0100 hours, Operation RIFLE At 1:00 AM: PFC Bonud, 90th Replacement Battalion, requested an escort from the 90th to Bien Hoa Air Base at 0210 hours [2:10 AM], this date. PFC Bonud instructed by SFC James C. Parrish, SDNCO, to contact Bien Hoa Provost Marshals Office [179th MP Detachment], for the escort.

Casualty 0145 hours, Quan Loi Detachment Attacked SGT Jewell Fletcher Dodge, age 37, from Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, was assigned to the C Company, 720th MP Battalion Detachment at the 1st Infantry Division, Quan Loi base. He died from wounds received during an enemy mortar attack on the post.

0400 hours, Tay Ninh Convoy At 4:00 AM, SGT Alberto M. Ochoa, A Company, NCOIC, Tay Ninh Convoy escort, departed for Tay Ninh with 9 gun jeeps and 27 MP's.

0530 hours, POW Guard and Check Point Count At 5:30 AM, the POW, Guard, and Vehicle Check Point count was furnished to CPL Hefflinger, SDNCO, 89th MP Group, 54 POW's, 30 Guards, Check Point [CP] #1- checked 11 vehicles, CP#2- checked 18 vehicles, CP#3- checked 55 vehicles.

0635 hours, POW Incident At 6:35 AM, SP/4 Lawrence C. Hinton, C Company, EMIC, Hospital Guard Detail, notified this office that at approximately 0530 hours [5:30 AM], POW, Nguyen Van Than, bed #71, Ward #5, 50th Medical Clearing Company, had shoved PFC Allen, MP guard against a wall of the ward and PFC Allen struck POW Thanh on the left cheek with his fist. SP/5 Altringer, medic, SP/4 Lucey and PFC Wlliam J. Bieber, C Company guards witnessed the incident. SP/4 Hinton stated that there was not any visible marks on POW Thanhs face at his (Hintons) arrival at Ward #5 shortly after the incident. CPT Leon C. Matassarin, Battalion Operations, and LTC Francis E. “Frank” Payne, Battalion Commander, notified. CPT Bert D. Edmundson, Commanding Officer, C Company is investigating the incident.

0700 hours, SDNCO Relieved At 7:00 AM, SFC James C. Parrish, B Company, SDNCO was relieved by MSG Dupree, Battalion Operations.

615th MP Company At 0700 hours, [7:00AM] five MP's from the 615th MP Company, 720th MP Battalion were assigned to transport via aircraft, 53 enemy POW's [EPW] from the Bear Cat detention facility to the POW Camp at Can Tho in the Mekong Delta in IV Corps Tactical Zone. The POW's were captured during Operation PADDINGTON.

9th

Operation PADDINGTON was a joint search and destroy operation conducted from 10 July through 27 July, 1967, by elements of the 1st Brigade, 9th Infantry Division, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 1st Royal Australian Task Force, and ARVN (Army of The Republic of Vietnam), and Vietnamese Marine units near Long Giao and Nui Dat.

11th

The five MP's, SSG Marion Lord, SGT Keith Allen, SP/4's Benny Edmondson, David Bryant, and PFC Scott Wilson, were transported from their company compound on Long Binh Post by V100 to the Bear Cat Base.

Their flight in a C-7A Caribou of the Royal Thai Air Force (aircraft mission #21) was scheduled to depart Bear Cat at 0700 Hours [7:00 AM], and arrive in Can Tho at 0815 Hours [8:15 AM].

Information, personal stories or photographs from Operation Paddington or this POW transport, please contact the History Project Manager via the Email Link at the top of the Time Line page.

0720 hours, Operation RIFLE At 7:20 AM, SP/4 Hedge, 591st Ambulance Company, requested an escort for medical evacuation patients from the 93rd Evacuation Hospital to Bien Hoa Air Base at 0900 hours [9:00 AM], and from the 24th Evacuation Hospital to Tan Son Nhut Air Base at 1330 hours [1:30 PM]. SP/4 Kenneth P. Laux, C Company, notified.

0745 hours, Operation SHOTGUN At 7:45 AM, SP/4 Larry G. Partin, A Company, EMIC, SHOTGUN escort detail, notified this office that escorts between the 90th Replacement Battalion and Tan Son Nhut Air Base and return, and between the 90th and Bien Hoa Air Base and return, between 070 hours [7:00 AM], 10 July 1967 and 0700 hours [7:00 AM], 11 July 1967 had been completed without incident.

1000 hours, Battalion Reaction Force At 10:00 AM, LTC Francis E. “Frank” Payne, Battalion Commander, notified CPT Leon C. Matassarin, Battalion Operations Officer that there would be a briefing at 0830 hours [8:30 AM], 12 July 1967, at the USARV Stockade [Long Binh Jail], on the operation and control of the 720th MP Battalion Reaction Force in support to the USARV Stockade. LTC Payne would like for all Lieutenants and senior NCO's to attend is at all possible. 1SG Julius E. Givens, A Company, 1SG Walter L. Rutledge, B Company, LT Eugene S. Edey, C Company, CPT Alfred A. Alexander, 615th MP Company, notified.

1200 hours, Alert System Test At 12:00 Noon, SFC Clarence L. Broome [HQ Detachment] tested the Battalion alert horn, loud and clear.

1430 hours, POW Count Change At 2:30 PM, SGT Roland A. Bellerose, C Company, NCOIC, Hospital Guard Detail, notified this office that a POW, name unknown, was admitted to the 24th Evacuation Hospital. POW count changed to 55.

1550 hours, Hospital Guard NCOIC Relieved At 3:50 PM, SGT Roland A. Bellerose, C Company, NCOIC, Hospital Guard Detail was relieved by SP/4 Bowers, C Company.

1615 hours, POW Count Chang: At 4:15 PM, SP/4 Bowers, C Company, EMIC, Hospital Guard Detail, notified this office that POW Hoang Van Tinh was admitted to the 24th Evacuation Hospital from the 3rd Field Hospital Saigon. POW was captured 9 July 1967 by 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 3rd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. POW count changed to 56.

1630 hours, SDNCO Relieved At 4:30 PM, SSG Kenneth McClain, B Company, relieved MSG Dupree as Battalion Staff Duty Noncommissioned officer In Charge.

1700 hours, POW Escort At 5:00 PM, PFC Wilson, 615th MP Company, notified this office that he had picked up POWs, Nguyen Van Ut, Vo Van Hien, and Nguyen Van Nam from the 50th Medical Company and delivered them to the III Corps enclosure. He also picked up POW, Vo Thi Phan (female) and her child, Nguyen Thi Phe from the 24th Evacuation Hospital and returned them to the 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi. Closing [assignment completed] time was 1630 hours. Utilized Highway 1 & 1A, and 1 gun jeep and 3 MP's. POW count changed to 53.

1835 hours, POW Died At 6:35 PM, SP/4 Brewer, C Company, EMIC, Hospital Guard detail, notified this office that POW, Nguyen Van Hiep, admitted to 24th Evacuation Hospital at 1300 hours [1:00 PM], with gun shot wound to the abdomen expired at 1830 hours [6:30 PM], this date. POW was pronounced by CPT Charles L. Bearderff, MD SN# 05239275, 24th Evacuation Hospital. Capturing unit unknown. POW count changed to 52.

1840 hours, POW Incident At 6:40 PM, SP/4 Brewer, C Company, EMIC, Hospital Guard detail, notified this office of the following incident at the 50th Medical Company POW enclosure. At approximately 1825 hours [6:25 PM], the POW in Ward #5, Bed #82, Nguyen Van Qui was causing a ruckus across the fence at other patients according to MP PFC Anthony L. Aceto [C Company], who told him to quit making so much noise. POW, Qui then verbally attacked PFC Aceto and finally physically attacked the MP with a rolled up magazine. MP PFC Ronald F. Kidder was also struck when he came and tried to talk the POW into bed. A medic, SGT Slay, finally persuaded the POW to get into bed.

1850 hours, Tan An Convoy At 6:50 PM, SGT Norman J. E. Eck, A Company, NCOIC of the Tan An Convoy escort, notified this office that the escort to Tan An and return had been completed at 1340 hours [1:40 PM], without incident.

1900 hours, Tay Ninh Convoy At 7:00 PM, SGT Alberto M. Ochoa, A Company, NCOIC, Tay Ninh Convoy Escort, notified this office that he had completed the escort to Tay Ninh and return and rendered the following report.

     (1) At 1315 hours [1:15 PM], an accident occurred at Check Point #179, Tay Ninh, involving a military 2&1/2 ton truck with trailer and a bridge that was established by Phil/Cav. When the vehicle went across the bridge the trailer swerved to the left which broke the trailers axle. The vehicle was operated by PFC Denne M. Albright, US52657046, Battery B, 5th AN (AW) (SP) 2nd Artillery. The convoy was delayed 1 hour and 30 minutes.

     (2) At approximately 1740 hours [5:40 PM], the convoy had to stop on a road across from Tan Son Nhut Air Base. The convoy was approached by an Infantry MAJ, name unknown, who stated that due to the convoy he had to stop for approximately 20 minutes. The MAJ stated that MP's did not have any jurisdiction in controlling the traffic in Saigon, that the Vietnamese Police did. The MAJ then got the name and unit of SGT Ochoa. "WACO" [call sign 716th MP Battalion] unit did not assist SGT Ochoa. CPT Leon C. Matassarin, Battalion Operations Officer, discussed the problem with, Deputy Provost Marshal, HQ Area Command, and received permission for the convoy to continue when WACO failed to show.

2340 hours, Escort Request At 11:40 PM, SGT Staples, SDNCO, 89th MP Group, notified this office that CPT Chinn, 64th Quartermasters called his office and requested additional Highway Patrols to escort fire fighting equipment to Saigon.

2400 hours, Escort Assignment At 12:00 Midnight, SGT Staples [89th MP Group] notified this office that CPT Flannigan, Operations officer, 89th MP Group stated that Bien Hoa Provost Marshals Office [179th MP Detachment], would take the commitment for the fire equipment escort request called in at 2340 hours [11:40 PM], this date.

Daily Log Closed.