Weapons Co., 2/24 more than "Motorized Mayhem"

Photo By Lance Cpl. Jeremiah Murphy | Local Iraqi police patiently wait to be paid for their monthly services, May 12. Mobile Assault Platoon 3, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, worked hard on locking on pay for the Iraqi police, which paid off when the IPs were finally compensated for their work over the last month.  

IRAQ

05.14.2008

Story by Pfc. Jeremiah Murphy 

I Marine Expeditionary Force

By Pfc. Jerry Murphy
Regimental Combat Team 1

HAWAS, Iraq – Marines of Mobile Assault Platoon 3, Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, helped bridge a gap in the local Iraqi logistical system, May 12, providing compensation for local Iraqi police and civil operations in the Northern al Anbar province.

As the Weapons Company's Police Transition Team, MAP 3 conducts partnered patrols with the emerging security forces in the area, assists the local Iraqi security forces in establishing logistical and operational readiness and provides the local Iraqi security forces with a beacon of professionalism to emulate.

"We work with them on a daily basis and try to get them on their feet," said Sgt. Ben J. Pepich, the Weapons Company watch officer. "We try to instill in them values that they can use down the road. They are going to do their job like Iraqis, not like Americans, but it's important to give them a core set of values to live by."

Living alongside the ISF, MAP 3 makes frequent trips throughout the week to local Iraqi police stations to make certain their posts are in good working conditions and to ensure the policemen manning the posts have no uncertainties.

"With our guidance, the Iraqi police and the Iraqi police stations in the area have stood up very quickly," said Capt. Michael J. Cloherty, MAP 3 platoon commander from Palatine, Ill. "The local people appreciate the security that has been provided for them."

Over the last month, the Iraqi police have persistently manned their posts, completed mounted and dismounted patrols and, most importantly, kept their homes and area safe from insurgent attacks and intimidation, not knowing when the next time they would be paid.

On, May 12, MAP 3 ensured that the IPs would be paid by defeating bureaucracy and locking on payment for them.

"We went through the Ramadi administry of interior to make sure that we got the IPs paid," Cloherty said. "We executed a contract that was passed down from the unit that was here before us. This helps our working relationship with the Iraqis and it also lets them know that we are here to help them."

In addition to paying the local IPs, MAP 3 met with the local sheikh, providing him with compensation for water deliveries in the area and protection of the local government center from foreign threats.

"When we meet with the local political leaders, it gives the image that we are helping in any way possible," Cloherty said. "The peope would like to see the country grow and grow peacefully. That's what we're trying to do."

In the end, it turned out to be a very productive day for MAP 3, securing and solidifying the working relationship with the local security officials and manufacturing a strong bond with the local political leader by providing reimbursement for civil projects.

"Having a platoon capable of working with the local forces and excelling at it is pivotal in this austere environment," said Pepich, a 24 year-old from Big Rock, Ill. "MAP 3 has done an exceptional job with this task and shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon. Iraq needs a functional and completely operational security force for the protection of their people and infrastructure and MAP 3 is the tip of the spear with this effort in Weapons Company."

• Date Taken: 05.14.2008
• Date Posted: 05.19.2008 09:58
• Story ID: 19578
• Location: IQ