DECKHOUSE V, the Battalion constructed a POW cage at Vung Tau. The cage constructed to hold fifty POW's also included latrine facilities and perimeter lighting. There was a serious delay in the planning and obtaining logistical materials for construction of the cage.

       To overcome this problem in future POW assignments, plans were made to prepackage the materials for air transport. A list was compiled of the need materials for construction of detainee cages for future operations of that size.
Holding, Processing, and Transport
        All detainees taken into custody during an operation would first be tagged by the capturing unit. The tag would follow the detainee through his/her processing until a final determination was made as to classification status.
        The MP detachment would construct collection points (holding areas) and provide security until military intelligence units determined which of the suspects were innocent civilians or enemy suspects and combatants.
        The MPs would then be responsible for the transport of the POWs from the holding areas, also known as "field cages," to an Army of the Republic Of Vietnam (ARVN) POW Camp or other facilities designated by the respective capturing units.
        As the number of military police units attached to infantry units in Vietnam increased the organizational structure of the major field commands were changed and incorporated their own field cages, the assignment of 720th MP Battalion detachments to field combat operations came to an end.
With this change the 720th MP Battalion was now tasked with the responsibility of conducting specialized post-combat confinement POW escort, transport, and hospital guard missions within the III and IV Corps Tactial Zone areas.
 
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