<strong>RODRIGUEZ RANGE, Republic of Korea</strong> - Five insurgents were killed and one taken into custody June 11 during a gun fight on Rodriguez Range, or as a scenario was played out during a training exercise on the live fire facility for Soldiers of the 8th Army and the United Nations troops assigned to keeping the peace in South Korea. The insurgents were Soldiers acting the part, and the gun fight an exercise involving blank ammunition planned by Capt. Marshall Hunt of the 55th Military Police Battalion with headquarters on USAG-Casey. The training was done jointly with the 94th MP Battalion.
"Everybody knows the MPs as the guys and gals that drive around in a patrol vehicle doing traffic stops, out in the Ville policing the Soldiers." Hunt said. "Nobody understands this is half of what we do. We also have a combat support mission, which we would do down range in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we have to train for that mission. We also would have the same type of mission in the Republic of Korea if North Korea begins aggression against South Korea."
Training was not routine, there were extra factors about the training, which made it unique for the 55th.
"What is unique about this training is our ability to use the opposing force I brought here," Hunt said. "Most of the time a platoon will go out and train amongst themselves. I have been able to bring more Soldiers from the company, so I have 30 Soldiers playing the opposing force in civilian clothes; they play two different roles: civilians on the battlefield and the part of insurgents with weapons."
The point of having an opposing force playing the part of civilians, Hunt explained, is because the type of combat Soldiers fight in Iraq and Afghanistan (or in Korea if it happens) involves taking care of civilians as well as fighting the enemy. Soldiers rarely train for this factor of combat.
"What I am using are my support people," Hunt said. "We have three platoons of MPs and a platoon of support staff. They rarely get a chance to train with us."
Hunt said he can train half of his battalion at one time because law and order duties must be maintained in Area I garrisons and camps while training is taking place on the range.
"The MP corps has to be a jack of all trades," Hunt said. "We have to train as police and also for combat missions. This is only part of our training."
"We do not get many chances to train with our sister companies," said Capt. John Armstrong, commander of HHD 94th MP Battalion, "HHD focuses mainly on our daily administrative and support tasks; this is a great opportunity to train with our sister companies."
"In following with the commander's vision in being able to fight tonight, he had the vision to train the Soldiers for an extended amount of time," said Lt. Hyun Jung, 55th MP Battalion, "in doing so we were able to train our Soldiers in individual skills and team skills, which enable them to function as a combat unit."
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