545th MP Company History Project
As of February 3, 2012

Since the Second World War, the 545th MP Company has been very fortunate in that there has always been an individual who took it upon themselves to collect and preserve our unit history. In some instances, the unit commander noticed these efforts and made it official by cutting orders making them the official Historical NCO or Historical Officer. On some military installations such as Fort Hood, Texas there were post regulations requiring such an assignment and a requirement to maintain and submit unit historical reports and keep unit historical files. Since the early 1940’s Department of the Army Regulations have required each unit to submit an annual historical report which they keep on file for several years before sending them to the National Archives. Some of these individuals went to great personal expense and effort to preserve our unit history. SSG Hosclaw is a good example of this. SSG Hosclaw, who was a Desk Sergeant, married a Korean girl and when the unit was deactivated at Camp Custer, Korea, he was told to destroy all the photos, artifacts and documents that were kept in the unit Historical Files in the PMO. Instead of doing this, he packed it all up in foot lockers and shipped it all as Household Goods (in lieu of his real household goods) to the dismay of his new wife. A few years later, when SSG Hosclaw heard that the 545th was being reactivated at Fort Benning, Georgia, he rented a van and took all the banded foot lockers to Ft Benning and reported in to the 11th MP Company which was to become the 545th MP Company on the following day. The 1SG accepted the footlockers and since the unit was departing for Vietnam very soon, the unit just packed all these banded foot lockers with all the rest of the unit equipment and shipped them to Vietnam in 1965. The author of this document commanded the 545th in Vietnam and personally saw these foot lockers in the unit Supply Room in Phouc Vinh, Vietnam in 1969.

To the best of anyone’s recollection, here is a list of those 545th MPs who made sure that most of our unit history was kept with the unit:

World War II                                                                       CPL Wilmoth, Josiah T.

Camp Drake, Japan                                                         SGT Lehman, Harold E.

Korean War                                                                        ILT Haskell, John W.

Camp Crawford, Japan                                                   CPT Haskell, John W.

Camp Custer, Korea                                                        SSG Hosclaw, William H.

Vietnam                                                                               SSG Wheeler, William G. & SFC Lozano, Earnest “Big Ernie”

Fort Hood, Texas                                                               Sp/4 Mumme, William

Iraq & Afghanistan                                                            SSG Ashcraft, Mike and SSG Kennedy, John K.

Fort Hood, Texas                                                               SSG Kennedy, John K and MSG Pentecost, Michael

Fort Richardson, Alaska                                                  SGT Bowles, Michael P. and 1LT Budenski, Jared

Iraq                                                                                        1LT Budenski, Jared

 

 

Although there is an Army requirement for assigning unit personnel to collect and store historical data, many units do not follow regulations even when the Post they are located on also require such an assignment. Here below is the document assigning the very first unit Historical Officer since the days when the 545th was with the 1st Cavalry Division.

 

 

When the 545th MP Company was deactivated at Ft Hood, Texas in 2005, the 545th MP Company Association had just begun its existence and had only about 100 members. In addition to these foot lockers, the unit had accumulated boxes full of documents and photos. SSG Kennedy had made an attempt to catalogue and file these items but the job was overwhelming and he did not get it all done. Both the Post and the 1st Cav Division Historians would not accept most of these items as they were not catalogued or labeled properly and the unit was directed to destroy most of its historical documents and artifacts. The Division PM, LTC Bischof and the Co Commander, CPT Mularoni as well as the First Sergeant, 1SG Szczepankiewicz “1SG Spank” all decided that it would be better to send these items all to the unit Association. At their own expense, most of these items were packed up and sent to our association by MSG Pentecost, SFC Ashcraft and SSG McQueen. A few months later, several more boxes were shipped to the association from Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri by SSG Kennedy and SSG McQueen as they had taken some of the historical items with their household goods to that location and their new assignments. To all of these aforementioned patriots and loyal 545th veterans we owe our gratitude for saving so many photos and documents that preserve our unit history.

We are all especially thankful to SGT Mike Bowles – one of the very first NCOs assigned to the newly reactivated 545th MP Co at Ft Richardson for taking it upon himself to be the Unit Historical NCO in the very beginning before it was made official and an officer, 1LT Jared Budenski was assigned on orders to the duty of Unit Historical Officer shortly thereafter.

One of the primary missions of the 545th MP Company Association is the collection and preservation of our unit history and thankfully we have hundreds of members now that actively collect and send such information, photos and documents to our Association for inclusion in our web site. Everything that is in our web site is copied immediately to the MP Museum and Mr. Andy Watson, the MP Corps Command Historian makes sure that everything we send him is maintained in a safe and secure environment. Mr. Watson has been especially helpful with providing us with information that we did not have and for that we thank him. Sadly, Mr. Watson is moving on to greener pastures and we will miss him. Here below is a Farewell memo from him for our membership:

 

Mr Andy Watson, MP Branch Command Historian examining

one of the many historical documents in The MP History Office.

 

 

 

In addition to the preservation of our own unit history, our association also collects and maintains history pertaining to the Military Police Corps – especially the old Provost Troops and the United States Army Cavalry units. Most of these older Cavalry units also served at one time or another as Provost Troops as far back as the Revolutionary War. This is obvious when viewing our Association Web Site.

The Association has managed to collect from its veterans, historical documents that until we copied them to the various historical organizations, were no longer available or on file anywhere. One example of this is copies of all the unit annual historical reports all the way back to 1944. When I sent copies of these documents to the 1st Cavalry Division Museum and the MP Corps Museum, they were surprised that our unit still had them and pleased to receive copies for their files. In the pages to follow is a copy of the unit report from 1946, which covers calendar year 1945 and is one of the most detailed of all the unit historical reports we have on file.

You will note that mention is made of each wounded and killed MP as well as those individuals who accounted for themselves in a valorous way which is a throwback to the old Army where medals were not given as freely as they are today but “mentioned in reports” was the thing to do. During WW II and earlier both unit historical reports as well as after action reports made mention of such things in much detail.

The 545th MP Company Association has on file all unit annual historical reports from 1944 through 1991 and many of the After Action Reports as well. Anyone having any such documents or documents of a similar nature, kindly forward copies to this organization.

 

 

 

Individual MP Profile Project

In addition to historical documents, the 545th MP Company Association in cooperation with the MP Corps Chief Historian maintains a unit personnel file on all Military Policemen and women who served with the unit from the Fort Bliss, Texas days through the present day at Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Each member of our Association is asked to provide a copy of their DD Form 214 and/or one of the following: ERB, ORB, 201 File or other proof of service along with any supporting documents such as Awards Citations, Biography, Military Orders of any type (promotion, travel, weapons qualification, school attendance etc) and copies of any Certificates of Achievement or Military School(s) Completion.

The Association then makes up an Individual MP Profile for that MP and sends a copy to the MP Museum (hard copy via snail mail) and keeps a copy here at the Association Headquarters. There are no digital copies kept anywhere so that hackers have no access to any personal information. The only personnel authorized accesses to these personnel files at the MP Museum are listed here below:

Chief MP Branch Historian and his assistant
Director of the MP Museum
Provost Marshal General
Provost Command Sergeant major of the US Army
Commandant of the MP School
CSM of the MP School
Commanders of the 545th MP Company
First Sergeants of the 545th MP Company
Chief Historian of the US Army and his immediate staff
Any representative from the National Archives
Commandant of the 545th MP Co Association
Deputy Commandant of the 545th MP Co Association
CSM of the 545th MP Co Association
SGM of the 545th MP Co Association

On the following pages you will find an example of what we keep here on file and share with the MP Museum. In many cases we also have newspaper clippings, birth and death certificates and items such as meal cards, weapons cards, overnight passes, shot records etc. All documentation and photos are attached to the Profile form and kept on file in Alphabetical order in individual personnel files. In some cases we also have copies of the page of the morning report and/or company roster to back up their service with the 545th MP Company.

CPL Josiah "Joe" Wilmoth

MP Platoon, 1st Cavalry Division

Philippines circa 1945

 

 

 

Boos and CPL Wilmoth on water buffalo in the Pacific

December 17, 1944

 

 

 

 

 

Artifacts Project

In addition to providing the Chief MP Branch Historian with photos, documents, publications and reports, we also provide the Director of the Museum with MP Artifacts and because we have sent such an abundance of these items, we are the only Company sized unit in the MP Corps to have their own exhibit at the Museum.

 

 

Members of the 545th MP Co Association Honor Guard standing

in front of our Exhibit at Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri 2010

 

 

 

Our exhibit on the day of its Grand Opening in April 2008

 

 

 

 
We are the only MP Company in the US Army that wears Stetsons as well as NOMAX Flight Suits and Flight Helmets

 

 

 
Our Exhibit takes up two walls in one of the many rooms in the MP Museum and it only displays a very small portion of the photos and artifacts that we have provided to that facility. We have sent in War Trophies, and items of uniform and equipment dating all the way back to the Horse Cavalry days.

In typical 545th MP Company fashion we continue to set the standard and remain up front of all MP units in the method and style of collection of MP unit history. Hooah!

 

 

If anyone reading this Web Site Page has any such information, photos or artifacts they wish to provide,

please send them to me at:

Sam Reinert
CPT MP USAR (Ret)
Founder
545th Military Police Company Association
626 1/2 South 9th Street
Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA
(765) 962 4627 phone & FAX
http://545thmpassn.com/