The 97th Military Police Battalion is a Military Police Battalion of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

based at Fort Riley, Kansas. Activated in Europe during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the unit provided military police support and during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

, the 97th Military Police Battalion conducted internment operations throughout the duration of the conflict. Since then, the Battalion has honorably served the country in several conflicts to include

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making ...

Operation Iraqi Freedom {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

, and most recently, returning in July 2010,

Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used synonymously by the U.S. government for both the War in Afghanistan (2001–2014) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response to the September 11 a ...

Mission statement

On order, the 97th Military Police Battalion deploys worldwide to conduct Military Police operations in support of Forces Command. The battalion also conducts continuous Law and Order operations in support of the Fort Riley military community.

Organization

The battalion is subordinate to

89th Military Police Brigade The 89th Military Police Brigade is a military police brigade of the United States Army based at Fort Hood, Texas. It is a subordinate unit of III Armored Corps. Activated in Vietnam in the midst of the Vietnam War, the unit provided mi ...

. It is headquartered at

Fort Riley Fort Riley is a United States Army installation located in North Central Kansas, on the Kansas River, also known as the Kaw, between Junction City and Manhattan. The Fort Riley Military Reservation covers 101,733 acres (41,170 ha) in Ge ...

Kansas Kansas () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its Capital city, capital is Topeka, Kansas, Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita, Kansas, Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebras ...

. Over 800 Soldiers assigned to the 97th MP BN are stationed there. The Battalion consists of four Military Police companies, two Military Police Detachments and one Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment: * Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment (HHD) * 116th Military Police Company * 287th Military Police Company * 300th Military Police Company * 977th Military Police Company * 73rd Military Police Detachment * 523rd Military Police Detachment

History

World War II

Activated in Europe on 13 June 1945 towards the end of

, the unit served in Western Europe during the end of the war before being deactivated on 12 November 1945 in France.

Korean War

On 28 October 1951, the battalion was reactivated to serve in the

where it operated the Prisoner of War Enclosure Number Nine in support of the UN led Prisoner of War internment operations. The facility secured 21,932 prisoners. The 97th MP BN served in the

until it was deactivated on 20 March 1953. The unit was awarded the

Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation The Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation () is a military unit award of the government of South Korea that may be presented to South Korean military units, and foreign military units for outstanding performance in defense of the Republic o ...

two times for its contributions.

Vietnam War

The 97th MP BN was reactivated at Fort Lewis, Washington on 1 June 1966 and deployed to South East Asia. While based at

Cam Ranh Bay Cam Ranh Bay ( vi, Vịnh Cam Ranh) is a deep-water bay in Vietnam in Khánh Hòa Province. It is located at an inlet of the South China Sea situated on the southeastern coast of Vietnam, between Phan Rang and Nha Trang, approximately 290 kil ...

, their mission was to provide Law and Order as well as Battlefield Circulation Control. It accomplished this with the 630th MP Company, 218th MP Company, 981st MP Company (Sentry Dog), and the 178th MP Detachment (L&O). The battalion is credited with completing a 450 mile long convoy of engineers and supplies that started in southern Vietnam and ended in Cambodia. This was the longest convoy ever attempted during the conflict. The battalion's assets included

V-100 Commando The Cadillac Gage Commando, frequently denoted as the M706 in U.S. military service, is an American armored car designed to be amphibious. It was engineered by Cadillac Gage specifically for the United States Military Police Corps during the ...

Armored Security Vehicles and Military Police gun jeeps mounted with

M60 machine gun The M60, officially the Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links. There are several types of ammunition approved fo ...

s. After six years of service in Vietnam, the battalion redeployed to the United States and inactivated at Oakland Army Base, California on 30 April 1972. The battalion was awarded the

Meritorious Unit Commendation The Meritorious Unit Commendation (MUC; pronounced ''muck'') is a mid-level unit award of the United States Armed Forces. The U.S. Army awards units the Army MUC for exceptionally meritorious conduct in performance of outstanding achievement or ...

and the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for its distinctive service in South East Asia.

Post Cold War

Towards the end of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

, the battalion found itself activated in

Mannheim, Germany Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's 2 ...

on 16 September 1989, where its primary missions were military

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

and control of the U.S. Confinement Facility in Mannheim. It was subordinate to the 42nd MP Group (Customs) which later reflagged as the 14th MP Brigade. Its customs units were the 193rd MP Company (Nuremberg), 256th MP Company (Frankfurt), 285th MP Company (Karlsruhe), 294th MP Company (Kaiserslautern) and 560th MP Company (Bremerhaven). The battalion was inactivated in September 1994.

Operation Iraqi Freedom

The battalion was activated at Fort Riley, Kansas on 16 October 2005. The battalion commands and controls the 116th MP Company, the 287th MP Company, the 300th MP Company, and the 977th MP Company. The BN HQ deployed in September 2006 in support of

where it provided command and control to 11 Military Police Companies conducting Police Transition Team missions. The battalion redeployed in December 2007 after 15 months to reconstitute and prepare for future requirements in support of the

Global War on Terrorism The war on terror, officially the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), is an ongoing international counterterrorism military campaign initiated by the United States following the September 11 attacks. The main targets of the campaign are militant ...

Operation Enduring Freedom

The BN headquarters deployed in July 2009 to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

in support of the

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 pursua ...

(ISAF) and

IX-XI, mentoring and partnering with the

Afghan National Police The Afghan National Police (ANP; ps, د افغانستان ملي پولیس; prs, پلیس ملی افغانستان), is the national police force of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, serving as a single law enforcement agency all across ...

Kandahar City Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the ca ...

. The battalion was ADCON to 4th BCT,

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from tho ...

and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

, TACON to Task Force Kandahar, which was commanded by a Canadian General Officer. The battalion's mentorship mission eventually evolved to include responsibilities as the battle space owners for Kandahar City, ISAF's strategic center of gravity, focusing on security and governance. The battalion redeployed in July 2010 to continue its support to the 1st Infantry Division and the Fort Riley community, standing ready for when the nation calls again for the Guardian Battalion to Assist, Protect, and Defend our country's interests.

Border support operations

In October 2018 the 97th MP BN was tasked with helping with Border support operations, being sent to Brownsville Texas where they supported the Marine Corps and

United States Customs and Border Protection United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the largest federal law enforcement agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security. It is the country's primary border control organization, charged with regulating and facilit ...

with riot control and other duties.

Honors

Unit decorations

References

{{Reflist

External links

97th Military Police Battalion website
095 Military units and formations in Kansas