FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- On the eve of Thanksgiving, dozens of friends and family members gathered at Nutter Field House to bid farewell to the Soldiers of the 988th Military Police Company as they prepare to deploy to Afghanistan this month.
Maj. Timothy Slemp, 92d Military Police Battalion rear commander, explained that these Soldiers are assigned an unusual mission for a line company: detention operations.
"This is a particularly delicate and sensitive mission, critical to our ultimate success in Operation Enduring Freedom, so much so that the Joint Special Operations Command, led by a 3-star general, assembled an expert assessment team to interview all prospective Soldiers assigned to this mission," said Slemp. "The Special Operations Command wanted to absolutely ensure that the men and women that would be directly interacting with and protecting the lives of both our countrymen and our enemies were of the highest caliber, and that they possessed the highest qualities of trustworthiness and dependability."
"Joint Special Operations Command declared emphatically that the 988th MP Company was the best unit they had ever interviewed, with the highest selection rate, and were the most prepared for this mission," he said.
Soldiers from the company have spent several months training in preparation for this deployment.
"Just a few weeks ago, the unit was sent to Fort Bliss to learn the precarious job of an internment resettlement specialist," said Cpt. Justin Boberg, the 988th Military Police Company commander. "Not only did they earn the certification, they walked away with the highest of accolades from the brigade-level training task force of the 1st Army."
In addition to its internment resettlement training, the company has deployed three separate detachments to provide protective services details across the Middle East earlier this year.
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