McGREGOR RANGE, NM. -- In the austere conditions of the Chihuahuan desert, 69 Soldiers from the 13th Military Police Company, 92nd Military Police Battalion, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade of Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., prepare for their deployment to Afghanistan slated for the end of this year.
"These Soldiers will be operating in a special environment that fewer than 1 percent of the military have the opportunity to see," said 1st Sgt. William Rase, senior enlisted advisor to the commander of the 13th MP Co. "The majority of military police Soldiers encounter detainee apprehension but not necessarily what comes next."
Soldiers assigned to this mission will execute the tasks involved with International Security Assistance Force detainee operations and must be hand-selected by U.S. Special Operations Command.
"Once detainees in theater are captured, the Soldiers of our company will be responsible for the inprocessing, transporting and safekeeping of those personnel until they are transferred to a detainee holding area," said Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Pickens, company operations sergeant of the 13th MP Co.
A designated, Forces Command certifying official will validate a unit's deployment readiness based on Soldier performance when conducting these detainee operations tasks.
"The McGregor Range Complex currently has the only detainee operations training facility within the Department of Defense," said Lt. Col. Peter Zike, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 362nd Armor Regiment, 5th Armored Brigade.
Zike and his staff are scheduled to spend 17 days certifying the Soldiers of the 13th MP Co. to ensure that they are prepared for their deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
"These Soldiers will benefit tremendously from the hands-on experience they are getting here," said Staff Sgt. Jeremy Siebold, an internment/resettlement specialist assigned to the 13th MP Co.
Siebold said he feels that his unit is up to the challenge of conducting detainee operations.
"I look forward to seeing the hard work of these Soldiers be put into action when we arrive in theater," he said. "Our job is critical to the success of our brothers and sister in arms."
The 13th MP Co. is scheduled to replace their sister company, the 988th Military Police Company, 92nd MP Bn., 4th MEB.
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