If you have any photographs of Battalion duty uniforms from any era, please feel free to pass them along to the History Project Manager via the Email Link above. Unless specifically noted, all the MP uniforms included in this section are from authentic photographs submitted by Battalion veterans.

When the Battalion first arrived in Vietnam in early October 1966 the M16 Rifle, jungle weight uniforms and boots production and supplies had yet to catch up with the number of allied forces deployed to the theater.  It would take almost a year before all of the MPs were properly equipped.

1966 Post Security Detail Unidentified  (A Co.)

1966-1967 Field Uniform Olive Drab (OD) colored cotton field Jacket, cotton pants and long sleved shirt, black leather boots. Black wool brassard with MP in white with the unit patch above it.

    The holster was black leather worn on a webbed belt. Field gear of canvas harness, flack jacket, canvas rifle ammo pouches, plastic canteen in canvas pouch and field bandage in pouch.

     The steel (pot) helmet with camo cover, off post, or a painted helmet liner for on post duty were the standard head cover.

     Branch tags were gold lettered on white field, name tags were black printing on white field. Rank chevrons were gold and worn sewn onto the uniform sleeves.

1966

1967

1966 Convoy Escort Duty SP/4 John Tuttle  (A Co.)

1967 Convoy Escort Duty SP/4 Ed Carney (A Co.)

1967-1972 Field Uniform Olive Drab tropical cut and weight cotton fatigue top and pants, with OD canvas sided boots with black leather toe and heel. Black wool brassard with MP in white with the unit patch above it.

     The holster was black leather worn on a webbed belt. The steel (pot) helmet with camo cover or a painted helmet liner (for on post duty) were the standard head cover.

      Branch tags were changed black printed letters on an OD colored field. Name tags were also changed to black letters on OD field. The rank cheverons were changed to black and worn sewn onto the uniform sleeve and later changed to black plastic tabs worn pinned on the uniform top lapels.

1967

 

1970 POW Hospital Guard SP/4 Donald R. Baker (C Co.)

1967-1970 Special Duty Field Uniform In 1967 all three organic companies of the Battalion and the 615th MP Company (subordinate) provided personnel for combined, River Patrol, Village Outpost, and Ambush and Reconnaissance duties in a special 22 square mile Tactical Area Of Responsibility.

    They were tasked with an infantry mission, an historic first for the MP Corps. In July 1968 the mission was consolidated to B Company who worked it until July 1970.

    The standard field uniform was utilized and depending on the mission the steel pot was replaced with the wide brimmed boonie hat.

     As tropical weight uniforms and boots became available they were utilized. The black cotton brassard with OD colored MP letters were sometimes used during day recon missions around the populated village areas.

1968

 

 

1968 Ambush & Recon

PFC Green & SGT Hartwig (B Co.)

     By the fall of 1968 the Battalion was able to provide (via backdoor trading) a limited number of uniforms for the Ambush and Recon Teams in camouflage patterns of the Vietnam Highland and Tiger Stripe pattern. Since the supply was limited it wasn't unusual to see a squad wearing all three styles at the same time. By late 1969 the availability of camouflage fatigues were more plentiful. The wearing of authorized camouflage uniforms with 18th MP Brigade patch on the sleeve outside the Tactical Area Of Responsibility (TAOR) sometimes resulted in unpleasant incidents.

1970

1970 Ambush & Recon

SP/4 Ed Aldrich (B Co.)

 

Right Uniform... Wrong Officer, Place and Time CPL Thomas T. Watson, B Company, 720th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, Vietnam, March 1968 to March 1969.

     There was also the wearing of  unauthorized hats and patches, as long as they were worn only in the field the command looked the other way.

1967-1972 Field Uniform Summer/Tropical The Khaki uniform remained as a travel uniform in Vietnam because all semi-dress greens were turned into the supply sergeant upon arrival. It was worn with a white t-shirt, black socks, black leather boots or low cut shoes. 

     In the early 1970's with the Vietnamization Program in full mode, some commands returned to the Khaki uniform to replace the tropical fatigues as the duty uniform for MP's in Saigon or those on garrison duties at major U.S. Military Post.

1971 Vinh Long Detachment Duty

SP/4 Lamb, PFC Green, SP/4 Smalls and SP/4 Hodosky (B Co.)