Sgt. James Becker, 27, of Radcliff, Ky., a squad leader for the 127th Military Police Company, center, chats with other members of the unit during a recent stop at the Khadamiyah Police Station in Baghdad. The 127th, which has run daily patrols out of Forward Operating Base Falcon for the last 11 months, is responsible for 19 Iraqi police stations in the city’s northwest sector. (Vince Little / S&S)
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq — With about a month left on its yearlong deployment, the 127th Military Police Company knows that now is not the time to lose focus.
Before a recent patrol in northwest Baghdad, Sgt. Ian Parker, 22, of Detroit, warned unit members against complacency.
“The second you’re not looking, thinking you can take the Kevlar off or turn your back, that’s when something happens,” said Parker, a company team leader.
During the last 11 months, the company, which works for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division, has endured sniper attacks, ambushes, suicide bombers and bombs hidden along roads or in a vehicle. The unit arrived as the insurgency flared up, at a time when U.S. forces were still combing the country for weapons of mass destruction.
After a decline in violent incidents the past two months, the company has witnessed a recent spike.
“In our sector, violence is a little more active now than it was 11 months ago,” said Sgt. James Becker, 27, of Radcliff, Ky., a squad leader. “But it’s not something you can dwell on. ... We still have a job to do.”
The company patrols day and night, covering an area of northwest Baghdad that includes 19 Iraqi police, patrol and traffic stations. Becker said certain Iraqi communities are now more willing to assist in the search for suspected insurgents.
“When we first got here, we were all pretty edgy because things were heating up,” said Pvt. 2nd Class Jeremy Miller, 20, of Staples, Minn., a company gunner. “The gunners were always pointing at vehicles and yelling at everybody to back off. As the year progressed, we’ve tried more to win over hearts and minds. We’re not yelling as much or pointing guns while controlling traffic.”
Still, Iraqi motorists once leery of coming within a half-mile of U.S. convoys have recently displayed more bravado, he said.
“They’ll sneak up on us now, trying to test us. I’ve actually shot at more cars in the last half of the year than the first half,” Miller said, referring to the practice of firing warning shots to remind Iraqi drivers to maintain a secure distance.
With that departure date looming next month, the company’s hierarchy is preaching diligence and attention to detail.
“It’s natural to get complacent toward the end, when you’re so close to leaving,” Becker said. “Just because nothing’s happened in the last few months doesn’t mean it won’t.”
