Due to the recent increase in enemy activity, a Group-wide initiative was instituted on Installation Defense Training for all subordinate commands. During the period of 1-15 September, a one-hour class on the subject of installation defense against sapper attacks was presented to all subordinate units and detachments in both Military Regions III & IV.

     1LT Thomas E. Reynolds was assigned as battalion S4 officer.

     1LT Walter E. Alvezi was assigned as C Company executive officer.

     1LT Anjelo J. Santella was assigned as executive officer of B Company in Vinh Long, and would later be assigned as commanding officer of HQ Detachment before his tour ended.

Phoung Lam  The nine-member Battalion Drug Suppression Team (DST) under the command of 1LT (LTC Ret.) John D. Bradley, II, completed a several month undercover drug investigation at the Phoung Lam highway construction base of the 169th Engineer Battalion, specifically Company B on Highway QL-20 in Long Khanh Province, northeast Military Region III.

     The operation was coordinated with the 169th Engineer Battalion commander based on numerous accounts of drug abuse within their ranks. The team utilized a cover as members of an 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment security detachment and borrowed Armored Personnel Carriers from C Company of the 720th MP Battalion. Undercover purchases of marijuana and heroin were made and surveillance's conducted of other personnel using drugs.

     Their covert investigators identified the main drug dealers within the unit, and successfully conclude their investigation with the arrest of 43 suspects and drug and paraphernalia seizures of 40 vials of heroin, 4 pounds of bulk marijuana, 61 rolled marijuana cigarettes, 1 tab of LSD, 11 assorted pill bottles of controlled prescription drugs, and 5 pipes used for smoking marijuana. In addition, a 10-acre marijuana field was also located and subsequently destroyed by the team.

     1LT Gene C. Woo was assigned as Battalion Communications Officer, and  PFC’s Allen Marino, Edward Espinosa and Nathaniel Wright, Jr. of C Company were promoted from PFC to SP/4 .

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     The Battalion was tasked to provide two armored vehicles and six enlisted men nightly to the Commanding Officer, Long Binh Post, to defend two gates that were considered vulnerable to enemy activity. Support to tactical commanders in the form of convoy escorts had to be curtailed in order to meet the commitment.

     Initially the V100 crews loved the duty, ten hours on and the next day off without any special duty before starting over again. However, they were used to being busy, and the days spent sitting idly on gate security duty started to drag by.

     The Battalion implemented the requirements of Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) Directive 190-11 regarding US Forces Personnel Movements and Control. United States Army Republic of Vietnam (USARV) Forms 690 were issued to all units and written instructions regarding enforcement efforts were forwarded to each operations provost marshal office. Since the zone and sub zone coordinators were given primary responsibility for promulgation of instructions, the military policeman were not able to commence enforcement of the reporting period, only Phu Loi, Bear Cat and Vung Tau had received written instructions from the sub zone coordinator in Military Region III.

Editors Note: No official documents have been located specifically spelling out this directive. However, it is believed that it attempted to correct the previous shortcomings of personnel movements under Operation KEYSTONE during which U.S. troop stand-downs and movements at times left areas relegated to ARVN security inadequately protected. It appears the program was designed to insure that proper accounting of troop movements didn’t leave the ARVN or MACV short of military police coverage in any U.S. areas of operation.

     The Battalion assumed alert status modified “yellow” on a nightly basis due to the upcoming South Vietnamese presidential elections. Personnel comprising the Long Binh Post Reaction Force were kept in complete uniform and the force was prepared for deployment on 15 minutes notice.

     1LT Michael D. Wiatrowski, 1LT John D. Bradley, II of HQ & HQ Detachment, and 1SG William W. Warnick of the 212th MP Company (sentry Dog), were assigned to the Battalion Proficiency Pay (Superior Performance) Selection Board for an indefinite period.

     The board evaluates recommended battalion enlisted personnel for awards of Proficiency Pay based on records check and the administrative points packet pertaining to the program. The results were to be posted on a composite list indicating the individual’s name, MOS and total points.

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     1LT's Michael D. Wiatrowski and John D. Bradley, II of HQ & HQ Detachment; 1LT's Bernal R. Anderson and James R. Creed of A Company; 1LT Walter E. Alvezi and CPT Gary M. Woods of C Company; were appointed as C-Day (Conversion Day) officers to issue and exchange the new series of Military Payment Certificates for the old from battalion personnel. They were ordered to meet with the Battalion finance officer no later than 30 September.

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     1LT's Wiatrowski and Bradley, II of HQ & HQ Detachment; 1LT's Anderson and Creed of A Company; 1LT Alvezi and CPT Woods of C Company, who were appointed as MPC Conversion Day officers on 26 September, were issued amended orders assigning them to carry out their mission under the authority of the U.S. Army Finance & Accounting Office, Vietnam.

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     On the same day 1LT Bradley, II of HQ Detachment was also assigned to report to MAJ Henry F. Stevens, 8th MP Group (Criminal Investigation) on 5 October and conduct an inventory of the Detachment-C evidence lockers located in Phu Loi and Long Binh Post.

     The Battalion received 37 new M151A2 1/4¼-ton trucks (Jeeps). Although the acquisition of these vehicles enhanced the vehicle profile within the battalion, a total of 19 remaining M151A1 models had an excess of 50,000 miles on them.