Reflections
III Corps Jump, Fort Hood, Texas, 1975

        The III Corps jump was a nine day field exercise. The whole Corps would move about twenty miles and set up. Then three days later would all pack up and move in another direction about 20 miles and set up again. Then repeat it a third time.

        The assignment of the 401st MP Company was convoy escort, and TCP for the movements. Once moved we conducted Corps HQ TOC security. We would use the leap frog method to stay ahead of the convoys and direct them to the right camp areas. This equates to that we got to drive faster than the convoys.

        We moved so much and were so busy that we didn't both to set up out pup tents. We would just put the windshields down, park the jeeps under trees and string a hammock from the jeep to the tree. The Commanding General for III Corps flew over our camp area one time and we received word through the chain of command that he had commended us on how well we were camouflaged. We jut didn't bother to set anything up.

        Also the mess section had a had time feeding us because we were so spread out and working long shifts. Not that they didn't try because the mess section usually took real good care of us.

        We were hungry at times and being soldiers we adapted and overcame. Which means my squad did a mid-night requisition at the Generals mess (since we were TOC security) and liberated enough C-rations to feed us the rests of the field exercise.

SGT David W. Sullivan (MAJ Retired) 401st MP Company, 720th MP Battalion, III Corps, Fort Hood, Texas, February 1974-September 1976.