C Company, 720th MP Battalion Is Detached For Service In Korea

      At the start of August 1950 the 720th MP Battalion commanded by LTC Aubrey S. Kenworthy, with MAJ William Smith, Executive Officer, was located in Camp Burness at Z Avenue and 20th Street in Tokyo, Japan. Their mission as part of the United States Army Occupational Forces Japan was discipline, law and order patrols, a mobile alert force to be used for emergencies within Tokyo proper, and a detachment to provide premises security, transport and courtroom security for the Far East Command War Crimes Tribunal.

     With the start of the Korean War General Headquarters Far East Command [GHQ] formed the X Corps on 26 August, and needed an MP Company for service. With the rush on to prevent the North Korean juggernaut from crushing the Pusan perimeter there was no time to form and train a new company.

     The call went out from the X Corps Headquarters to the 720th MP Battalion to provide a company of MP’s, as soon as possible. The day the call came down from X Corps Headquarters LTC Kenworthy was away from the Battalion Headquarters, MAJ Smith, the Executive Officer, took the call. He was ordered to immediate provide an MP Company ready and equipped within 24 hours. MAJ Smith first thought of asking for volunteers from the letter companies then realized it would take to long. He stated he decided to provide C Company, “not because they were the best, but because they were ready.”

     C Company was under manned so experienced personnel from A and B Companies were reassigned to bring C Company to their TO&E strength prior to departure to the Korean theater of war.

Company C departed the familiar and comfortable surroundings' of Camp Burness in the 720th MP Battalion area in the last week of August, and reported to the their new quarters of canvas tents at the Repungi area north of Tokyo, Japan. Repungi was a suburb on the outskirts of Tokyo. They set in in an open field and used that as their base of operations. A detachment of of eleven MP’s from the company were assigned to remain behind with the 8220 PWAU Company in Camp Tokyo, Japan.

They immediately began their processing, turning in all summer weight clothing, received additional weapons, and began field familiarization training.