Fort Campbell Military Police Unit Honored For Heroism In Iraq [Presidential Unit Citation-2nd time]

1 posted on 05/12/2004 11:48:49 AM PDT by SJackson

Great story. Thank's for posting it. The mass media sure won't report it.

2 posted on 05/12/2004 11:54:51 AM PDT by cake_crumb (UN Resolutions = Very Expensive, Very SCRATCHY Toilet Paper)

More 716th Military Police Battalion History

Let us look back 33 years to 31 January 1968. We find not only one hero but a multitude to remember. On that fatal day in South Vietnam at least twenty-three (23) U. S. Army military policemen gave their lives while performing their duties. Seventeen (17) were serving with the 716th MP Battalion in the city of Saigon and three were with the 95th MP Battalion in Long Binh and My Tho, just north of Saigon. Meanwhile, one was a member of the 93rd MP Battalion at Qui Nhon and another was with the 14th MP Battalion.

In recognition of their bravery and courageous actions on 31 January 1968, one man received the Distinguished Service Cross and twenty (20) were awarded the Silver Star, five of those being posthumous awards. The 716th MP Battalion suffered the greatest amount of deaths that day and also had the most men receiving medals for their valor. Sixteen of the twenty Silver Stars and the only Distinguished Service Cross went to members of that battalion.

During the last part of January 1968 the 716th MP Battalion was composed of companies- A, B, and C and they were reinforced by the 527th MP Company and Companies C and D of the 52nd Infantry. Company A lost three (3) men in the battle for Saigon and two (2) of those men, Sgt Michael A. Grieve and PFC Roland M. Bowen were awarded the Silver Star posthumously. None of the men serving in Company B were killed in the battle yet three members received medals. One of those men was PFC Paul Healey, who was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the Silver Star. Besides Healey, SGT John H. Shook and Spec 4 Charles R. Miller received the Silver Star.

It was Company C that suffered the most casualties during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Nine (9) men from their ranks lost their lives and seven were awarded the Silver Star. Those men were: 1st Lt. Gerald L. Waltman, Spec 4 Ronald P. Kendall, Spec 4 Alvin F. Troyer, Spec 4 John R. VanWagner, Spec 4 James C. Wilson, PFC Jerome A. Jefferson, and PFC Steven W. Sears.

The units attached to the 716th did not escape mortal casualties. Four men of the 527th MP Company lost their lives, yet none were awarded Silver Stars. The men of companies C and D of the 52nd Infantry lost one man and four (4) of Company C were awarded Silver Stars: SFC James R. Lobato, SSGT Herman Holness, Spec 4 Vincent R. Giovannelli, and Spec 4 Bruce McCartney.

Outside of the area of Saigon, military policemen were in engagements with the enemy as dangerous and desperate as those in Saigon. Three men serving with the 95th MP Battalion at Long Binh and My Tho lost their lives and two of those received the Silver Star posthumously: SFC Willie L. Richardson, Company D, 52nd Infantry, attached to the 95th MP Battalion at Long Binh, and Specialist 4th Class Leon J. Shrum, serving with the 148th Platoon of the 95th Battalion at My Tho.

The 93rd MP Battalion at Qui Nhon suffered only one known death, Spec 4 Sergio J. Gherardini with the 66th MP Company and he received a Silver Star posthumously. Spec 4 Kevin Hurley of the 97th MP Battalion also received the Silver Star and yet that battalion reported no deaths. In addition to those mentioned above, PFC Terry L. Riegel of Company C, 14th MP Battalion and Spec 4 Walter J. Soutar of an unidentified unit were also killed.

So, for this month, we have enough heroes to recall one a day. Courage and bravery is one of the most admirable qualities of human beings and warfare is the best test of those qualities. These men were placed in the right place and were required to respond to life threatening circumstances, and they performed with great valor.

3 posted on 05/12/2004 12:32:13 PM PDT by SJackson (Slaughter the Jews wherever you find them. Their spilled blood pleases Allah, Haj Amin el-Husseini)

"(FORT CAMPBELL, Ky., May 12th, 2004, 12:30 p.m.) --
A military police battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation on Wednesday for extraordinary heroism in Iraq, receiving it for the second time in unit history."

FOX, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC why don't you carry this story?
Rather bash the military uh?

4 posted on 05/12/2004 2:13:24 PM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (FOX, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC All the anti military news you need to see!)

To: Kathy in Alaska; MoJo2001; LindaSOG; LaDivaLoca; Fawnn; Bethbg79; bentfeather; Ragtime Cowgirl; ...

5 posted on 05/12/2004 2:17:12 PM PDT by 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub (FOX, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC All the anti military news you need to see!)

To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

I LOVE OUR MILITARY BTTT

6 posted on 05/12/2004 2:22:23 PM PDT by onyx (Rummy's job is winning the war, not micro-managing some damn prison.)

This is representative of the military I know. Good job!

7 posted on 05/12/2004 2:22:24 PM PDT by BykrBayb (5 minutes of prayer for Terri, every day at 11 am EDT, until she's safe. http://www.terrisfight.org)

To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

FOX, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC why don't you carry this story?.... Rather bash the military uh?

You answered that question yourself.

8 posted on 05/12/2004 2:24:05 PM PDT by SJackson (Slaughter the Jews wherever you find them. Their spilled blood pleases Allah, Haj Amin el-Husseini)

9 posted on 05/12/2004 2:26:05 PM PDT by StarCMC (Please pray for the 2/7 Marines and Josh.)

To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub; SJackson

10 posted on 05/12/2004 2:34:08 PM PDT by Lady Jag (I dreamed I surfed all day in my monthly donor wonder bra [https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate])

To: Lady Jag; The Mayor

God bless our armed forces

11 posted on 05/12/2004 2:36:59 PM PDT by MEG33 (John Kerry's been AWOL for two decades on issues of National Security!)

To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

12 posted on 05/12/2004 2:39:58 PM PDT by E.G.C.

To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

13 posted on 05/12/2004 2:40:41 PM PDT by Soaring Feather (~The Dragon Flies' Lair~ Poetry and Prose~)

To: dennisw; Cachelot; Yehuda; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; ...

If you'd like to be on or off this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

14 posted on 05/12/2004 2:42:39 PM PDT by SJackson (Slaughter the Jews wherever you find them. Their spilled blood pleases Allah, Haj Amin el-Husseini)

To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Thank you for the ping... We need more good news like this on TV. But of course, that's unlikely to happen.

15 posted on 05/12/2004 2:44:22 PM PDT by cgk (Leftist spin: Baghdad Fell? Clinton's Army! Saddam Nabbed? Clinton's Army! Naked Iraqis? Bush's Army)

To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

Thanks for the Ping Tonk. Kim Orlando (then CPT) was an instructor at the MP School when I went through my MP officer advanced course in '95. He was one squared away guy.

I'm not sure what else I can say....

16 posted on 05/12/2004 2:50:33 PM PDT by Joe 6-pack ("We deal in hard calibers and hot lead." - Roland Deschaines)

To: SJackson; 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub; SandRat; MJY1288; xzins; Calpernia; TEXOKIE; Alamo-Girl; ...

"Law and Order"

(a respectful)

17 posted on 05/12/2004 4:20:50 PM PDT by Ragtime Cowgirl

During the last part of January 1968 the 716th MP Battalion was composed of companies- A, B, and C and they were reinforced by the 527th MP Company and Companies C and D of the 52nd Infantry

Sorry to make a correction to such a great article, but given my FReeper name, I had to do it: It was the 502d Infantry; not the 52d Infantry (specifically it was 1-502IN)

18 posted on 05/12/2004 4:43:56 PM PDT by mark502inf

To: 68-69TonkinGulfYachtClub

God Bless our military heros!

19 posted on 05/12/2004 4:52:04 PM PDT by blackie (Be Well~Be Armed~Be Safe~Molon Labe!)

To: Ragtime Cowgirl

Sniff, they make us proud.

20 posted on 05/12/2004 5:25:44 PM PDT by SandRat (Duty, Honor, Country. What else needs to be said?)

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