FORT DRUM, N. Y. --While their fellow unit members are deployed on missions around the globe, New York Army National Guard's military police Soldiers have been all around the state, and all about training.
From Buffalo to Fort Drum and Utica, Soldiers of the 105th, 107th and 206th Military Police Companies met physical, tactical and weapons training requirements and kept abreast of basic battlefield tasks in recent weeks. About 120 Soldiers of the Buffalo-based 105th Military Police Company are in Iraq, and about 170 Soldiers of the 107th Military Police Company from Utica are in Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.
The Soldiers who didn't deploy make up the rear detachments of the 105th and 107th Military Police Companies.
The 206th Military Police Company, finished a two-week stint at Fort Drum, N.Y. on Aug. 20. In addition to practicing squad-level battle drills such as reacting to enemy contact and road blocks, the Latham-based unit spent five days on ranges qualifying with various weapons, said Company Commander Capt. Kevin Jusza, of Manchester, N.H.
"With all the various weapons systems an MP platoon carries, every Soldier needs to know how those weapons work," he stressed. The soldiers qualified with M4 carbines, squad automatic weapons, pistols and shotguns, he added.
The Soldiers worked 13-hour days, and also conducted driver training, practiced land navigation and ran the obstacle course, Jusza said.
"They loved doing that," he said of the course.
While the 206th Military Police Company was training at Fort Drum, 105th Military Police Company rear detachment Soldiers conducted civil-disturbance training on Aug. 13 to 14. The unit, based at Buffalo's Masten Avenue Armory, used a park across the street from the armory to practice several crowd-control formations and techniques to take down and subdue rioters, said 2nd Lt. Anthony Pedicone, the detachment commander.
"As an MP unit, we're required do to do that training once a year," said Pedicone, of Buffalo.
Over in Utica, the rear detachment of the 107th Military Police Company took their annual Army physical fitness test and conducted first aid training. While nearly half of the rear detachment are veterans of Iraq or Afghanistan, the training kept the Soldiers up to date on these basic warrior tasks, said detachment commander 1st lt. Christopher Fobare, of Rotterdam, N.Y.
The 105th Military Police Company deployed to Iraq in April, and the 107th Military Police Company deployed to Cuba in July. Both units are scheduled to come home next year.
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