| Unit Name: | 372nd Military Police Company |
| Dates: | 15 October 1942 – 14 June 1945 26 June 1947 – 15 June 1959 22 February 1972 – present |
| Country: |  |
| Branch: | Military Police Corps |
| Type: | Separate company |
| Garrison: | Cumberland, Maryland |
| Battles: | World War II EAME: Naples-Foggia; Southern France; Rhineland; Central Europe |
The 372nd Military Police Company is Military Police Corps unit of the United States Army Reserve. It is based out of Cresaptown, Maryland.[1] Eleven former members of the unit were charged and found guilty of war crimes in connection to the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal during the Iraq War.[2] Another member of the unit, Joe Darby, was awarded the Profile in Courage Award by the Kennedy family for exposing the prisoner abuse. The unit is credited with the capture and stabilization of the city of Hillah along with the 1st Marine Regiment. It was also responsible for guarding main supply routes used by American forces in Iraq.
The 372nd Military Police Company was originally activated on 15 October 1942 in Florence, Arizona under the authority of the Ninth Service Command. The unit was given orders in mid-July 1943 to report to Camp Shanks, near Orangeburg, New York for shipment to Italy in support of the Naples-Foggia Campaign. The unit also supported the Fifth Army in the Rome-Arno Campaign that began on 22 January 1944 and ended 4 June 1944. The unit has participated in Operation Dragoon in France, Operation Nordwind. The unit was deactivated on 14 November 1945 and then reactivated in Baltimore, Maryland on 26 June 1947. The unit was then relocated to Cumberland, Maryland on South Centre Street. The unit was then deactivated on 15 June 1959. The unit was then redesignated Bravo Company of the 336th Military Police Battalion. In January 1964 members of the unit provided site security and acted as guides to the area for the B-52 which crashed in Garrett County. The Unit was then reactivated on 22 February 1972 once again as the 372nd Military Police Company as part of the First Army. The unit drilled at the VFW Hall in Lonaconing, Maryland. On 30 June 1973 the unit shifted its location to Cresaptown, Maryland, where it shared the reserve center with the 265th Ordnance Company. In the mid-1970s the unit recruited its first female military police officer. In 1985 a platoon size element was selected for duty in Operation Bright Star in Egypt and Jordan. In 1986 the entire company was selected to participate in Gallant Eagle in California. Then unit was then activated again on 25 September 1990 for Operation Desert Storm.
During the Iraq War, several detainees at Abu Ghraib prison were abused and humiliated, some of them quite a few times. Charles Graner, Lynndie England, Sabrina Harman and others were later investigated and made to serve time in a military prison.
| Streamer | Award | Year(s) | Additional Info | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign | 1942–1945 | Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, Central Europe | ||
| World War II Victory | 1945 | World War II | ||
| National Defense Service Streamer | 1942–1945, 1990–1991, 2003–2004, 2010–2011 | World War II, Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom | ||
| Southwest Asia Service | 1990–1991 | Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Southwest Asia Cease-Fire | ||
| Iraq Campaign | 2003–2004 | Operation Iraqi Freedom | ||
| Afghanistan Campaign | 2010–2011 | Operation Enduring Freedom |