~ 720th Military Police Battalion Reunion Association Vietnam History Project ~
December 1971 ~ Battalion Timeline
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Last Updated
25 February 2015
 

At the start of the month Battalion HQ Detachment, its organic letter companies (minus Bravo Company) 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.

Bravo Company was headquartered at Vinh Long, in Vinh Long Province, and the 22nd Provost Marshal Detachment at Can Tho in Phong Dinh Province, both in IV Corps Tactical Zone, Mekong Delta Region.
18th MP
Brigade
89th MP
Group
720th MP
Battalion
1 December
16th US Campaign Begins Consolidation II (1 December 1971 to 29 March 1972).

     During the campaign they continued to reduce U.S. troops in South Vietnam to 156,800 by the end of the year. U.S. Air Force and Navy planes carried out 1,000 air strikes on North Vietnam because of a huge buildup of military supplies for possible offensive operations against South Vietnam and Cambodia. It was the heaviest U.S. air attacks since November 1968.
 
17 December

     U.S. troop levels drop to 156,800.

     CPT Orval J. Golphnee commanding officer of C Company departed.
Wanted: Photograph of CPT Golphnee and the change of command ceremony. Please send them via the Email Link at the top of this page.
20 December

     The 89th MP Group departed Vietnam and was inactivated 21 December 1971. The 720th MP Battalion was attached to the 8th Military Police Group (Criminal Investigation) also located at Long Binh Post.

     The 8th MP Group was responsible for all criminal investigations in Vietnam except those occurring in the Saigon metropolitan area.
89th Military Police Group
23 December

     In accordance with the 18th MP Brigade Supplemental to AR 350-1, the following Battalion personnel successfully completed the prescribed course in Republic of Vietnam In-Country Training Class #50-71: PFC’s Paul T. Creswell and John M. Hyde of A Company; and SGT Paul L. Marshall of the 212th MP Company (Sentry Dog).
PFC Creswell
PFC Hyde
SGT Marshall
Wanted: Photographs of PFC Creswell and SGT Marshall. Please send them via the Email Link at the top of this page.
25 December, Christmas Day
Operation HOLLY

    The Bob Hope USO Show was presented to the troops at the amphitheater on Long Binh Post. Appearing with Bob Hope were, Jim Nabors (singer, and comedian), Sunday's Child (R&B trio of the 1970s, Ilene Anderson, Mary Lou Anderson, and Renee "Ren" Woods), Vida Blue (Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher for the Oakland Athletics), Charley Pride (Country Western Singer), Jill St. John (Actress), Jan Daly, Suzanne Charny (dancer), Karen Brucene Smith (US representative in Miss World), The Hollywood Deb Stars (dance group), The Blue Streaks, Rear Admiral Alan B. Shepard (first american in space), Bon Ho, Martha Raye, "Colonel Maggie," (actress and comedian) and Les Brown (Sr.) and his Band of Renoun.
Use this USO SHOW LINK to view a video of the Bob Hope opening monolog at the show.
Wanted: Your photographs of  battalion personnel at the event, and personal stories and reflections of those who watched or worked as security at the show. Please send them via the Email Link at the top of this page.

Reflection  “I attended the 1971 Christmas day Bob Hope show at Long Binh. It was a beautiful blue sky day, very hot as usual, with lots of people there (thousands). I remember the 24th Evacuation Hospital had a lot of patients that got to sit up front.

     I was on MP duty, and so was part of a crowd control team at the back, but I got to see most of the show. I thought the singers weren't that good, but we all laughed at Bob's jokes even though they were corny. I remember thinking this was something special to talk about later because my Dad had seen a Bob Hope show during WW2.

     We all sang Silent Night at the end of the show. After the show, when Bob Hope was leaving the area, he stood next to me for a few minutes talking to a lieutenant colonel about the next show. I remember thinking he was friendly, very competent talking about the arrangements, and larger in size and did not look as old as I expected.”  SP/4 Hohn M. Hyde, A Company, 720th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, Vietnam, 1971-1972.
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