Ozark Warriors

From the "414th MP Escort Guard Company"

to the "414th Military Police Prisoner of War Processing Company"

and finally to the "414th Military Police Company"

United States Army Military Police Corps organized - 1941

414th MP Escort Guard Co. Camp Atterbury, Edinburgh, Indiana

Primary mission: Active Duty, Army, Escort Guard

May 1943 to 7 Feb 1944

CPT Robert J. Brown

Commanding

Fort Custer, Michigan?

15 Dec 1943?

In the historical pages of Camp Atterbury, in Edingburgh, Indiana, the first mention of the 414th Military Police Company can be found online. In those days, the facility was used as a training ground. Atterbury's website specifically states that the 414th MP Escort Guard Company arrived in May 1943 and departed 7 February 1944. There are some notes in the current company file that mention the unit not being activated until 15 December 1943 at Fort Custer, Michigan. This information does not cross reference and source documentation does not exist.

If you have information regarding this time period in the history of the 414th MP Company, please email webmaster@ozarkwarriors.com.

414th MP Escort Guard Co. Ft. Knox, KY

Primary mission: Active Duty, Army, Escort Guard

7 Feb 1944 thru 16 Oct 1945 (deactivated)

The 414th MP Escort Guard Company was activated at Ft. Knox, Kentucky upon departure of Camp Atterbury. It was while the active duty unit's stateside base of operations was located in Kentucky, that it received the EAME (European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal) battle streamer depicted here, awarded for the unit's participation in Northern France in 1944.

Upon returning stateside, it appears that the unit as a whole was Inactivated at Camp Bullis, San Antonio Texas. After the war 500,000 soldiers were processed out through the separation centers at Fort Sam Houston and Camp Bullis. It was nothing unusual to deactivate entire units at that time.

If you have information regarding this time period in the history of the 414th MP Company, please email webmaster@ozarkwarriors.com.

Redesignated

"414^th Military Police Prisoner of War Processing Company"

12 Nov 1948 (Redesignated)

The redesignation of the then inactive "414th MP Escort Guard Company" to the Reserve "414th Military Police Prisoner of War Processing Company", was done on paper on 12 November 1948, during the creation of the Organized Reserve Corps, which would itself later be redesignated to the United States Army Reserve on 9 July 1952.

If you have information regarding this time period in the history of the 414th MP Company, please email webmaster@ozarkwarriors.com.

414^th Military Police Prisoner of War Processing Company

Activated at Newark, New Jersey

Primary mission: Organized Reserve Corps, POW Processing

1 Dec 1948 thru 27 Jan 1950 (deactivated)

It took very little time for the 414th POW Processing Company, now belonging to the Organized Reserve Corps, to become a reality. Less than twenty days later, the unit came into official existence on 1 December 1948 at Newark, New Jersey. One year and two months later, on 27 January 1950, it would again be deactivated.

If you have information regarding this time period in the history of the 414th MP Company, please email webmaster@ozarkwarriors.com.

414^th Military Police Prisoner of War Processing Company

Activated at Chico, California

Primary mission: Army Reserve, Prisoner of War Processing

1 Oct 1950 thru 1 May 1968 (moved)

The 414th MP POW Processing Company was reactivated 1 October 1950, this time on the opposite side of the country, on the West coast, at Chico, California. While based in Chico, the unit was redesignated on the 4th of July, 1953, to the "414th Military Police Company" as we know it today but still had a primary training mission of POW Processing. At this time, it is believed that the unit was simply moved from Chico, California to Santa Ana, California in 1968.

If you have information regarding this time period in the history of the 414th MP Company, please email webmaster@ozarkwarriors.com.

"414^th Military Police Company"

Moved to 2345 Barranca Road, Santa Ana, California 92705

Primary mission: Army Reserve, Prisoner of War Processing

1 May 1968 thru 15 Sep 1990 (deactivated)

The 414th Military Police Company was moved to Santa Ana, California, 1 May 1968. This time, it would remain active on the Reserve rolls for more than twenty years.

We have recently received a letter from R. J. Dawson, a member of the 414th MP Company during this time period. Our thanks goes out to him for the information and pictures he has provided. The following, is an excerpt from his email:

I was a member of the 414th MP Company from 9 May 1973, until my reserve obligation was fulfilled and I was relieved on 9 December, 1974. The unit itself was designated a prisoner of war processing company, part of the Sixth Army and was an interesting mixture of leftover draft evaders from the Vietnam era, and professional law enforcement personnel. Several members of the unit were peace officers from surrounding jurisdictions to include Los Angeles Police Department and Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. I was a prior service school trained MP. We never deployed while I was assigned, but our active duty for training was conducted at Fort Irwin by Barstow, CA. We also pulled weekend duty at Los Alamitos Naval Air Station which became an Armed Forces Reserve Center. I was on duty the day the Secretary of the Army visited to make the transition official. I snapped to and gave him a sharp salute and I remember him saying, with a smile on his face, "Damm, its good to see an Army MP around here".

Me, SP4 RJ Dawson, with my first convertible. You may notice the bumper markings on the Jeep indicate 6A63ARC which was the 63rd Army Reserve Command of the Sixth Army. The BF on the other side of the bumper stands for Bakersfield... we borrowed the jeeps from them since our unit had none.

Some things change...

Three of our MP's on Gate Duty at the main entrance to Fort Irwin. The picture requires somewhat of a sense of humor as the Mike Pappa in the middle was one of the non-school trained draft evaders that I mentioned previously.

Never a dull moment as one of our MPs returns just a tad late from his weekend pass after the first week of training. He was assigned to LA Marshalls so we felt he deserved the proper reception.

Some things do not.

- R. J. Dawson (September 7, 2005)

CPT John L. Kuykendall, Commanding
1SG Winton Burnett
(1973-1974)
311^th Coscom63^rd RC (higher com)6th Army