With fighting ongoing in Cambodia, the ARVN forces began their U.S. aided offensive in Laos called Lam Son 719. Their objective was to cut the Ho Chi Minh Trail, and destroy enemy bases to protect Vietnamization as the U.S. Army and Marine forces were withdrawn from Corps Tactical Zone/Military Region (CTZ/MR) I.

     1LT Gerald C. Peru is assigned as a platoon leader in C Company.

     1LT Edward D. Thompson, Jr. is transferred from A Company to B Company.

188th MP Company & Bravo Company  Rumors of a major change coming in Operation STABILIZE became fact when Special Orders 196 were issued by battalion headquarters to transfer seventy enlisted personnel from Bravo Company to the 188th MP Company in Vinh Long, Military Region IV (Mekong Delta Region). And as the week progressed, additional exchanges of personnel between both companies continued.

     The personnel exchanges were being made to facilitate the eventual rdesignation of both companies for their future reassignments.

     1LT Gerald C. Peru of B Company is reassigned to the 188th MP Company, 1LT Joseph Glassmacher, Jr. and 1LT Edward D. Thompson, Jr. are transferred from Bravo Company to the 188th MP Company, and 1LT Raymond F. Cox is reassigned from the 188th MP Company to B Company as a platoon leader.

Lai Khe Detachment  1LT Frederick A. Gertz of C Company departed as the Deputy Provost Marshal of the Lai Khe Detachment.

TAOR  With the infantry mission in the Tactical Area of Responsibility coming to a close, members of B Company started shipping out to Da Nang to staff the soon to be newly redesignated 188th MP Company, while other members stayed behind to staff the new B Company (formerly the 188th) in Vinh Long, Military Region IV (Mekong Delta).

TAOR  With the ongoing Vietnamization process, the Battalion was called on to finally bring to an end its three-year counterinsurgency mission of Operation Stabilize. The diminishing Marine and expanding Army involvement in MR I necessitated military police unit reallocations to meet the need.

188th MP Company  The Brigade needed a seasoned military police company they could immediately use in Da Nang in MR I, and turned to the 188th MP Company. The 188th was just recently attached subordinate to the 720th as its fourth company to facilitate the change. They were experienced in line duty, and the only 18th Brigade MP Company still active in MR IV.

     Since the battalion and its three organic companies were fully committed in CTZ/MR III, and Brigade intended it to expand their military police operations into CTZ/MR IV, they had to free up B Company from their commitment to Operation STABILIZE to replace the 188th in CTZ/MR IV.

     B Company had not performed traditional military police line duty in three years, to insure continuity of operations in Vinh Long; the battalion mixed the personnel of both companies to provide the critically needed continuity and experience to guarantee a successful transition. To insure long-term operational stability and eliminate a sudden DEROS’s and ETS exodus, most of the personnel from both units who qualified as short timers were also evenly divided between the two companies. The mix also included the transfer of officers of both companies who were familiar with the line-duty operations; it also included the local 22nd Provost Marshal Detachment.

     Once the allocation of personnel and material assets were met, all that was left for the two commands to do was exchange their respective Guidon’s. As expected, with the uncertainty of the changes to come the moral also started to slump. So while all the transfers and reassignments were in motion, the command stressed to the troops on the river and in the TAOR that it was imperative for them to stay focused on the mission at hand.

458th PBR  The 458th Army Transportation Company (PBR) continued their Dong Nai River and Bien Hoa harbor patrol duties after being attached subordinate to the 95th MP Battalion.

     Battalion Commander LTC Stromfors passed the B Company Guidon to CPT Walter B. Koszyk and the 188th MP Company was officially redesignated as B Company, 720th MP Battalion, and after 3 years of infantry duty was once again relegated to traditional military police line duty and would remain subordinate to the 89th MP Group and headquartered in the city of Vinh Long, Vinh Long Province in MR IV.

     At the same ceremony, LTC Stomfors passed the guidon of the  188th MP Company, 720th MP Battalion, 89th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade to CPT Jeffrey Gilbert of Bravo Company, redesignating the company as the 188th MP Company, 720th MP Battalion. Their new assignment was taking them to Military Region I and the 504th MP Battalion, 16th MP Group, 18th MP Brigade at Camp David Land in Da Nang, Quang Nam Province.

     As a result of the Intensified Vietnamization Program, B Company, 720th MP Battalion, ceased all infantry operations in the Tactical Area of Responsibility (TAOR) under Operation STABILIZE, started on 11 September 1967. The security for the southern perimeter of Long Binh Post was now the responsibility of the 25th Infantry Division and Army of The Republic of South Vietnam (ARVN).

     During the following months the battalion’s resources would be taxed bringing what had been a strictly infantry company up to a full TO&E military police company, to include training, personnel and equipment, and moving it and its remaining assets and personnel to Vinh Long.

     CPT James M. Le Vasseur the commanding officer of A Company departed.

Bearcat Detachment  1LT Joseph L. J. Brillion of A Company was assigned as the Bearcat Deputy Provost Marshal.

     CPT Leland D. Smith the commanding officer of C Company departed.

Vinh Long 1LT Phillip J. Simms was assigned as the B Company Vinh Long Deputy Provost Marshal.

     1LT William L. Chappel is assigned to HQ & HQ Detachment as the Battalion communications officer, and 1LT George L. Foley, Jr. departed as Battalion communications officer.

     CPT Orval J. Golphenee is assigned as the commanding officer of C Company.

     CPT Virgil L. Sprayberry the battalion communications office of HQ & HQ Detachment departed.

188th MP Company  1LT Stephen D. Jeske a platoon leader in the 188th MP Company departed.

Exact Dates Unknown During May-June-July   Combined police patrol operations were expanded and enhanced when the battalion, in cooperation with the Vietnamese National (Cahn Sat) and Military Police (Quan Cahn) in CTZ/MR III, increased the number of operating patrols in conjunction with the concept of intensified Vietnamization operations. New Quan Canh detachments were established at Phu Loi and Cu Chi and additional personnel and material resources were added at several other existing locations.

Convoy Escorts  During the reporting period the battalion escorted 502 convoys consisting of 17,926 vehicles to forward areas throughout CTZ/MR III and IV resulting on over 297,000 vehicle miles logged by the escort teams.

POW Escort Unit  Escorted 137 enemy prisoners of war in ordered movements throughout CTZ/MR III and IV, and secured an average of 20 enemy POW’s in the 24th Evacuation Hospital on Long Binh Post.

TAOR  Provided security in the Battalion Tactical Area Of Responsibility for the treatment of 847 local villagers during 12 separate Medical Civic Action Program events.

212th MP Company  The 212th MP Company (Sentry Dog) provided staffing of man-dog teams for physical security missions in the facilities of Long Binh Ammunition Supply Depot, Long Binh Post Scout Dog Unit for missions in the TAOR, Long Binh Perimeter, Tay Ninh Ammunition Supply Depot, Long Than Airfield, Vinh Long Airfield, Vung Tau Ammunition Supply Depot, Soc Trang Airfield, and the Saigon City Port.