|
19 October 1966 ~ Wednesday ~ Day 10 ~ 720th Military Police Battalion Reunion Association ~ Vietnam History Project ~ This Page Last Updated ~ 8 October 2008 |
|
 |
 If you recognize any of the events listed on this page and would like to contribute Information, personal stories, documents, media articles or photographs pertaining to them, please take a moment to contact the History Project Manager at the Email Link provided above. Your contributions are important and always welcomed. |
The 720th Finally Puts Its Boots On The Ground At Vung Tau, South Vietnam |
In the early morning hours the USNS General Daniel I. Sultan entered the port city Harbor of Vung Tau, South Vietnam, the final port of call of the 720th MP Battalion. |
|
|
The soldiers of the Battalion awoke at dawn, climbed the three flights of stairs to the top deck of the troop ship with full gear, weapons, duffel bag, and AWOL bag for inspection and roll call. They then waited for the order to walk back down the same three flights of stairs to the gangway to disembark. They were each issued 100 round of rifle ammunition. |
|
Welcome to Vietnam SP/4 Gary C. Watts, A Company, 720th MP Battalion, Fort Hood, Texas and 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, Vietnam, October 1966 to October 1967. |
|
The troop ship was anchored next to a large floating dock in the harbor containing the landing craft that would take them the final distance to the shore. |
|
|
When the order came, the soldiers were directed down the gangway to the floating dock and loaded with their gear onto WW-II vintage U.S. Navy Support Services landing craft, for the trip to shore. |
|
1030 hours The 720th MP Battalion commanded by LTC Glenn A. Hill arrived on shore at the port of Vung Tau at 10:30 AM. The Battalion command staff were greeted by the 89th Military Police Group Commander, COL Robert Sabolyk, and 18th Military Police Brigade Commander, COL Thomas F. Guidera. |
|
|
At the port the Battalion was loaded onto trucks and transported to the Vung Tau Air Field where they boarded C123 Provider transport planes, and were air lifted to Bien Hoa Air Base, Bien Hoa Provence, III Corps Tactical Zone. |
CPT David L. Lemon, the Battalion Assistant Operations Officer, remained on board the ship while it transported the Battalion's vehicles and equipment from Vung Tau up the Nah Be River to the Saigon River where they were off loaded. |
From Bien Hoa Air Base the battalion was again transported by truck to its new base camp area at Long Binh Post, III Corps Tactical Zone, Bien Hoa Provence where it would spend the next 2,128 days in Vietnam before returning to the United States and Fort Hood, Texas. |
The Battalion compliment consisted of a total of twenty-one officers, four warrant officers, and five hundred-sixty-seven enlisted personnel, including a seven man Criminal Investigation Division (CID) unit. |
18th Bde. 
720th
