372nd Military Police Company
The 372nd Military Police Company is a United States Army Reserve military police unit based in Cresaptown, Maryland.
Last updated August 26, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
The 372nd Military Police Company is a unit of the United States Army Reserve's Military Police Corps. Based in Cresaptown, Maryland, it is a military organization rather than a commercial brand, and its principal functions have included military policing, detainee and prisoner operations, route security, force protection, and support to deployed Army formations. The company traces its lineage to the 372d Military Police Escort Guard Company, constituted in September 1942 and activated at Florence, Arizona, during the Second World War. During World War II, the unit deployed to the Mediterranean and European theaters. It received campaign participation credit for Naples-Foggia, Rome-Arno, Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. After being inactivated in November 1945, it entered the Organized Reserves in 1947, later becoming part of the Army Reserve. The unit experienced several changes of station in Maryland, including Baltimore, Cumberland, and Lonaconing, and was redesignated as the 372d Military Police Company in 1952. The company was inactivated in 1959 and reactivated in 1972. It moved to the Cresaptown area in 1973, where it shared a reserve center with the 265th Ordnance Company. During the Cold War period it took part in major exercises and overseas activities, including Operation Bright Star in Egypt and Jordan in 1985 and the Gallant Eagle exercise in California in 1986. Members also assisted with security and local guidance following the 1964 crash of a B-52 bomber in Garrett County, Maryland. The unit was ordered to active service for Operation Desert Storm in 1990–1991 and later supported operations connected with the post-September 11 security environment, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Its Iraq service included security missions on main supply routes and participation in the capture and stabilization of Hillah alongside the 1st Marine Regiment. The 372nd became internationally known because several of its members were involved in the Abu Ghraib prisoner-abuse scandal during the Iraq War. Eleven former members were charged and found guilty in connection with war-crimes allegations arising from abuse at the prison. Members associated with the cases included Charles Graner, Lynndie England, Sabrina Harman, and others. Another member, Joe Darby, reported evidence of the abuse and later received the Profile in Courage Award from the Kennedy family. The scandal resulted in criminal prosecutions, military prison sentences, extensive public scrutiny, and lasting debate about command responsibility, military ethics, detainee treatment, and rules governing wartime detention. Lineage records show later active-duty periods in 2003–2004, 2010–2011, and beginning in 2016. The available reference material does not establish the unit's present operational status, current commanding officer, or a separate official public website.
History
The 372nd Military Police Company was constituted on 25 September 1942 as the 372d Military Police Escort Guard Company and activated on 15 October of that year at Florence, Arizona, under the Ninth Service Command. In 1943 it received orders to move to Camp Shanks, New York, for shipment to Italy. During the Second World War it supported the Fifth Army in the Naples-Foggia and Rome-Arno campaigns, and later participated in operations associated with Southern France, Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe. Its Southern France credit included an arrowhead designation, reflecting participation in an assault landing. The wartime organization was inactivated at Camp Myles Standish, Massachusetts, on 14 November 1945. It was allotted to the Organized Reserves in June 1947 and reactivated at Baltimore, Maryland, later that month. The unit subsequently moved to Cumberland and Lonaconing. The Organized Reserves became the Organized Reserve Corps in 1948 and the Army Reserve in 1952. On 15 November 1952, the company was reorganized and redesignated as the 372d Military Police Company. It was inactivated at Lonaconing in June 1959. The company returned to active reserve status on 22 February 1972. It drilled at a Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in Lonaconing before moving in June 1973 to the Cresaptown area, where it shared a reserve center with the 265th Ordnance Company. During the 1970s it recruited its first female military police officer. The unit also participated in selected training and security activities: a platoon-sized element served in Operation Bright Star in Egypt and Jordan in 1985, while the full company took part in the Gallant Eagle exercise in California in 1986. In 1964, before the 1972 reactivation, members had provided site security and local guidance after a B-52 crash in Garrett County, Maryland. The company was ordered to active military service in September 1990 for Operation Desert Storm and returned to reserve status in May 1991. It later supported operations in Bosnia during 2001–2002 and received campaign credit connected with Operation Noble Eagle and Operation Enduring Freedom. In February 2003 it was again ordered to active service for the Iraq War. Its missions included guarding main supply routes used by United States forces and participating with the 1st Marine Regiment in the capture and stabilization of Hillah. The unit's most prominent historical association is the Abu Ghraib prisoner-abuse scandal. Several detainees were tortured, abused, or killed at the prison during the Iraq War. Eleven former members of the 372nd were charged and found guilty in cases connected with the abuse. Charles Graner, Lynndie England, Sabrina Harman, and other personnel became prominent figures in the prosecutions and public reporting. Joe Darby, another member of the unit, disclosed evidence of abuse to authorities and was subsequently recognized with the Profile in Courage Award. The episode generated criminal proceedings, military prison sentences, investigations, and continuing criticism of detention policy and command supervision. The lineage records further identify active-service periods beginning in April 2010, ending in May 2011, and beginning again in March 2016. The available material does not provide a later deactivation date or enough information to determine the company's current operational status.
- 2016
Further active-service order
[1]The company was ordered into active military service beginning in March 2016.
- 2010
Operation Enduring Freedom activation
[1]The company was ordered to active service for a deployment associated with Operation Enduring Freedom.
- 2004
Abu Ghraib prosecutions
[1]Members and former members faced criminal cases arising from prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib; Joe Darby received national recognition for reporting the abuse.
- 2003
Iraq War deployment
[1]The company was mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom and performed military-police and route-security duties.
- 1990
Desert Storm mobilization
[1]The company entered active military service for Operation Desert Storm.
- 1973
Moved to Cresaptown
[1]The unit moved to Cresaptown, Maryland, and shared a reserve center with the 265th Ordnance Company.
- 1972
Reactivated in the Army Reserve
[1]The 372nd Military Police Company was reactivated at Lonaconing.
- 1959
Inactivated at Lonaconing
[1]The company was inactivated in Maryland.
- 1952
Redesignated as a military police company
[1]The organization was redesignated the 372d Military Police Company.
- 1947
Reactivated in the Organized Reserves
[1]The unit was reactivated at Baltimore, Maryland, after being allotted to the Organized Reserves.
Products and positioning
A United States Army Reserve military police company organized to provide trained personnel for law-enforcement, security, detention, and operational-support missions in domestic training environments and overseas deployments.
Controversies
2004
Abu Ghraib prisoner-abuse scandal
Eleven former members of the company were charged and found guilty in connection with war-crimes cases arising from torture and prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib during the Iraq War. The scandal involved criminal prosecutions and military prison sentences, and prompted broad scrutiny of detention policy, interrogation practices, military ethics, and command supervision.
Marketing campaigns
- 2016Operation Enduring Freedom service
Overseas deployment
The unit was ordered into active military service in March 2016 under a deployment associated with Operation Enduring Freedom.
Outcome. The available reference does not specify the later release date or precise location.
- 2010Operation Enduring Freedom
Afghanistan · United States Central Command area
The company entered active service for a deployment credited to Operation Enduring Freedom.
Outcome. The company was released from active service in May 2011.
- 2003Operation Iraqi Freedom
Iraq
The company supported coalition operations in Iraq, including main-supply-route security and the capture and stabilization of Hillah with the 1st Marine Regiment.
Outcome. The deployment ended when the company returned to reserve status in October 2004.
- 2001Operation Noble Eagle and Bosnia support
Bosnia and Herzegovina · United States
The unit was ordered to active service for missions connected with Operation Noble Eagle and deployed to Bosnia during 2001–2002.
Outcome. The service is recorded in the unit's lineage and campaign participation credit.
- 1990Operation Desert Storm
Southwest Asia
The company was mobilized for the Gulf War and received participation credit for the defense of Saudi Arabia, liberation of Kuwait, and cease-fire phases.
Outcome. The unit returned to reserve status in May 1991.
- 1986Gallant Eagle
California · United States
The entire company participated in the Gallant Eagle exercise in California.
Outcome. The exercise provided large-scale readiness training for the reserve unit.
- 1985Operation Bright Star
Egypt · Jordan
A platoon-sized element of the company was selected for duty during the multinational exercise Operation Bright Star.
Outcome. The deployment formed part of the unit's Cold War-era training and operational experience.
- 1944Rome-Arno Campaign
Italy
The company supported Fifth Army operations during the Rome-Arno campaign.
Outcome. The campaign is included in the unit's World War II honors.
- 1944Operation Dragoon and Southern France
Southern France
The unit participated in operations associated with the Allied invasion and campaign in Southern France.
Outcome. Southern France is recorded with arrowhead assault-landing credit.
- 1944Rhineland, Ardennes-Alsace, and Central Europe campaigns
Western Europe
The company continued military-police support during later European campaigns of World War II.
Outcome. These campaigns form part of the unit's official participation credit.
Showing the 10 most recent.
Brand decisions
2010
Renewed active-service deploymentStrategyBackground
The Army Reserve ordered the company to active military service for an Operation Enduring Freedom deployment.
Action taken
The company served on active duty from April 2010 until its release in May 2011.
Aftermath
The unit reverted to reserve status after the deployment.
2003
Deployment for Iraq security operationsStrategyBackground
The United States Army Reserve mobilized the company during the Iraq War.
Action taken
The unit provided military-police support, guarded main supply routes, and assisted in the capture and stabilization of Hillah.
Aftermath
The deployment ended in October 2004. Members of the unit later became associated with the Abu Ghraib abuse prosecutions.
Sources1 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/372nd-military-police-company · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled