Enemy POW Escort Team Mission
~ 720th Military Police Battalion Reunion Association ~ Vietnam History Project ~
This Page Last Updated  9 November 2008
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        The 720th MP Battalion POW Escort Team transported enemy POW's for most if not all of the U.S. and allied units that operated within III and IV Corps Tactical Zones. 1st Infantry Division, 5th Special Forces Group, 9th Infantry Division, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division, 82nd Airborne Division, 101st Airborne Division, 173rd Airborne Brigade, 199th Light Infantry Brigade, Royal Australian Forces.
18th Bde.
89th GP
720th
1st ID
1st CAV
5th SFG
9th ID
11th ACR
25th ID
82nd
101st AB
199th LIB
173rd AB

Request for post-combat confinement enemy prisoner of war (POW) escorts would be called into the Battalion Tactical Operations Center (TOC) by several sources. Some came directly from the capturing unit headquarters, others from the First or Second Field Forces Operations, 18th Military Police Brigade Operations or the 89th Military Police Group Operations. The 89th MP Group was the command responsible for receiving and maintaining the statistical information on all Battalion enemy POW operations and report them to the 18th MP Brigade.

        The company assigned the escort mission would then be notified by Battalion Operations and a duty assignment would be listed and coordinated by the company Operations Sergeant, First Sergeant or other designee.
        On a typical enemy prisoner of war escort, the team leader or Noncommissioned Officer In Charge (NCOIC), would receive the assignment for that day. In most instances, for large groups of POWs, the team would know of the escort several days in advance. Escorts for smaller groups of POWs were often assigned within hours upon receipt of the request. The NCOIC would brief his escort team, which totaled between four and seven MPs, depending on the number of POWs to be transported during the assignment.
        The escort team would travel by gun jeep and 2&1/2 and/or 3/4 ton truck from Long Binh Post to the Ben Hoa Air Base to board a Huey Helicopter or a C-5A Caribou fixed wing airplane. Standard weaponry for air transport flights consisted of .45 caliber pistols, M16 rifles and shotguns.
        The type of transportation used would also depend on the number of POWs to be escorted, the distance to be traveled, and enemy activity in the area they were being held in. Many escorts, large and small, were done with only ground transportation.
        During ground transportation the standard weaponry would be the same as carried on the air transport flights with the addition of M79 grenade launchers, hand grenades, and M60 machine guns pole mounted on the escort gun jeeps.
        The escort team would meet the staff from the allied unit or holding facility that were detaining the enemy POWs. All the POWs would be throughly searched, handcuffed and their heads covered with a sandbag.
        The sandbags were used to prevent them from identifying the route of transportation and deter any thought of trying to attack their guards and escape. Once they were secured in the aircraft the sand bag head covers would be removed.
        After the necessary paperwork was completed by the NCOIC they were loaded into the aircraft or trucks for transportation.

        The POWs were instructed to squat or sit on the floor of the transport vehicle and there was to be no talking. Depending on the length of the trip back to Ben Hoa they would be given water or something to eat or both.

If the transport was by aircraft they would be transferred to ground transport at the air base, or if by ground transport, driven directly to the designated POW Compound or holding facility.

        One of the pitfalls of air transport was that 99% of the POWs had never flown before and they became air sick. The MPs were often required to clean up the mess when the flight reached its destination.

        If immediate medical treatment was needed the prisoner(s) were taken to a local Vietnamese or U.S. Military Hospital.

        The necessary paperwork was completed with the ARVN’s and the prisoners were turned over to the camp. The MP escort team would then return to Long Binh Post and complete their After Action Report and submit it to Battalion Operations (S3). Sample >
        The U.S. Armed Forces did not operate any of the six POW Camps in Vietnam during the war. With the exception of allied divisional, brigade or battalion holding facilities, also referred to as POW cages, all of the POW Camps were manned and operated by ARVN forces. However, the U.S. Army did have advisors from the Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) assigned to assist their ARVN counterparts at the major POW camps in South Vietnam.

        Escorts were also conducted to transport those POWs recovering from serious wounds and being held at the POW medical compound and hospitals on Long Binh Post. Once the attending doctors cleared them for release, the POWs would be transported back to the capturing units or a designated ARVN POW Camp.

        Additional escort assignments were also conducted by members of the battalion when request were received for transport of special POW’s to higher headquarters, or when POWs were passing through from I and II Corps Tactical Zones.

        These POWs, depending on their degree of cooperation with allied military intelligence units or their rank or status, would be transported to the Central Military Intelligence Center (CMIC) in Saigon or to the other major commands within the III and IV Corps Tactical Zone area.
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