Coming out of the NDARNG PA office last night...
191st Military Police Company Lands on U.S. Soil191st Military Police Comment on their Deployment
FORT LEWIS, WASH. - The first plane load of Soldiers from the North DakotaArmy National Guard's 191st Military Police Company arrived in Fort Lewis,Wash., at 8:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. PT).
The remainder of the companyis at Fort Dix, N.J., and will join their unit at Fort Lewis tomorrow. The company deployed to Iraq a year ago, and is expected back in North Dakotawithin a week. "It's always a great day when we can welcome returning Guardsmen, and it willbe an even greater day when we get them home to their families.
We have N.D.National Guard resources in place to speed up the demobilization process,"said Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota National Guard adjutantgeneral. "While it's been a difficult year for families separated by thismission, we all can be very proud in what our Soldiers accomplished whilethey were in Iraq.
Through vigilance and instruction, they left Iraq betterthan they found it and they provided Iraqis with tools to continue thatimprovement." Sprynczynatyk and other senior leaders from the N.D. National Guard traveledto Fort Lewis to greet the returning Soldiers.
A contingent of more than two dozen North Dakota Soldiers were already inplace at Fort Lewis arriving last week to begin preparations for thecompany's demobilization process. Their presence will ensure that thedemobilization goes smoothly and considerably faster than it would otherwise.
The 191st MP Company is based in Fargo with detachments in Mayville andBismarck, although its members come from 40 different cities. The 191t received its mobilization order in October 2007, and began active duty inJanuary 2008. Since arriving in Iraq to perform military police, security andmaneuver support operations, the company has completed nearly 1,300 missions and traveled more than 120,000 miles.
Among the company's accomplishments are assisting in 74 detainee releases andtraining 346 Iraqi Police in a rigorous, 15-day training program thatincorporated weapons training, Iraqi law, police tactics and physicaltraining. The MPs also ensured they left everything better than they foundit, including relations with the local communities, living quarters,communications, Iraqi Police stations, vehicles and other equipment, said thecompany's leadership, Capt. Ben Cleghorn, commander, and 1st Sgt. KevinKeefe, the unit's senior enlisted Soldier.
Nearly 10 percent of the 187 Soldiers who deployed with the MP Company lastJanuary aren't returning home just yet. Sixteen decided to extend their tourfrom anywhere between four and 13 months.
Keefe said that the Soldiers feel a"sense of duty and pride in what they're doing." Continuing that job alsopresents opportunities for some, including not returning to North Dakotauntil winter has ended or continuing to do their job until they're ready tostart the fall semester in college. During the mobilization, the Soldiers earned 21 Bronze Star Medals and 153 Army Commendation Medals.
Two of the Commendation Medals were for specificacts of heroism with "V" device for valor and 72 Soldiers earned CombatAction Badges to recognize their direct participation in combat operations.
191st Military Police Company Lands on U.S. Soil191st Military Police Comment on their Deployment
FORT LEWIS, WASH. - The first plane load of Soldiers from the North DakotaArmy National Guard's 191st Military Police Company arrived in Fort Lewis,Wash., at 8:30 p.m. local time (6:30 p.m. PT).
The remainder of the companyis at Fort Dix, N.J., and will join their unit at Fort Lewis tomorrow. The company deployed to Iraq a year ago, and is expected back in North Dakotawithin a week. "It's always a great day when we can welcome returning Guardsmen, and it willbe an even greater day when we get them home to their families.
We have N.D.National Guard resources in place to speed up the demobilization process,"said Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, North Dakota National Guard adjutantgeneral. "While it's been a difficult year for families separated by thismission, we all can be very proud in what our Soldiers accomplished whilethey were in Iraq.
Through vigilance and instruction, they left Iraq betterthan they found it and they provided Iraqis with tools to continue thatimprovement." Sprynczynatyk and other senior leaders from the N.D. National Guard traveledto Fort Lewis to greet the returning Soldiers.
A contingent of more than two dozen North Dakota Soldiers were already inplace at Fort Lewis arriving last week to begin preparations for thecompany's demobilization process. Their presence will ensure that thedemobilization goes smoothly and considerably faster than it would otherwise.
The 191st MP Company is based in Fargo with detachments in Mayville andBismarck, although its members come from 40 different cities. The 191t received its mobilization order in October 2007, and began active duty inJanuary 2008. Since arriving in Iraq to perform military police, security andmaneuver support operations, the company has completed nearly 1,300 missions and traveled more than 120,000 miles.
Among the company's accomplishments are assisting in 74 detainee releases andtraining 346 Iraqi Police in a rigorous, 15-day training program thatincorporated weapons training, Iraqi law, police tactics and physicaltraining. The MPs also ensured they left everything better than they foundit, including relations with the local communities, living quarters,communications, Iraqi Police stations, vehicles and other equipment, said thecompany's leadership, Capt. Ben Cleghorn, commander, and 1st Sgt. KevinKeefe, the unit's senior enlisted Soldier.
Nearly 10 percent of the 187 Soldiers who deployed with the MP Company lastJanuary aren't returning home just yet. Sixteen decided to extend their tourfrom anywhere between four and 13 months.
Keefe said that the Soldiers feel a"sense of duty and pride in what they're doing." Continuing that job alsopresents opportunities for some, including not returning to North Dakotauntil winter has ended or continuing to do their job until they're ready tostart the fall semester in college. During the mobilization, the Soldiers earned 21 Bronze Star Medals and 153 Army Commendation Medals.
Two of the Commendation Medals were for specificacts of heroism with "V" device for valor and 72 Soldiers earned CombatAction Badges to recognize their direct participation in combat operations.
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