Photo By Staff Sgt. Richard Sherba | Army 1st Lt. Ryan Byars, platoon leader, 2nd Platoon, 558th Military Police Company,...... read more read more
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS — The 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade held a redeployment ceremony for the Soldiers of 2nd Platoon, 558th Military Police Company, 728th MP Bn., here, Oct. 16.
Families, friends and fellow soldiers gathered on a sunny morning to welcome home and honor the returning soldiers who mean so much to so many not just as patriots and soldiers but as spouses, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters after a critical site security mission to Guam.
“This is wonderful, it just feels like a really big relief. This was our first deployment and he [husband, Spc. Joseph Persick] left right after we had a newborn baby. It was so great to finally see him. I cried a lot when I first saw him, and it was nice to just hold him and for him to get to see his son,” said Rachel Persick, wife of Spc. Joseph Persick, 2nd Platoon, 558th MP Company, 728th MP Bn.
Also in attendance was Persick’s 4-year-old daughter.
“Our 4-year-old is so happy, she is so proud of her dad. She showed everyone his picture when he was in Guam; she missed her daddy a lot, “ said Persick. “He is definitely her hero; she is a daddy’s girl all the way. I am just so happy he is home. They [558th MP Co. Soldiers] all did a great job, I am so proud of all of them.”
Staff Sgt. Codye Black, platoon sergeant, 2nd Platoon, 558th MP Co., 728th MP Bn., reflected on the ceremony and the performance of his Soldiers during the deployment.
Each Soldier was hand selected to deploy, representing the best of the best throughout the 558th Military Police Company, said Black.
The hand picked Soldiers performed their duties with honor and excellence, often being recognized with awards and coins for their achievements and dedication, the highest coin the soldiers received came from the Secretary of the Army, explained Black.
These soldiers worked many long and demanding hours, usually 14-hour shifts with one day off a week, and then used their valuable free time to further their military careers by improving their physical fitness and taking online classes in pursuit of civilian educational degrees and military career advancements.
“We had 100% enrollment in structured self development [online military training and courses] and over half of the platoon enrolled in college courses,” said Black. “The morale and camaraderie that was developed was phenomenal. I’m proud of the way they adapted and came together as a group. Our platoon average was 283 [out of 300] for PT [physical training test] and I think the most weight one of our Soldiers lost was right around 25 lbs.”
Army 1st Lt. Ryan Byars, platoon leader, 2nd Platoon, 558th MP Company also spoke about his soldiers and their performance after the ceremony.
“We got the best of the best from throughout the company; chosen to match the demands of this deployment,” said Byars. “I’m proud of how quickly a big group of individuals from different places came together to make the mission a success. Our soldiers stood out, it was very easy to identify who was an MP and who wasn’t [during the deployment], and to me that’s a sense of pride in what I do.”
| Date Taken: | 10.16.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 11.04.2013 15:53 |
| Story ID: | 116267 |
| Location: | HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 595 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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