TAL AFAR, Iraq, Jan. 22, 2007 — The morning is chilly as Sgt. Alexis Medina briefs his squad on its mission.
"The most rewarding part of the mission is knowing we're doing something that is going to permanently affect the country. It's something that's going to go down in history, something that helps millions of people."It's not for me, it's for them."
Sgt. Alexis Medina |
Medina and his soldiers, from Company D, 2nd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment from the Florida Army National Guard, are one of several squads that make up the police transition team working in Tal Afar. Their mission is to see that the Iraqi police are properly trained so that they can operate on their own.
As they prepare to go to a meeting with local Iraqi police leaders, Medina updates his squad on route conditions and recent enemy activity.
Once he's done, the soldiers don their protective armor and climb into their vehicles. It's a short drive to the police station, but recent suicide bomb attacks give reason for extra caution and vigilance as they roll out.
This particular mission is nothing new to these soldiers, though.
"We go out a minimum of five days a week to IP stations," Medina said. "We train them up on essential tasks that they need to become effective Iraqi security forces throughout the sector."
Their destination is what they, appropriately, call "The Castle." It's an impressive stone structure complete with walls and ramparts that sits on a hill overlooking Tal Afar. It was built by British forces during their colonial occupation of Iraq a century ago. Inside is a compound for Iraqi army, Iraqi police and coalition forces.
Working with the PTT are civilian police assistant teams, which comprise civilians with backgrounds in law enforcement, to help the Iraqis learn the skills they need to provide security for their communities.
The PTT's job is one of oversight, to allow the Iraqi police to do their job while providing professional training and support, Medina said.
That doesn't mean these troops don't see plenty of action. While they're waiting for their meeting to start, a bout of explosions are heard outside the compound. Insurgents have fired a barrage of mortars into the neighborhood near the Castle.
Medina and his squad are quick to react as they jump back in their vehicles to go help the Iraqis search the area the mortars came from.
Though there are some cultural challenges, and progress is sometimes slow, the police forces of Tal Afar have been doing comparatively well, Medina said.
The police stations are regularly graded on their progress in force protection, equipment maintenance and command and |
