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Return To 1970 Index

Last Updated 1 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 - TAOR  “During the end of March or early April, as we were being transported to our entry point on one of the back river tributaries of the Song Be [Bong] River, our squad came under heavy small arms fire from the jungle on the opposite side of the river. Our pilot was able to quickly steer into a small inlet that was sufficiently in from the river to somehow allow our squad to jump into the shallow shore and scramble into the thick jungle vegetation to gain concealment and return fire.

     SSG Clarence Laughter radioed in for artillery support to the VC position; however, a Navy river patrol boat, on the same frequency, seemingly appeared out of nowhere and delivered heavy 50 cal. and M60 machine gun fire to the VC position. Between our combined firepower, the enemy dissipated without our squad sustaining any casualties.” SP/4 Michael J. Ambrose, “Ambi,” B Company, 720th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, Long Binh Post, Vietnam, March-September 1970.

SP/4 Ambrose

Exact Date Unknown - TAOR    Two boats of the River Patrol Unit came under intense fire from an ARVN PBR after an Ambush & Recon mission transport at the intersection of the Rach Bien and Dong Nai Rivers. SP/4 Doug Newman was wounded.

    “It was late April 1970. My thinking was that it was during the week of April 21st to the 27th. I have never gotten my medical records so I don't have a more precise time frame at this time. SP/4 Ed Santry and I were moving a platoon [ambush] to their night drop off point. We had either finished the movement or there was one group left. Because of the tragedy that occurred earlier in the year, we never took more than five passengers in each 16' Boston Whaler. We were returning to the main river going through the waterway at An Hoa Hung [Rach Bien River].

     Ed enjoyed leaving me behind as his boat always seemed faster. As I entered the main river Ed was stopped with engine problems. I pulled along side of his boat to assist. Before we could get his boat started or hook up a tow, a PBR [Patrol Boat Reverne] opened fire in our direction.

SP/4 Santry

 

 

188th MP Company  CPT Ray W. Lattimore Commanding Officer of the 188th MP Company departed.

148th MP Platoon  CPT Charles M. Morris, Commanding Officer of the 146th MP Platoon departed. It is believed his platoon was absorbed with the Battalion expansion into duties in Vung Tau .

22nd PMO Detachment  MAJ John R. Tomberlin, Jr., Commanding Officer, 22nd Provost Marshal Detachment and Provost Marshal, Vung Tau Special Zone, Phuoc Tuy Province, Military Region III departed.

Lai Khe Detachment  1LT Frederick A. Gertz of C Company is assigned as the Officer In Charge of the Lai Khe Detachment.

TAOR 1825 hours  A UH-1H Helicopter, tail number 67-17706, of the 25th Infantry Division crashed into the Dong Nai River near the old French Pier above (North) the Dong Nai River Bridge. The chopper carrying a crew of 5 with 6 passengers was returning from the II Field Forces Helipad on Long Binh Post to the Cu Chi base camp when it struck two suspended cables.

     Members of the joint B Company 720th MP Battalion and 458th PBR River Patrol Unit, as well as B Company Boston Whaller units responded to assist with the recovery of bodies and military documents that covered the waters surface. There was only one survivor. UH-1h, 67-17706, A company, 25th Aviation Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, was assigned division courier aircraft. The primary mission of this aircraft was to fly the division courier while interjecting passenger pick up and drop offs during the courier run.

25th Infantry

     The rescue and later recovery operation went through the night and into the next morning involving both the day and night watch shifts. All the bodies were recovered along with several thousand pages of documents and other aircraft debris found floating on the surface.

     SP/5 Bogison recalled that the body recovery mission was hard enough on his crew, but what turned out to be even worse was what he called the circus atmosphere at the collection point on the French Pier.

     Early that morning the pier became the Command Post for the Graves Registration unit, and before the helicopter was recovered from the depths of the river a dozen junior officers and a few majors began to assemble. When the remains of the helicopter, with two distorted figures (the pilots) still strapped to their seats in the crushed crew compartment was raised onto the pier, a group of the officers, mostly curious bystanders serving no official purpose other than curiosity or trophy hunting, rushed over to have their pictures taken next to it and some of the recovered bodies.

     Bogison described the situation as grossly inappropriate, embarrassing and despicable, and he made his feelings known to them. Embarrassed by his verbal rebuke of their actions, the majority of the crowd quickly left, however, one officer complained to Battalion HQ about his conduct. It got him into some hot water and he was facing the possibility of disciplinary action until Battalion CSM William J. Wilkinson, who fully understood the reason for his actions, interceded on his behalf.

SP/5 Bogison

     The following synopsis of the crash was edited from Accident Summary for Aircraft Casualty on 17 April 1970: UH-1H tail number 67-17706, A/25 AVN 25 Inf Division, Cu Chi, Incident Number 700417351ACD Copyright © 1998, 1999 and 2000 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association.

     While on it's final mission of the day, the aircraft was flown to II Field Force (red carpet helipad) arriving at 1712 hours (local) to pick up the division INO officer at 1800 hours. During the hour ground time at II Field Force, WO Harig, Simeonoff, and CW2 Cross, departed the aircraft and went to the II Field Force Officer's Club, located approximately one block from the helipad, for supper. All three returned to the aircraft at approximately 1800 hours.

     The crew and passengers departed red carpet helipad at 1812 hours to return to Cu Chi base camp.

     The wind was out of the south at 7 knots, visibility was approximately 15 miles, sky condition was 4,000 scattered with a temperature and dew point spread of approximately 32/24. At approximately 1825 hours [6:25 PM] while flying at an altitude of approximately 70 feet AGL, the aircraft struck two stranded steel cables. The first striking the center of the nose of the aircraft cutting the radion compartment cover in half, then sliding up over the roof of the aircraft cutting the UHF antenna and air vents, then into the controls of the aircraft cutting the fore and aft, and lateral cyclic servos. This tension on the mast of the aircraft gave it an excessive nose high attitude at which time the main rotor blade struck the wire, shattering the blade and breaking the wire, while the second wire, which was just growing taut, pulled the aircraft into a nose low attitude, broke due to stress from the weight and velocity of the aircraft and the aircraft went into the river vertically, nose first

     It is suspected that as the aircraft was sinking, three bodies floated to the surface of the river. One was SSG Quellette who was rescued by the Vietnamese, another was SP/4 Hunter, the only Negro on board, and the third person unknown. Fifteen minutes after the accident occurred a U.S. Harbor Craft tug boat arrived at the scene and picked up SSG Quellette, and transported him to the old French Pier located next to the Cogido Barge Site. SSG Quellette was then taken to the 24th Evacuation Hospital by ambulance and admitted at 1900 hours. All other crew and passengers bodies were recovered.

     Night Watch and Day Watch remained on station throughout the evening of the 17th until the early afternoon hours of the 18th. The PBR Platoons were divided into two squads working 12 hour shifts: 1800 hours to 0600 hours; and 0600 hours to 1800 hours. Each shift consisted of three PBR’s and three Boston Whalers per watch.

     The following personnel of B Company and the 458th PBR, and others yet identified, were involved in the rescue and recovery operations.

     17 April B Company Personnel - Night Watch: PBR crews, SP/5 Robert C. Bogison, SP/4 Dennis M. Taylor, SP/4 Harry D. Marienau, SP/4 Bruce M. Zirk, SP/4 Edmund J. Kelleher, SP/4 Joseph Keene, SP/4 Ronald K. Mason, SP/4 Robert J. Lynn; Boston Whaler crews, SP/4 Jared L. Kelley, SP/4 Edward J. Marley, SP/4 Glenn Barman; 458th PBR Personnel: SGT York, SP/4 Swensen, SP/4 Chuckie Bowen, SP/4 Rasmussen.

SGT York

SP/4 Taylor

SP/4 Marienau

SP/4 Zirk

SP/4 Kelleher

SP/4 Keene

SP/4 Mason

SP/4 Lynn

SP/4 Kelly

SP/4 Marley

SP/4 Barman

SP/4 Swenson

SP/4 Bowen

SP/4 Rasmussen

     18 April B Company Personnel - Day Watch: SFC William P. Joubert (NCOIC both watches, PBR and Boston Whaler crews); PBR crews, SP/4 Carlos H. Lozano, SP/4 Richard J. Radcliff; Boston Whaler crew, SSG Terrence W. Tapper, SGT Douglas D. Newman, SP/4 Edward R. Aldrich; 458th PBR Personnel: 1LT Thomas W. Steinberg, SSG Jack Canada.

1LT Steinberg

CSM Wilkinson

SFC Joubert

SSG Tapper

SSG Canada

SGT Newman

SP/4 Lozano

SP/4 Radcliff

SP/4 Aldrich

    In December of 2001 Robert Bogison (SP/5 B Company, 1969-1970) recalled responding to the crash site of a helicopter in his PBR and assisting in the recovery operations but couldn't remember the exact date it occurred. He asked if I could located any information in regards to the circumstances. Bob wanted to know if the lone survivor of the crash, later identified as SSG Ouellette, survived from his severe injuries

     I searched the Internet and was able to locate the name of all the casualties and eventually the crash report so I could include it in the Battalion Timeline. I informed Bob of the results of my search and where I located the information. He took it one step further and obtained a copy of the report from the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association for his personal records.

     Nothing further was thought of the incident or report until July 2002 when Bob was watching a historical program on the Discovery Channel, Vietnam Stories, The Vietnam Memorial. The story was about a member of the 25th Infantry Division named SSG Ouellette who for the past 32 years has spent a hellish life since his war years suffering from emotional problems (PTSD) and wandering homeless.

     According to the story Ouellette who was starting his second tour in Vietnam at the time of his injuries, didn't have any memory of the crash or what happened to him afterwards. It also explained the quest of his family who spent three decade's asking questions without finding the answers to what caused his torment and nightmares.

     Bob thought he recognized the name and when he checked the report he discovered he had in his hands the information that so many people had been searching for for all those years. Bob contacted the Discovery Channel trying to locate the Veterans counselor that was assisting SSG Ouellette, unfortunately they were not very cooperative. Undaunted, Bob continued his search and based on what he recalled from the program started making calls. He finally located SSG Ouellette's counselor, Joel Peterson, a former Army Green Beret Vietnam Veteran at the Boston Veterans Center in Boston, Massachusetts. Bob learned from the counselor that SSG Ouellette was was still suffering severe depression. Bob informed the counselor that he had a copy of the crash report and would mail it with a cover letter in the hopes that the information could befit SSG Ouellette's treatment and answer the many questions his family had been asking for the past 32 years.

     The 720th MP Battalion VietNam History Project wishes to extend it's appreciation and gratitude to Bob Bogison, and recognize him for taking that extra step to assist a fellow veteran and his family in need.

     CPT Raymond G. Chisholm, commanding officer of A Company, departed.

Cambodia  Division and brigade-size task forces were sent slashing into what had been enemy sanctuaries in Cambodia. During May, the U.S. Army and the ARVN carried on search and destroy operations in a dozen base areas adjoining the II, III, and IV Corps areas of South Vietnam. A U.S.-Vietnamese naval task force at the same time swept up the Mekong River to open a supply line to Cambodia's besieged capital, Pnomh Penh. The fighting continued through June. At the end of that month, in accord with a promise by President Nixon that this would be a limited attack for the sole purpose of preventing enemy offensives against South Vietnam, all U.S. ground troops left Cambodia. ARVN units continued to range the base areas, however, and American arms and supplies flowed to the ill-trained and hard-pressed Cambodian forces of General Lon Nol.

     While bitterly controversial in American politics, the invasion of Cambodia seriously weakened the enemy. By early July, the U.S. Military Assistance Command (MACV) estimated that the Communists had lost as a result of the invasion 10, 000 men, over 22, 000 weapons, 1, 700 tons of munitions, and 6, 800 tons of rice. According to allied intelligence, the attack had forced COSVN Headquarters, [Central Office of South Vietnam, this office controlled all enemy operations in South Vietnam.] to displace, causing the enemy to lose command and control of many of their units in South Vietnam. Destruction of the base areas combined with Lon Nol's crackdown on pro-Communist elements in Cambodia had left the NVA and VC in southern South Vietnam temporarily without sufficient supplies for a major offensive. Replenishment of the Cambodian caches with material brought down the Ho Chi Minh Trail through Laos would require much time and the commitment to supply operations of thousands of additional troops and laborers.

     The primary participating U.S. units were: 11th Armored Cavalry 'Blackhorse' Regiment; 1st Air Cavalry Division; 25th Infantry Division; 3 Battalion, 9th Infantry Division; 199th Light Infantry Brigade; 4th Infantry Division.

Washington D.C.  President Richard M. Nixon addressed the American people on his announcement to withdrawal 150,000 U.S. troops from Vietnam and his decision to enter Cambodia, a long time sanctuary for the buildup of North Vietnam arms and personnel. The speech was directed to the government of North Vietnam warning them we are not going to allow them to use Cambodia to launch further attacks against Allied forces while the U.S. continues to ask for them to negotiate an end to hostilities.