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MPs keep convoys, EOD safe in Iraq

Marine Corps News

Story Identification #: 2004122395031
Story by Lance Cpl. Will Lathrop

FALLUJAH, Iraq (Dec. 17, 2004) -- The idea of military police evokes images of being pulled over by the flashing blue lights of a police cruiser for driving too fast on base.

But the Marines of Military Police Detachment, Marine Expeditionary Unit Service Support Group 31, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, don’t drive patrol cars; they drive armored HMMWVs with heavy weapons mounted in the turrets. That’s because the MP’s aren’t patrolling the roads of Okinawa’s bases, they’re providing security on the streets of Fallujah.

According to 2nd Lt. Charles M. Hemcher III, platoon commander, the MP’s with MSSG-31 have been operating in Iraq for nearly two months, and have already driven 2,700 miles worth of roads, escorted over 900 trucks and transported over 100 detainees, all part of the 90 missions the Marines have completed.

The missions the MPs perform are aimed at providing security for other Marine units. The different units the MPs were tasked to guard were vehicle recovery, explosive ordnance disposal and sustainment convoys.

“We were providing security for vehicle recovery missions even before (Marines went into Fallujah),” Hemcher said.

When the MPs arrive at their destination, they set up a security perimeter with the vehicles providing cover, explained Staff Sgt. Alexandros Pashos, platoon sergeant for the MSSG-31 MP Platoon.

“If it was an EOD mission, then most of the time the unit that called out for EOD was waiting at that location for us and augmented our security,” Pashos said.

The Marines face constant threats of improvised explosive devices, indirect fire such as rockets and small-arms fire from insurgents in the area around Fallujah. However, the MPs have not yet been faced with an attack where they were able to engage an enemy.

Pashos remembered how their position took fire on one mission and the Marines could see the enemy tracers coming at them. But they couldn’t return fire because there was a field between them and the enemy where Iraqi children were playing soccer.

“Because we could see the enemy driving between houses, we called in the description of the vehicle and the (area) it was in. We were told later that some helos came in and engaged it,” he said. “But it’s very frustrating not being able to shoot back.”

The platoon also transported detainees captured during Operation Al Fajr to a detention facility.

The platoon consists mostly of Marines from MSSG-31, but other personnel were added to their ranks to assist with the amount of work the platoon was going to undertake.

Because all the Marines with his unit are family, said Hemcher. All of the Marines, gear and weapons were mixed evenly, regardless of the original units in order to give every Marine the same load.

Hemcher’s platoon continues to provide security for runs into the city, no matter the mission. Thankfully known of his Marines have been injured so far. Pashos attributes this success to his Marines ability to be tactically oriented and a great group of Marines.