118th Military Police Company (United States)

The 118th Military Police Company is a military police unit of the United States Army located at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

History

The 118th Military Police Company was originally constituted on 11 June 1945 during the waning days of World War II. Less than a month later the 118th started the first of many overseas assignments when it was activated in China on 9 July 1945. As the war ended and the Army returned to a peacetime role, the 118th returned to Fort Lawton, Washington, where it was inactivated on 6 January 1946. The company remained inactive until 20 February 1963 when it was allotted to the regular Army and activated at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. With its new assignment came the distinction of being the only separate airborne Military Police Company in the world. This honor remained bestowed upon the 118th until May 1990 when it was assigned to the 503rd Military Police Battalion (Airborne).

Over the past 33 years the 118th has taken part in many deployments. Examples of this include Operation Power Pack in the Dominican Republic in 1966 where the 118th secured the XVIII Airborne Corps Headquarters; the invasion of Grenada in 1983, where the 118th was given the responsibility of ensuring the safe and speedy evacuation of American citizens and students from St. Georges University; the crisis situation in the republic of Panama in 1988, where the unit deployed as an augmentation security force to the Marines; the coup attempt in Panama in 1989; Operations Desert Shield and Desert storm in 1990/91 where the unit provided security for the XVIII Airborne Tactical Operations Center and main command post as well as EPW escort missions from Iraq; a deployment in 1992 to Homestead, Florida to assist restoring law and order and humanitarian aid after Hurricane Andrew devastated the city; in 1994 the unit deployed to Port-au-Prince, Haiti in support of Operation Uphold Democracy. In 1995 the unit deployed back to Port-au-Prince, in support of the United Nations Mission Haiti; the unit then deployed to Panama in 1999 in support of Joint Task Force Bravo. In September 2001 the 118th was called upon to defend and secure the Pentagon in support of Operation Noble Eagle after the [...] attacks. Most recently the unit deployed to Afghanistan on December 1, 2002 in support of the Global War on [...]. The deployment lasted over nine months and spanned Operations Enduring Freedom II,III and IV. The 118th was then deployed to Iraq in March 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom II where they were tasked with MSR (Main Supply Route) Security for all convoys heading north to Baghdad. The unit then redeployed to Fort Bragg from FOB Kalsu in March 2005. In July 2006 the "Mighty 118th" deployed to Iraq for a second tour.

Recognition

The 118th has been awarded several unit citations throughout its history. The unit was awarded the Army Superior and Unit FORSCOM Eagle Award in 1984, and holds the rare distinction of having twice earned The Jeremiah P. Holland Award, as the best Military Police Company in the Army

Campaign Credit

World War II

• Asiatic-Pacific Theater (without inscription)

Armed Forces Expeditions

• Dominican Republic
• Grenada
• Haiti

Southwest Asia

• Defense of Saudi Arabia Liberation
• Defense of Kuwait

Haiti

• United Nations Mission Haiti

Middle East

• Afghanistan
• Iraq (2)