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Return To 1970 Index

Last Updated 12 December 2014

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At the start of the month Battalion HQ Detachment, its organic letter companies and the 212th MP Company (Sentry Dog) were headquartered subordinate to the 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, III Corps Tactical Zone, Bien Hoa Province, Long Binh Post, South Vietnam. The 188th Company was headquartered at Vinh Long, in Vinh Long Provence, the 22nd Provost Marshal Detachment at Can Tho in Phong Dinh Province, both in IV Corps Tactical Zone, Mekong Delta Region, and the 146th MP Platoon in Vung Tau, Phuoc Tuy Province, III Corps Tactical Zone.

Note: During the Vietnam war the 146th was attached to the Battalion briefly in 1970 for administrative and logistical command when its members worked at Vung Tau, and the MACV Headquarters on Long Binh Post.

18th MP Brigade

89th MP Group

720th MP Battalion

Exact Date Unknown

Xuan Loc Detachment-C Company  Sometime during March-April C Company was assigned to the detachment mission at Xuan Loc. The primary mission of the detachment was to provide both MP discipline, law and order support to the town of Xuan Loc located in Long Khan Province, and the MSR’s (Main Supply Routes) of Highway QL-1 and Highway QL-20. The area of operations was from the beginning of Long Khan Province on Highway QL-1, as well as the intersection of QL-1 and Highway QL-20 through to Dinh Quan Province. During their stay the C Company MP’s handled a diverse assortment of incidents from preliminary investigations of murders, AWOL and desertion violations, alcohol and drug abuse, and vehicle fatalities, the result of numerous traffic crashes.

     The members of the original detachment were SFC Chester A. Baker, the detachment NCOIC who was know as "The Judge," and the enlisted members who were referred to as "Baker's Bastards." They were SGT Griffin, SP/4 Richard Minoque, SP/4 Charles M. Ogle, SP/4 Tracy E. Usry, SP/4 Edward R. Jensen, SP/4 Glenn Bretz, SP/4 Davis, SP/4 Burnett, SP/4 Hartman, SP/4 "Bacsi" Chapman, PFC Centers, PFC Brinkmyer, PFC Lee A. “Junior” Simmons, PFC Marion, and PFC Brumwell.

SFC Baker

SGT Griffin

SP/4 Minoque

SP/4 Ogle

SP/4 Usry

SP/4 Jensen

SP/4 Bretz

SP/4 Davis

SP/4 Brunett

SP/4 Hartman

SP/4 Chapman

PFC Centers

PFC Brinkmyer

PFC Simmons

PFC Marion

PFC Brumwell

    “I would have to say that we were all deathly afraid of him to begin with, however, came to love him like a father. He was a fair and caring individual. The success of the Xuan Loc detachment was due to his ability to lead, not simply order, and to teach and mentor us.

     I retired as a CW4 in the Criminal Investigation Division (CID). During my career I was selected for missions "out of the ordinary" for CID, and was successful in every assignment throughout my career. This was due in a very large degree because of what "The Judge" taught me.

     Many of those individual I came in contact with, I saw throughout my career. Unfortunately, those that comprised "Baker's Bastards," with the exception of “The Judge" I never saw again after I left Vietnam. Unfortunate! They were a great group of guys. As the original group rotated out new replacements came in to take their place, but it just wasn’t the same.” SP/4 Tracy E. Usry (CW4 Retired), C Company, 720th MP Battalion & Crime Suppression Team Logistics, 8th MP Group CI, January 1970 to March 1972.

    “I found your web page and I was surprised to learn of the death of SFC Chester A Baker of the Xuan Loc Detachment. Chester was my mentor when it came to military police work and life. As a young MP sent to Xuan Loc to start up the detachment I learned so much about life and maturity. The men assigned with us were topnotch young men and it was like family, good and bad.”   SGT Richard Minogue, C Company, 720th MP Battalion & Customs Detachment, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, 1969 to 1970.

    The compound was initially a Headquarters II Field Force compound named "Husky." It essentially was a fire support base (FSB) on the outskirts east of town. Over time a "mini" village had grown up around it to support the compound.

     There was a street of bars immediately outside of the gate, which had a big trade in prostitution, black marketing, and small support businesses related to the servicing of the vehicles used by the U.S. and allied forces in the area. You could get your vehicle washed, painted, tires fixed, etc.

     The primary unit on the base was an artillery unit consisting of 175-millimeter field guns, and "Dusters." The Dusters were twin 40mm anti-aircraft guns mounted on a light armored chassis. They were used to provide convoy escort and base perimeter support. They also had quad-fifty (four 50 caliber machine guns collectively mounted) on a deuce-and-a-half truck as well. Also located on the compound was a "contact" team that responded wherever there was a need to repair a vehicle of any sort. The MP’s often provided gun jeep support to them when they had to go out in the evening hours or to an area where there was a good chance of enemy activity.

     Located in the detachment Area of Operations (AO) in the town of Xuan Loc were: Two Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) teams, #46, and #52, they had all of the associated support, such as a club, mess hall, pose exchange, medical facility, etc.

     There was also an airfield that accommodated fixed and rotary wing aircraft. The fixed wing were used to fly "over flights" for convoys moving along the MSR's, and to provide "spotting" services looking for enemy movement or allied rescue. The rotary provided combat support, transport, etc.

     There was a Navy "Sea-Bee" (Construction Battalion) unit with it's own compound; Also located in the area were various elements of the 18th ARVN Infantry Division, a unit of Quan Canh's (Vietnamese Army Military Police), and a unit of Canh Sat's (Vietnamese National Police). Also located in a small compound, was an element of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, to include their organic MP detachment that worked with the C Company MP’s.

     The detachment MP's converted a former mess hall into living quarters and a Provost Marshal Office (PMO).

     The living quarters and PMO were actually a giant bunker with sand bags on the side, a reinforced ceiling with PSP and more sand bags on the top. On occasion the compound would take "incoming enemy fire" but the PMO was never hit.

     Later during the year, an Army METRO (meteorological) unit also moved into the compound, its parent unit is unknown. Their mission was to determine and track the weather in the area, and to assist the artillery.

     At some point in time, the exact date unknown, the II Field Forces Unit moved out and the Wolf Hounds of the 3rd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division moved in. They were there fresh from the Cambodian operations and the base was being utilized to rotate the units.

25th Infantry

     During their stay they kept the detachment MPs busy with all the things that the combat troops get into when not in the field. However there were bright moments when they returned from the field and had R&R functions for a period of time that included beer, steak, and music. Sometime later they left, and the compound was given to the South Vietnamese Army leaving only the C Company detachment and the METRO unit.

     Members of the B Company Ambush Platoon transported and supported by the River Patrol Unit, were guided by a Hoi'Chanh to a Viet Cong (VC) base camp in the back river area of the Battalion Tactical Area Of Responsibility (TAOR).

       Through an ARVN officer accompanying the former VC who turned himself into authorities under the Hoi'Chan amnesty program, the boats from B Company were guided to the bunker the VC lived in for months while operating in the area.

        As with most enemy base camps and way stations in the far fringes of the TAOR, it was accessible only by sampan and constructed on a small rise of land hidden in the thick vegetation along a water way.

     The three boat group entered the small shallow cove and disembarked into the thick wall of jungle hiding the entrance to the VC shelter. Their operational time in the area was restricted by the movement of the receding tidal waters. The flat bottom Boston Whalers had a shallow draft but were able to navigate the very shallow waters only at high tide.

     If the boats remained in the area too long they could end up being grounded in the mud of the hidden cove for up to 12 hours awaiting the next incoming tide.

     The MP ambush patrol searched the lean-to shelter and immediate area surrounding it. They recovered weapons, ammunition and food. The shelter and food was destroyed in place before they were forced to leave due to the outgoing tide.

     The successful operation was the result of increased psychological operations in the TAOR during which numerous propaganda pamphlets were dropped by helicopter offering amnesty and rewards to the hidden VC if they surrender to allied forces.

SSG Lauchter

SP/4 Ambrose

SP/4 Autry

SP/4 Bishoff

SP/4 Cullinane

SP/4 Perry

SP/4 Thompson

SP/4 Wholitz

SP/4 Cagle

SP/4 Kelley

SGT Tapper

     The C Company gun jeeps assigned to escort the 25th Infantry Division, 2nd Brigade Task Force II from Cu Chi to Bearcat (24 February) completed their mission and returned to Long Binh Post.

CPT Boyd

CPT Shea

22nd PMO  CPT Robert J. Walden, Platoon Leader of 560th MP Company departed. It is believed he was picked up as a member of the 22nd Provost Marshal Detachment during the expansion of the Battalion Area of Operations in Military Region IV.

22nd PMO     CPT Arvel L. Acoach, Jr. is assigned as Operations Officer of the 22nd Provost Marshal Detachment in Military Region IV.

SGT Heerman

188th MP Company  SGT Dennis Ray Heerman age 20, from Coin, Iowa, a member of the 188th MP Company, 720th MP Battalion, died as a result a non-hostile vehicle crash in Ba Xugen Province in southeastern Military Region IV.

Wanted: Information on the circumstances of the crash. Use the Email Link at the top of this page to contact the History Project Manager.

188th MP Company  CPT Ray W, Lattimore passed command of the 188th MP Company to CPT Dennis Fogarty.

Wanted: Photograph of CPT Lattimore and the change of command ceremony.

CPT Lattimore

CPT Fogarty

Operation OVERTAKE  The 557th MP Company and 95th MP Battalion assumed responsibility for Operation “Overtake” and “Darkness” from the 720th MP Battalion. Formerly the dual responsibility of A Company of the 720th, and the 95th MP Battalion, the mission was given to the 95th MP Battalion in a consolidation move after the 720th assumed responsibility for IV Corps Tactical Zone (Mekong Delta Region) on 5 February 1970.

     The 557th secured ten patrol jeeps and four V-100’s along with thirty MP’s from the 300th MP Company, and 25 men reassigned from the 1st Infantry Division.