"Ever Vigilant"
(Updated 11-24-08)
The Military Police Corps is the uniformed law enforcement
branch of the United States Army. However, some Military Police (MP) units are
designated as Combat MP units whose responsibilities include convoy route
protection, route reconnaissance and straggler control, and handling of
Prisoners of War (POWs). As one of these units, the 18th Military Police
Brigade is the most highly decorated Military Police unit in the United States
Army.
The 18th MP Brigade was activated in September of 1966 to
command all of the non-divisional military police units operating in Vietnam.
Until this time, those units were under the control of commanders in their
respective areas, primarily performing security missions in addition to law and
order functions. At first, the 18th MP BDE performed many tasks that were
unusual or unfamiliar to the military police. Soon these tasks became routine
MP missions. The MPs performed the usual law and order, physical security,
traffic control and confinement missions. However, during combat operations
they could be found in the field patrolling the jungles and villages near Long
Binh and in other areas throughout Vietnam.
The
18th Military Police Brigade's first large scale combat support operations were
"Operation Deckhouse IV" and "Operation Attleboro" in November of 1966. During
these operations, MPs provided convoy security and traffic control. In
"Operation Cedar Falls," the 18th MP BDE supported the 173rd Airborne Brigade
in a full-scale strike against an area known as the Iron Triangle, a heavy
jungle region near Cu Chi. Living and working in the field, it was here that
members of the 720th Military Police Battalion began to earn the 18th MP
Brigade's reputation as "the only combat tested MP brigade."
By the fall of 1967, the 18th Military Police Brigade had
been assigned the responsibility for the security of a twenty-two square mile
area south of Long Binh. This made the 18th the first military police unit in
history to man a tactical area of responsibility in a combat zone. The unit
conducted more infantry activities that included night ambushes, sweeps,
reconnaissance patrols and other small unit operations. During the Tet
Offensive that began on January 31, 1968, units of the 18th Military Police
Brigade were heavily engaged in the Battle of Saigon, which included key points
such as the United States Embassy, BOQ #3, the MACV Annex Area, the Embassy
Hotel, and the vicinity of the race track on Plantation Road.
During Vietnam the 18th Military Police Brigade took part
in ten campaigns and was awarded four meritorious unit commendations and
streamers. The brigade was also awarded the Republic of Vietnam Cross of
Gallantry with Palm for its outstanding service. On the morning of March 30,
1973, the 18th Military Police Brigade was inactivated. It was the last major
color-bearing unit to leave Vietnam. The largest and only combat tested
military police brigade in the history of the Military Police Corps had
distinguished itself in its six plus years of activation and duty in
Vietnam.
The Brigade was re-activated on August 16, 1985 and
continued to faithfully serve as part of V Corps stationed in West Germany
during the Cold War. During 1990-1991, battalions from the Brigade deployed to
support VII Corps in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and V Corps in
Operation Provide Comfort (1991). Elements of the Brigade have also deployed to
support Operation Provide Promise (1992 to 1996) and Operation Joint Endeavor
(1995) in the former Yugoslavia. Every unit in the 18th MP BDE deployed to the
Balkans in 1999.
In support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 18th MP Brigade
crossed into Iraq on March 22, 2003. There the MPs established Enemy Prisoner
of War holding areas for over 3,600 EPWs and conducted Main Supply Route
patrolling over 2,500 kilometers in southern Iraq. The Brigade entered Baghdad
in April of 2003 and began the task of establishing a new Iraqi Police Service
and rebuilding the Iraqi police stations. From the beginning of Operation Iraqi
Freedom until February 2004 the Brigade provided command and control for seven
Military Police battalions, one Mechanized Infantry battalion, 30 Military
Police companies, and two Law and Order detachments. The Brigade's MPs
conducted over 24,000 combat patrols, apprehended over 2,400 criminals,
confiscated 7,500 illegal weapons, and trained over 10,000 Iraqi police
officers.
While units from the Brigade have continued to serve
Afghanistan and Iraq since the beginning of U.S. involvement, the 18th MP
Brigade's Headquarters and Headquarters Company again deployed to Iraq in
November of 2007 for a 15 month tour. Assigned to the Baghdad area, they are
responsible for the training of the Iraqi police forces in the area. In
Theater, the Brigade commands and controls over 5,000 American soldiers.
In addition to the Brigade's forces in Iraq, the 92nd and
212th MP Companies are preparing for deployment to Afghanistan in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom VI. In addition to the 18th MP Bde's support to the
War on Terror, many of the brigade's soldiers continually conduct law
enforcement and force protection duties in communities located throughout
Europe. These military police professionals ensure that the soldiers and
families of these communities are assisted, protected, and defended at all
times, living up to their motto of "Ever Vigilant."
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