River Patrol Unit 1967 Time Line
~ 720th Military Police Battalion Reunion Association ~ Vietnam History Project ~
This Page Last Updated    20 August 2008
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18th Bde.
720th

September SGT Richard Walker of A Company was assigned the responsibility of forming and supervising a River Patrol Unit composed of volunteers from all three of the Battalion’s organic companies. The unit would supplement and assist the battalion with the mission of the newly established Tactical Area of Responsibility (TAOR) under Operation STABILIZE.

        It was an interesting assignment considering that there were no boats, outboard motors, or other equipment assigned to the Battalion at the time and the items were not in line with the Battalions Military Police TO&E.
SGT Walker
        Volunteers were requested, and all three companies quickly responded. Once the unit was formed, SGT Walker, who was known as a good scrounger, and probably why he received the assignment in the first place, went to work.

        Along with scrounging equipment and materials the members were also trained in the use of the boats and motors they would be operating on the river.

        As popular rumor would have you believe, everything in the early days was scrounged outside of normal TO&E procurement channels. However, I am sure that since the 720th was officially assigned this task by the 18th MP Brigade, there had to have been some assistance through regular military logistical sources.
        Six light cargo transport boats [some descriptions have also identified them as pontoon type utilized to support floating bridges] were obtained from the Coast Guard unit stationed at the Newport Docks at Saigon. The 25hp Chrysler and 55hp Johnson outboard motors needed to power them were obtained from the Special Forces Unit at Gia Dinh. It‘s rumored that the motors were obtained in exchange for a large quantity of steaks borrowed from the Battalion Mess.

        Now that they had the boats and motors, they had to find some way of docking, equipping, and securing them. The first dock assigned to the new unit was the old French Pier located by the Cogido Docks and Barge site.

        This site was quickly abandoned and ruled unsuitable when the boat motors became fouled in old dock ropes and debris in that area. What would become the River Patrol Unit docks until late 1969 were located in the northwestern portion of the TAOR, under the southern end of the Dong Nai River Bridge.
        Prior to the 720th MP Battalion being assigned the TAOR, the only dock service under the bridge was a rickety two plank foot bridge that was used by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) and Regular Force /Popular Force (RF/PF) bridge guard security details. The old wooden plank docks were built for sampan traffic and were not large or strong enough for regular marine use, in addition, they didn’t extend far enough out into the river during low tide.
October SGT Walker and his men went to work once again, scrounging and obtaining enough of the right building materials to keep his boat crews busy working on the new floating docks for the unit during October and November 1967.
        The location under the southern end of the bridge gave them security from enemy mortars, bad weather, and they would not have to concern themselves with constructing any outbuildings and shelters until later.
        The ARVN and PF bridge security detail lived in an outpost across the highway from the southwestern end of the bridge. The security of the entire span was their responsibility. As in most of the Vietnamese military compounds, their families resided in the compound with them. The quality of life at the compound depended on the collective trade skills of the men that worked there.
        As luck would have it, and according to the rules of Murphy’s Law, just several days after the new floating docks were finished, a bad storm during the night with a higher than usual fast running tidal river severely damaged the dock. The docks had to be rebuilt, however, this time the lesson was learned and they were made much stronger to withstand the worst that the always unpredictable weather and river would send their way.
        The fledgling River Patrol Unit, or as they like to be called "The River Rats," consisted of six three man crews, enough to man two boats for each company. The training was strictly on-the-job, however it was hoped that additional men with some degree of boating experience in their civilian life would volunteer.

        Each of the boats armament consisted of a pole mounted M60 Machine gun on the bow, the crew members M14 or M16 rifles, and a 40mm, M-79 Grenade Launcher. Each boat was also equipped with a PRC25 radio that permitted them to maintain constant communication with the other boats and the Battalion Tactical Operations Command on Long Binh Post. One man would operate the motor, the second the radio, and their third would operate the machine gun.

        The only advantages the smaller boats would have over the top of the line PBR’s was the low profile, size and, their ability to maneuver quickly in close quarters. These factors gave them a distinct advantage over larger patrol boats that were much more susceptible targets to VC small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) fire on the backwater tributaries, some not wider that an old country lane.
3 November PFC Duane Elwood Carter, age 20, of A Company, would become the first and only 720th MP Battalion River Patrol Unit casualty when he drowned in the Dong Nai River after a 720th River Patrol boat he was a crewman on is swamped while transporting an A Company ambush team on a night operation in the Tactical Area of Responsibility. The other crewmen and ambush team members survived the accident. PFC Carters body and the boat were later recovered from the river.
19 November SP/4 Jerry Lawhorne a B Company member of the 720th River Patrol Unit dove into the swift running tidal currents and saved another crew member from drowning when he fell into the river at the boat docks.
December The Navy arrived at the Dong Nai River Bridge landing and constructed portable floating docks for a large contingent of air boats.
        The boats were Navy and used by 9th Infantry Division who at the time worked the Area of Operations to the south of the 720th Tactical Area Of Responsibility. They were docked at the river for approximately one month. It may have been a period of training before the 9th Infantry Division's, 3rd Brigade started moving their main operations to the Mekong River Delta region in IV Corps Tactical Zone.
4 December The VC ambushed a B Company day reconnaissance patrol consisting of SGT Edward L. Hall , PFC Jeffery B. Watt, CPL Le Van Muon (PF), and others yet to be identified, and directed sniper fire at B Company River Patrol Boat operated by SP/4 Larry F. Culver, when the patrols unknowingly surprised a planned ambush of several ammunition barges traveling north on the Dong Ni River. During the fire fight the VC still managed to hit two of the barges with RPG fire. One VC body was recovered from the scene. Two days after the incident the same B Company patrol returned to the area and recovered one of the VC RPG tubes.
6 December B Company Ambush & Recon team set up their operations base for site security at the old French Fort in the Battalion Tactical Area Of Responsibility (TAOR) during the recovery of ammunition from the barge sunk during the 4 December river ambush. The detail lasted approximately 5 days ending on or about 11 December without further incident.
9 December A Viet Cong arms cache was uncovered by a four boat force of the 720th MP Battalion River Patrol Units of A and B Company. The cache that included an M-16, ammunition, explosives, a VC sampan and two VC bodies was found in a cove on the Buong River. During the recovery operation the patrols came under small arms fire from the hidden VC force.
13 December PFC John Edward Davis, 615th MP Company, was on board one of two Riverine Air Boats conducting a river patrol on the Buong River in the 720th MP Battalion Tactical Area of Responsibility. Both boats turned off the Buong River into a small cove. The lead air boat, on which PFC Davis was a crew member, made a sharp turn to exit the cove and the trailing air boat unable to take evasive actions rammed the rear end, broadside. The impact occurred where PFC Davis was sitting next to the fan cage causing him severe injuries that resulted in his death.
If you have a photograph of PFC Davis, please take a moment to contact the History Project Manager at the Email Link provided above.
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