97th Military Police Battalion (United States)

97th Military Police BN
Distinctive unit insignia
Active	13 June 1945 – Present
Country	United States
Branch	Active Duty
Type	Military Police Battalion
Role	Military Police
Size	Battalion
Part of	89th Military Police Brigade
Garrison/HQ	Fort Riley, Kansas
Motto(s)	Take Charge
Engagements	World War II Korean War Vietnam War Operation Iraqi Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom
Commanders
Current commander	LTC Ann Meredith
Command Sergeant Major	CSM Daniel L. Leasor

The 97th MP BN is a Military Police Battalion of the United States Army based at Fort Riley, Kansas. Activated in Europe during World War II, the unit provided military police support and during the Korean War, the 97th MP BN conducted internment operations throughout the duration of the conflict. Since then, the Battalion has honorably served the country in several conflicts to include Vietnam, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and most recently, returning in July 2010, Operation Enduring Freedom.

On order, the 97th Military Police Battalion deploys worldwide to conduct Military Police operations. in support of. Conduct continuous Law and Order operations in support of the Fort Riley military community.

The battalion is subordinate to 89th Military Police Brigade. It is headquartered at Fort Riley, Kansas. Over 800 Soldiers assigned to the 97th MP BN are stationed there.

The Battalion consists of four Military Police Companies and one Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment:

Activated in Europe on 13 June 1945 in the towards the end of World War II, the unit served in Western Europe during the end of the war before being deactivated on 12 November 1945 in France.

On 28 October 1951, the battalion was reactivated to serve in the Korean War 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 Korean War until it was deactivated on 20 March 1953. The unit was awarded the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation two times for its contributions.

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, 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 Armored Security Vehicles and Military Police gun jeeps mounted with M60 machine guns. 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 and the Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for its distinctive service in South East Asia.