Regardless of where you’re, there needs to be certain rules and acquisition, referring to particularly so into the a battle area, where about everyone is armed as well as on boundary. The fresh Military Police in Vietnam got a career to accomplish, therefore we did it on the better of our element. But MPs within the Vietnam performed a lot more than just patrol the fresh urban centers and you may, as it is so frequently depicted during the movies, harass its other GIs. It was part of the large logistical difficulty away from promoting various out of tens of thousands of soldiers which have materiel, food and supplies in the midst of a hostile guerrilla adversary. As in Iraq today, convoys is perfect plans, and people securing are usually in one of many war’s very risky and deadly issues.
New V-100 are a wheeled armored car employed for safeguards missions, generally getting running convoys. Its about three-man team consisted of this new rider, new gunner together with radiotelephone user (RTO). Mainly based because of the Cadillac, the V-100 had an enthusiastic intercom system included in radio stations, each person in the automobile you’ll correspond with the rest without providing around the net. The new team head, a position one rotated according to seniority, was a student in charges out-of precisely what the V-100 performed, but once a crew was together for a while visitors rather well realized what to do and you may that was expected.
The brand new 66th MP Business got one of the primary patrol areas from inside the Vietnam. And the V-100 Platoon, the business operate city patrols, defense obligations and you can any kind of other purpose emerged. I ran convoys west on the road QL- 19, south into the QL-step 1 in order to Tuy Hoa, and northern towards the QL-step 1 in order to Bong Son otherwise LZ English.
When i surely got to Vietnam in the late 1969, We registered brand new 66th Army Police Business in the Phu Tai and you can try allotted to the newest V-100 Platoon, where I spent a lot of my personal journey into the escort responsibility
So you’re able to employ which went when and where, this new V-100s went by quantity and you may turned otherwise cutting-edge everyday. The cars have been numbered out of Seven-No to eight-7. The trail supervisor are Eight-7, which generally escorts Bulle resided towards the QL-19. The newest V-100 designated Seven-Zero having a certain day decided to go to LZ English. When a beneficial vehicle’s number is 7-Around three, it unwrapped the trail in addition to Eight-Four. Beginning the street necessary a couple of V-100s to be sure all the bridges had been unlock and you will everything are safe into the basic convoy first off. The newest westbound convoys have been designated “Friscos” as well as the eastbounds “The fresh Yorks.” Count Seven-Four found the initial convoy oriented western and you may increased the rear of that particular convoy. When they enacted a specific checkpoint, Eight-Half a dozen manage pick up the following convoy that designed. Among V-100s was appointed to operate a convoy in order to Tuy Hoa, which was a-two-time run.
Auto 7-Around three manage then escort the original eastbound convoy, and after that do come back to the firm to get maintenance on the automobile throughout a single day
Our street coordinator manage from one of your Korean firebases towards the QL-19 into the phone call sign Zero. When we got to a link, i titled Zero and you can said brand new bridge matter we were crossing; Zero after that knew when to initiate the original convoy. We usually radioed Zero when we hit the latest robot – tom of A keen Khe Citation, and you can once again when we topped the brand new solution.
When good convoy come, its commander, who had been usually leading the way auto, called Zero and you may gave your a listing of what the convoy contained. Zero following assigned the fresh new convoy, always also known as a Charlie Victor, lots. The original convoy throughout the day try Charlie Victor step one, and the like. The fresh convoy leader also called in all the brand new checkpoints approved by leading of convoy. Each connection is actually designated, together with base and best of each and every citation have been named in the in the event the front side as well as the rear introduced brand new checkpoints. By using these number, Zero subsequently managed communication with the Sky Push, dustoff or any other assistance that will be needed.