 720th |
Battalion Time Line ~ 1975 ~ 720th Military Police Battalion Reunion Association History Project ~ This Page Last Updated 6 October 2008 |
 III Corps |
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At the start of 1975 the 720th MP Battalion was headquartered subordinate to III Corps at Fort Hood, Texas. |
401st standing guard mount
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Life at Fort Hood, Texas In 1975 the MPs of the 720th rotated their military police and training duties every two months. When on MP duty they performed post and town patrol, worked two gates, the Main Gate and East Gate also known as Rancier Gate because it accessed Rancier Road. During patrol duties each patrol was responsible for a two hour rotation at one of the gates. Their patrol vehicles were several Ford Galaxies 500 Customs that were used by the traffic investigators. The law and order patrols operated the M151, 1/4 ton truck (Jeep). |
The Army determined that it wasn’t cold enough in Texas for side curtains or doors during the winter months so they often froze their butts off on the night patrols. The driver brought along a wool blanket to cover the legs and the passenger a sleeping bag. On the worst nights they would park just outside the view of the barracks area and sit on the jeep hood to warm themselves. There was also the soup dispenser machine where they could each purchase a container of hot soup and use it as a hand warmer before drinking it. Their barracks and messhall were still World War II era buildings. The interior of the barracks had changed from communal bays to separated two person rooms. They were still required to perform Fire Watch rotation, Charge of Quarters (CQ) and CQ Runner duties. |
The seasonal duty uniforms were, Class A and Khaki for town patrol and or special duty, with all other duty performed in fatigues with a painted helmet liner. |
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April |
Operations NEW LIFE / NEW ARRIVALS / HELPING HAND The fall of the South Vietnamese capital city of Saigon and the government to North Vietnamese troops ended the Vietnam War and prompted the first of two waves of emigration from Vietnam to the United States. Vietnamese who had worked closely with Americans during the Vietnam War feared reprisals by the Communist party. 125,000 Vietnamese citizens departed their native country during the Spring of 1975. They were airlifted or fled Vietnam on U.S. military cargo ships and transferred to United States government bases in Guam, Thailand, Wake Island, Hawaii and the Philippines, as part of "Operation NEW LIFE." Subsequently, they were transferred to four refugee centers throughout the United States: Camp Pendleton in California, Fort Chaffee in Arkansas, Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, and Fort Indiantown Gap in Pennsylvania under Operation NEW ARRIVALS. |
Exact Date Unknown The 720th MP Battalion along with several other military police units were ordered to deploy elements to Operation NEW ARRIVALS at Fort Chaffee, located in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The 411th MP Company and a (yet to be identified) platoon from one of the other Battalion companies were assigned the mission. |
Fall, Fort Hood |
The Legend of SGT Skinner SSG (Retired) Ralph E. Jeffries, 411th MP Company, 720th MP Battalion, 1975-1976 and 1990-1993. |
November |
Date unknown, Change of Command LTC George Nipper passed command of the Battalion to LTC Jon MacFarland. |
Date unknown, III Corps Jump Under Forces Command (FORSCOM) the III Corps would freequently conduct nine day field training exercises under the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), to test organizational and tactical concepts, and play a key role in the fielding of new equipment. 720th MP Battalion mission was to provide movement control and field command security. |
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Reflections SGT David Sullivan (MAJ Ret.), 401st MP Company, 720th MP Battalion, III Corps & 5th Army, Fort Hood, TX, February 1974-September 1976. |
