Task Force 1st Armored Division Prepares Iraqis for Embassy Security Duties
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Task Force 1st Armored Division Soldiers are working with the Iraqi people to create a safe and secure environment.
Soldiers from the 382nd Military Police Detachment, an Army Reserve unit from San Diego, Calif., have been training Iraqi security officers for the several foreign embassies across Baghdad to ensure the safety of the diplomats visiting and working there.
The 382nd is attached to the 18th Military Police and is part of Task Force 1st Armored Division.
The security officers, known as diplomatic protective services (DPS), are receiving training from U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi experts in everything from marksmanship to first aid.
“We are teaching how to search baggage, personnel and vehicles, and how to spot (improvised explosive devices) on vehicles and around buildings,” said Sgt. Reggie A. Ceehorne, a military police investigator with the 382nd and head instructor for the DPS.
The five-day DPS training includes weapons safety and marksmanship with the AK-47. They also receive in-depth first aid training from Iraqi medical experts, said Ceehorne.
With the high-profile nature of DPS duties, every trainee had to undergo a thorough background screening and security check, Ceehorne said.
“The DPS are more specialized than most other civil service members, so they had to be carefully screened for ties to any kind of terrorist or criminal activity,” Ceehorne said. “The men and women that make it into these classes are educated and willing to learn.”
Sgt. 1st Class Armando Solario, 1st platoon sergeant for the 382nd, is the main supervisor for the 100-student DPS training classes. After all the screening, selection and instruction, Solario said the DPS trainees have been a pleasure to teach and train.
“These men and women have been receptive to the ideas we are teaching because they understand they have an important role to play,” said Solario. “They know they are representing their country.”
Muna Waly, one of eight female DPS trainees, said she is proud of what her fellow countrymen are accomplishing. She said she is proud of her job and excited to be able to protect her country against “enemies of liberation.”
“We have trained in several areas to ensure the safety of the people we protect,” she said. “While the Iraqi police watch over the population and deal with criminals in the streets, the DPS watch over the guests of Iraq – their safety is the highest importance.”
