Command Sgt. Maj. Ralph Beam, Multi-National Corps - Iraq, asks a question of Pvt. Joseph Hallman, mortarman, 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, while he is on guard at Patrol Base Warrior Keep, Sept. 26. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Chris McCann
Senior NCO Visits 10th Mountain Division Soldiers
The Personnel Security Team has logged more than 20,000 miles as they travel the remote sites in Iraq to offer encouragement to U.S. troops.
By Spc. Chris McCann 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division BAGHDAD, Oct. 6, 2006 — A seemingly endless variety of cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh fruit and recently cut chops of fresh meats hanging in open-air shops provide a colorful backdrop for travelers making their way through the streets of the Sadr Al-Yusufiyah marketplace.
The pastoral scene belies the road’s reputation for being dangerously thick with improvised-explosive devices. But, Multi-National Division Baghdad – soldiers making their way through the marketplace stop frequently, check every abnormality as they safeguard their valuable cargo: Lt. Col. John Valledor, commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Clyde Glenn, both of 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, who were escorting Command Sgt. Maj. Ralph Beam, Multi-National Corps – Iraq’s senior enlisted leader.
The soldiers of the commander’s personnel security detachment escorted Beam Sept. 26 to see their outpost, Patrol Base Warrior Keep, near Sadr Al-Yusufiyah, as well as a nearby battle position.
“It’s always a pleasure to see professionals at work,” said Beam, a native of Kissimmee, Fla. “They’re fresh; they’re doing fine … and we always learn a lot when we go out.”
While the patrol was for the most part routine, the soldiers stopped two Iraqis who appeared to be taking photos of the vehicles.