Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Nichole Bonham | Sgt. 1st Class Dallas Parkerson (far left) of Indianola, Miss., who serves as the...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Nichole Bonham
Multi-National Division - Baghdad
BAGHDAD – The streets of Baghdad are safer these days. One can hear that message in the news or read about it in the paper. The message isn't propaganda or hype; it's a solid reality that every Soldier deployed to the area can recognize and be grateful for.
But safer doesn't mean the danger is gone.
The camps and forward operating bases, and even the smaller combat outposts sprinkled around the city, are pockets of relative safety. They owe that security to the steady vigilance of the guards on their walls and towers. To get from one pocket of safety to another, however, one has to travel the streets of Baghdad. No walls, no towers, no guards – safer, but still not completely safe.
Safety is the primary job of a personal security detail team, otherwise known as the PSD. The mission is to convoy their designated VIPs – whether it's a general, a command sergeant major, or any myriad of other Soldiers – safely and securely through the streets of Baghdad from one base to another.
"There's really no other way to do it," said Staff Sgt. Charles Mitchell, a native of Richmond, Ky., who serves as a convoy commander with the 223rd Military Police Company, 18th MP Brigade, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. "You have to have someone else that's capable of taking [them] ... to the places [they] need to go. There's just too much involved in the war that's going on for them to concentrate on their own safety."
One PSD team member recently described the job, jokingly, as a high-tech taxi service. But when that taxi is an up-armored humvee or Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicle, and requires a gunner in the turret with a .50 caliber machine gun, it stops being a joke and every PSD Soldiers takes it seriously.
"The main job is not getting complacent," said Sgt. 1st Class Dallas Parkerson, a native of Indianola, Miss., who serves as platoon sergeant for the command sergeant major's PSD team, Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, MND-B. "You make sure you're looking for new things out there that you didn't see the day before. You keep situational awareness so you can make it there and back without any problems."
The teams need to be familiar with their routes. They need to recognize if something is out of place or not as it should be. In the crowded, congested and cluttered streets of Baghdad, that's no small task. The only way to build that familiarity is to get out there and remain vigilant.
Parkerson's team drives its routes at least five days out of every seven. They watch the rooftops, the streets ahead and behind, and the houses, shops and stalls on either side. Each team member knows which sector is his responsibility to watch so the team can keep a constant 360-degree view of the route. That's their mission – know the route, drive it safely and get their passenger where they need to go and back again.
Their passengers' missions is where the story usually lies – "General visits troops" or "Celebrity tours FOBs," and all of the PSD team members know what their passengers' missions are – it's a vital part of situational awareness. But that's not where their focus lies. Instead, members of PSD teams throughout the city focus on providing the constant guarding and steady vigilance needed to keep their passengers, and themselves, safe on the streets of Baghdad.
| Date Taken: | 10.12.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 10.12.2008 11:25 |
| Story ID: | 24861 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 163 |
| Downloads: | 63 |
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