Photo By Ashley Roy | The 938th Military Police Detachment conducts first annual training since deployment.... read more read more
EDINBURGH, Ind. - Indiana Army National Guard soldiers with the 938th Military Police Detachment, headquartered in Gary, Ind., completed annual training at Atterbury-Muscatatuck near Edinburgh, Ind., July 6-19.
With just 34 soldiers, the 938th MP Detachment is unique because it reports directly to the 81st Troop Command at brigade level.
Having returned from a deployment in late 2011 the unit did not hold AT last year, making this a new experience for some.
“This year was fresh for me, fresh for a lot of the soldiers. We have a lot of new soldiers and soldiers doing their first AT since deployment so it was more or less brushing up on our MP skills,” said Capt. Josette Perkins, 938th MP Detachment commander.
During training soldiers underwent the combat lifesaver course and land navigation, with the second week of training consisting of simulations and working alongside Atterbury military police in the evenings.
In working with the installation MPs, the 938th were given the opportunity to train at the post police station, work the gate, complete patrols and run scenarios to include drunk driver apprehension and a vehicle search.
One of the highlights of training for Spc. Christian Ahearn, human resources, 938th MP Detachment, was non-lethal weapons training including the instruction and use of paint ball guns and the X26E Taser to subdue and apprehend. The MPs were able to fire two taser charges each at targets, and could volunteer for exposure training in which they would be stunned by an instructor.
Transferring in from an engineer battalion, a lot of the training is different for Ahearn. “The training is straightforward and to the point. We have a great commander, great leadership and we’re staying on track. There isn’t a lot of downtime, so it’s not a boring AT,” he said.
Along with hands-on and scenario-based MP training, Soldiers took advantage of the many simulation systems at Atterbury including the Reconfigurable Vehicle Tactical Trainer and Virtual Battlefield System II.
Training on the VBSII stuck out to Perkins because it helped build communication within the unit.
“When we first got here we still had to get to know each other; feel one another out, but on a lot of the missions and training, communication was key. Without communication, obviously the training wouldn’t be complete.”
Although most of the soldiers are military police, they come from different areas. Some have more combat support experience and have never worked a law and order mission before. Through this training they were able to do that, said Perkins.
As the 938th prepared to depart Atterbury and return to their home station, they hoped to take what was learned at Atterbury this AT and incorporate it into regular weekend drills and training.
“There are so many new people in the unit that spending these two weeks together, having that time to bond and get to know each other better makes working together a lot easier. There were a lot of people who stepped up to the plate. They showed what they knew, they were on top of all of their skills and they were able to use that to help others,” said Perkins.
| Date Taken: | 07.25.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2013 08:38 |
| Story ID: | 110870 |
| Location: | EDINBURGH, INDIANA, US |
| Hometown: | GARY, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 430 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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