New Mexico Minuteman - Winter 2012

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Multipurpose protectors: military police serve many roles, functions By Spc. John A. Montoya CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – The 126th Military Police Company is an integral part of the Kosovo Forces 14 rotation on Camp Bondsteel. These MP Soldiers, based in Albuquerque, help keep the base secure with personnel and equipment when they are out in the fi eld. The military police have many different duties and tasks assigned to them, all centered on keeping the Soldiers and civilian employees safe and secure here on Bondsteel and throughout Kosovo. The 126th provides Soldiers to the Provost Marshal’s Offi ce and the command group’s Personal Security Detachment. They also perform other security details such as security escorts for convoys, site security, event security, monetary escorts and securing vehicle breakdowns outside of Camp Bondsteel, said 1st Lt. Winston Holyan, offi cer in charge of the 126th Military Police. “We’re kind of an all-purpose force. We cover anything that needs protection, essentially,” Holyan said. Although many Soldiers may see only the military police performing the more mundane tasks such as the continuous vehicle patrols around Bondsteel, they must also stand ready for any security issue which may arise. Master Sgt. Lacey Macias, noncommissioned offi cer in charge of the 126th, admits the vehicle patrols are one of their most routine and boring tasks, but he says there are many occasions where he gets his Soldiers moving at a moment’s notice and has them working on a security assignment on or off Bondsteel. 16 NEW MEXICO Minuteman / / Winter 2012 Being fl exible and capable of taking on different assignments and tasks is almost a prerequisite for being a good MP Soldier, which helps explain the other acronym which is often affi xed to it. “MP also stands for multipurpose,” said Macias. Any movement, any action, any crisis calls upon the military police to provide security; whether that be securing a convoy on the road to another camp or simply providing routine escort for a food delivery to the dining facility, said Holyan. The military police are very visible and they actively make their presence known when needed. They are also behind the scenes and may be involved in things that aren’t normally thought of as police responsibilities. Every time Soldiers eat on Bondsteel, handle physical cash or fi ll up their vehicle, somewhere along the way, the military police provided security to make those things possible in a safe and secure manner. “Anything that comes onto Bondsteel needs to be escorted,” said Macias. In addition to handling all the different aspects of security of personnel and materiel, military police enforce basic law and order on Bondsteel, which ranges from traffi c policing to enforcing command policy. One of the most frequent issues the MPs deal with is people jogging off the track while wearing headphones, which is against post policy. Soldiers of the 126th continue to perform their daily police work and remain fl exible and ready for any situation which needs their security expertise.
MOUT training comes to Camp Bondsteel By Spc. Evan Lane, CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo – The shoot house at Camp Bondsteel, months in the making, is now open for business. Combat Arms Training Company Soldiers, under the direction of Master Sgt. Jesus Holguin, worked with Kellogg, Brown and Root employees to convert unused space into a Military Operations in Urban Terrain training space. “Sgt. [Michael] Carson really spearheaded this thing,” said Holguin. “He developed the fl oor plan, wrote the training and safety SOPs, and kept pushing to get it up and running.” The training is based on techniques perfected over the past decade by Soldiers in theater. MOUT specialists from the 2nd Ranger Battalion shared their expertise with CAT-C trainers who in turn instructed members of Multinational Battle Group East. Instructors walk Soldiers through the basics of team movement, safety and security, and how to enter different types of rooms. Following that, the Soldiers are then given several opportunities to work through the area “dry” or without simulation rounds. Safety is key, said Staff Sgt. Jose Astorga, CAT-C instructor. The simulated rounds are less than lethal, but at the close ranges MOUT students operate in, they still pose a hazard. During the dry runs, Soldiers become comfortable with the communication necessary to effectively clear rooms of enemy combatants. Once the instructors feel that they are ready, the students are issued simulation ammunition, and go through the shoot house under instructor supervision. “The “sim” rounds were not easy to come by, taking months to acquire, but it’s worth it,” said Carson. Throughout each training session, the Soldiers refreshed themselves and began running through the exercises confi dently, properly acquiring targets and avoiding noncombatants until, by the end of the day, each Soldier remembered how to successfully work MOUT situations as part of a team. Lt. Gen. Edward Baca (Ret.) presented National Guard Bureau’s Lifetime Achievement Award Gen. Craig McKinley, Chief, National Guard Bureau, presents the Chief, National Guard Bureau Lifetime Achievement Award to Lt. Gen. Edward Baca (Ret.), Former Chief, National Guard Bureau, during the 2011 Joint Senior Leadership Conference in Oxon Hill, Md. on Nov. 8. McKinley initiated the Lifetime Achievement award program to recognize retired senior leadership based on their lifetime commitment to the National Guard mission. Photo: Tech. Sgt. Melissa E. Chatham Winter 2012 2012 / NEW NEW MEXICO National Guard 17
Page 1: NGB Chief visits N.M. Soldiers in K
Page 4 and 5: A message from the Adjutant General
Page 6 and 7: Veteran Stand Down assists less for
Page 8 and 9: Sena retires; trades in his uniform
Page 10 and 11: Diversity Day strengthens National
Page 12 and 13: NMNG celebrates Red Ribbon Week By
Page 14 and 15: 12 NEW MEXICO Minuteman / Winter 20
Page 16 and 17: By Chief Warrant Offi cer David Bur
Page 20 and 21: Building legal relations with local
Page 22 and 23: Family teams strengthen bonds Story
Page 24 and 25: At 4 a.m. March 9, 1916, the border
Page 26 and 27: NEWS BRIEFS Wreaths Across America
Page 28 and 29: Revving up for the Soldiers focus o
Page 30: Do we really need SAFETY? By Chief

New Mexico Minuteman - Winter 2012

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