Operating under the direct command of 8th Theater Sustainment Command, the 8th Military Police Brigade can be deployed to any point on the globe to support Maneuver Command by conducting a broad array of duties, from Area Security and Maneuver and Mobility Support to Police Intelligence, Law and Order operations, and CBRN (Chemical/Biological/Radiological/Nuclear) Consequence Management.
After a brief period of activation at Fort Riley, Kansas in 1967 with the designation of 8th Military Police Group, the brigade was activated in Vietnam in August, 1968. Over the course of its five-year deployment in the Republic of Vietnam, the unit garnered a Meritorious Unit Commendation and a Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and received official credit for participation in ten campaigns. It was inactivated in 1972 upon its return stateside.
In 1984, the 8th Military Police Brigade (Provisional) was constituted in South Korea to provide command and control of non-divisional Military Police units in the event of war. After ten years, the brigade’s provisional status was removed, and the newly created headquarters was given command of two Military Police Battalion; in the event of hostilities, the brigade would act as Military Police for the entire theater. A decade later, the unit was reassigned to U.S. Army Pacific and relocated from South Korea to Schofield Barracks on Oahu in Hawaii.
The brigade saw several deployments to Iraq, and in 2009 earned a Meritorious Unit Commendation for its “professionalism, dedication to duty, and outstanding performance during combat operations contributed immeasurably to the success of Multi-National Force-Iraq.”
On its Combat Service ID Badge (CSIB) the unit’s long period of service in the Southeast Asia theater and its origins as a brigade in Korea are proudly on display in the form of a taeguk superimposed over the sun. Green and yellow, the primary colors used for the badge’s shield design, are traditionally associated with Military Police. An unsheathed, upright sword is an emblem of complete preparedness. The unit’s motto, “Find the Truth,” is found on its unit crest, also called a Distinctive Unit Insignia.
Related Items
8th Military Police Brigade Patch (SSI)
8th Military Police Brigade Unit Crest (DUI)