Fort Bragg military police share a day with Family during 'Enforcer Day'

By Capt. Thomas Cieslak/16th MP Bde. PAONovember 12, 2010

Fort Bragg military police share a day with Family during 'Enforcer Day'
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - What does mud, Fort Bragg Military Police cruisers and parachutes all have in common'

For a Family member of the 503rd Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade, it means a day of fun with your Soldier.

The 503rd Military Police Battalion's "Enforcer Day" brought the Families and Soldiers of the unit together the morning of Oct. 29 to enjoy being a member such a close-knit unit and to learn about what it means to be a military policeman on Fort Bragg.

"It allows Families from across the battalion an opportunity to get to know each other and spend some time understanding a little of what their Soldiers do every day," says Lt. Col. Bill Black, commander of the 503rd Military Police Battalion.

Black and his wife, Jude, navigated through an obstacle course as a team, crawled through mud, assembled weapons and flipped a vehicle tire together before cheering other Family teams on.

Family members of the military police battalion got to see armored security vehicles, humvees and marked military police patrol vehicles up close. Children were encouraged to climb in and experience what their parents do as Soldiers.

Wives, husbands and children also had the opportunity to buckle into a parachute to feel what it was like to have a parachute on their backs. With a few snaps, an adjustment here and there and after hooking on a reserve parachute in front, many learned for the first time what it's like to wear something so common on Fort Bragg.

"The ultimate goal was to have some fun and do some team building," said Black about the purpose of a Family Day for the Soldiers and Families of the 503rd MP Bn. Esprit de corps, he says, was also a focus of the event.