1st Platoon
"First In, Last Out!"
Platoon Leader:
2LT Elvis L. Mabry
Platoon Sergeant:
SFC John T. O'Brien
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1st Platoon"First In, Last Out!" |
Platoon Leader: Platoon Sergeant: |
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Click here for Scenic Slideshow.
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Familiar Dirt Roads (16 July 2001) The first two months have rolled past and the 340th Military Police Company is holding strong. The unit has made a name for itself within Task Force Falcon as a dependable, professional, hardworking company that takes pride in its work. The men and women deployed here in Kosovo are completing their missions safely and skillfully, focusing on discipline and determination to be successful. The first two months have also shown the 340th’s soldiers new things about the areas they routinely patrol in the Multi-National Brigade- East sector of Kosovo. The construction of new homes and buildings is everywhere, and piles of red bricks and mortar line the dusty roads. Carts filled with chopped wood drawn by horses and tractors roll alongside trucks from all over Eastern Europe. Children are spending their summer months in fields watching cows, taking time off to visit the local swimming pools and riversides. The cities and villages that once seemed so strange are now becoming familiar and welcome sights. Camp Bondsteel is now a lot friendlier than it was at first. The unit has put together a dedicated softball team to play in base tournaments. After work and on days off, soldiers can be seen relaxing around the Cappuccino Bar drinking coffees and ice teas. Many are taking advantage of the education offices and are signed up for language and college level courses. The MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation) centers in both Northtown and Southtown are always full. Besides weightlifting and basketball gyms, the MWR offers ping-pong, video games, darts, pool, and most importantly, the phone and computer rooms. The support sections of the 340th Military Police Company are all maintaining an above-average level of service. The mail system is currently being worked on to allow better access to incoming letters and packages. The administration section is attempting to find ways to curb the tidal wave of paperwork that must be completed regularly. The Supply and Communications sections are able to fulfill most requests for new or replacement parts or equipment. The military police mission has changed slightly since the first month due to the recent conflicts in the Former Yugoslavic Republic of Macedonia. Squad patrols are performing more checkpoints and vehicle searches as part of their daily routines. The searches are difficult and often time-consuming, but are an important part of stemming the movement of weapons and drugs through the area. The 340th also assigns soldiers to support the Bondsteel Detention Facility staff and provides security at the base hospital whenever needed. Overall, things are beginning to come together for the 340th Military Police Company. The fears of a new rotation are giving way to new experiences and new understandings. The summer ahead will surely offer a chance to learn more about Camp Bondsteel and the rolling hills outside the wire. All of the soldiers stationed here are doing their best to promote a safe and disciplined working environment. All are watching out for each other to ensure that as we came as one unit, we leave as one unit. Only four more months to go. |
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Camp Bondsteel’s New Tenets (20 Jun 2001)
By Specialist John Scott Kabay
Any deployment a military unit finds it involved in brings expected hardships and difficulties. No company knows that better than the 340th Military Police Company, a reserve unit out of Queens, New York. The 110 men and women, military police and combat support, have all postponed civilian jobs, school plans, and said goodbye to loved ones to meet their military obligation.
The 340th Military Police Company, augmented by the 423rd Military Police Company and other New York Reserve Units, began training for their six-month deployment to the Kosovo area of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Serbia in late February. They were assigned to the Army’s Task Force Falcon, and received training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, Fort Benning, Georgia, and finally Fort Bragg, North Carolina where they were flown on the 10th of May to Camp Able Sentry in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. By the 15th of May, members of the unit were directly involved in peacekeeping activities in the Multi-National Brigade – East sector of Kosovo.
In the first thirty days under Task Force Falcon’s leadership at Camp Bondsteel, the 340th has come across a majority of things that only a few weeks ago were training exercises. The unit’s military police squads have encountered textbook examples of concealed weapons, unexploded ordinances, and vehicle accidents. They have shown professionalism and expertise in working with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo Police (UNMIK) and local nationals of both Serbian and Albanian decent.
The 340th’s support units are doing equally well with their difficult full-time tasks. The Motor Pool routinely services company vehicles to ensure their on-road safety and dependability. The Administration Section has been successfully handling large workloads of mission reports and intelligence information. Both the Supply and Communication Offices have done an outstanding job keeping equipment up-to-date and serviceable.
Still, the unit has had to sacrifice much of their free time to make the first month run smoothly. Long shifts outside the gates and inside the offices with little time for relaxation were common during the first few weeks. The availability of telephone and computer access was limited, and soldiers found it difficult to keep steady communications back home. Personal finances were being rearranged according to the new military salaries and allotments. Feelings of loss by family members were being dealt with from thousands of miles away. These problems and many more were things the soldiers of the 340th were learning to deal with together as a company.
Even with the long days of hard work ahead, the unit’s spirit remains hopeful and upbeat. The mission assigned to the 340th Military Police Company is one of compassion and discipline - two qualities that are shown daily in the company’s roving patrols, information briefings, and oil changes. All the unit’s soldiers are accomplishing their tasks and achieving above average results. Every time military police squads roll out the gates of Camp Bondsteel, they believe they are making a difference in this war-torn land. And everyday they roll back in off those dusty Kosovo roads makes the area a little safer and them a little bit closer to going home.
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Task Force 716th MP Bn Camp Bondsteel APO AE 09340 |
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