Around midnight, Mar. 4, 159 Soldiers from the 34th Military Police Company arrived in Fort Lewis, Wash., to prepare for their upcoming deployment to Iraq.
Over the next month, they and other Soldiers from the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division will train and receive instruction on weapons qualification, land navigation and other battle tasks and drills.
“I’m very excited to finally start training,” said 1st Lt. Isaac Allen, executive officer for the company, dubbed Task Force Justice for the upcoming mission. “We’ve been waiting on this for about a year; planning and getting stuff ready. Everybody’s ready to get going.”
The upcoming training will help the Soldiers of the Stillwater-based 34th MP Co. perform in five main operations and responsibilities: maneuver and mobility, area security, internment and resettlement, law and order, and intelligence.
With the transition of power and responsibility that is occurring in the nation of Iraq, the 34th MP Co. will have to use every bit of their training to succeed as they help professionalize and transfer responsibility to the Iraqi Security Forces.
“I know my soldiers,” said Allen. “I know how focused they are, I know how mentally prepared they are, and I know how motivated they are, so I have no worries.”
