Vinh Long Detachment Time Line
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This Page Last Updated    3 March 2010
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The 148th MP Platoon moves to the Mekong Delta Region.
Vinh Long Located in the center of the Mekong River Plains on the southern bank of the Co Chien branch of the Mekong River, 60 miles south west of Saigon in IV Corps Tactical Zone, later called Military Region IV. The primary roadways passing through Vinh Long were Highway QL-4 south west to Can Tho and North East to My Tho. Secondary roadways were Highways LTL-7A and LTL-8A.
18th Bde.
89tth Gp.
95th
92nd

        Some of the U.S. Military and Allied units that operated out of Vinh Long were, 214th Aviation Battalion consisting of 175th AMC "Outlaws", 199th AHC "Swamp Fox", 114th AHC "Knights of the Air", 150th CHFM Transportation Detachment, 28th Royal Australian Regiment Signal Detachment, 83rd Medical Detachment, 62nd Aviation Company, 29th Detachment-11th Air Postal Squadron, 36th Engineer Battalion, 96th Signal Detachment, 544th Transportation, 611th Transportation, 292nd Financial Section, and 7/1 Cavalry, Troop C.

       The U.S. Navy also had elements situated in the Mekong River that supported River Patrol PBR, and other naval operations within the Mekong Delta.
June    A detachment of approximately ten MP's from the 148th MP Platoon, 95th MP Battalion that were sent from Long Binh Post to Can Tho for orientation, were reassigned OPCON to the 92nd MP Battalion PMO Vinh Long to perform military police duties in the city and highway security duties on the local MSR's (Main Supply Routes).

        We were a group of about ten that were headed for Vinh Long from Can Tho to establish a new pro active MP unit to look for enemy activity on Highway 4 from Can Tho to Saigon. When we first arrived, our highest ranking person was a Staff Sergeant, I wish I could remember his name, he was cool. We were billeted in a Villa  just up the road from MACV Advisory Team #52, next door to the Red Cross folks. We relied on MACV for their mess hall, and medical dispensary. They also had a small club on the roof that was for all souls, they used to show movies and served beer and cocktails. It was a nice place to unwind.

        We were assigned normal MP duty for the city of  Vinh Long,  working with the local QC's [Quan Canh-Vietnamese MP's] and also the other military units in the area.
         Our primary job was recon on  from Can Tho to My Tho. We shared the stretch from Vinh Long to Can Tho with the Can Tho Detachment. When we first arrived, we were issued armored gun-jeeps. One of the first things we learned was that with that much weight, top speed was about 25 mph, and they were very unstable. We striped them of the armor plate, put sandbags on the floor, and ran our patrols. Our gun-jeeps had the M-60 mounted on a post, but we had to stand up to fire it, so we asked the armorer at the  helicopter base to help us with Butterfly Triggers.

         That made things a lot better, we could stay down and still put out a suppressive field of fire. On a patrol, we would drive Highway 4 in two Jeeps, and look for possible ambush sights, or mines placed in the road. Every now and then we would fire into the tree line to see if we could light it up. The "hot" area was north of the Ferry headed to My Tho. We could pick up sniper fire when we would go past the little hamlets, usually just one round, and they only hit the lead jeep in the windshield once. SP/4 Eldon Banegas, 148th MP Platoon, 557th MP Company, 95th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade, June 1967-March 1968.