Alabama National Guard making history with training exercise

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) - The United States Army North is preparing for its largest training exercise ever which consist of 9,000 members of the Defense Department's chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear response force.

The training will take place at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.

National guard units from all over Alabama hit the road Sunday. Their convoy is comprised of National Guard units from Alabama, Florida and Kentucky, and is expected to be the largest domestic convoy in its history while traveling to the exercise on Aug. 5-6.

The 1166th Military Police Detachment 1 assisted part of the convoy during a stop to refuel in Birmingham.

Military on Patrol in Columbus, GA

Frank Borelli
Editor-in-Chief
Officer

In a recent news article out of Columbus, Georgia, we learn that senior NCOs (non-commissioned officers) from Ft. Benning joined Columbus Police Department in patrolling the “uptown” are of the city. Oddly, “uptown” is actually the downtown area and before we get upset about having soldiers patrolling our streets, we need to also know that it’s only TWO senior NCOs and they are acting in support of Columbus PD. Is this anything new? or anything to worry about?


The reality is this: servicemen (and women) in downtown Columbus are a common sight. Personnel from nearby Ft. Benning often head “into town” on the weekends to relax and get a break from their military duties. In fact, to some extent, the city depends on the financial benefit it receives from those service members coming into town and spending their dollars in bars, etc. That said, some service members - like any other segment of today’s society - can behave in a less than model fashion when too many drinks have been consumed, or when disagreements break out.

According to the news report, there were two incidents in April that involved service members from Ft. Benning, and in an effort to work better together for the safety and peace of the citizens of Columbus, the Mayor got together with the Commanding General at Ft. Benning and they worked out this program. Before I go any further, I feel the need to commend them both for that. In today’s world where too many leaders of any given place tend to have “rice bowl thinking” mentalities and only worry about their own little piece of the world, I’m impressed and heartened to see two leaders who communicate and work together to find solutions to real world problems.

I also need to mention that the two senior NCOs are wearing armbands that say Courtesy Patrol and that they have no arrest powers within the city. So why are they there? How can they help?

As one soldier who was interviewed said, seeing a fellow soldier in uniform and in the company of the civil authorities makes any other soldier think twice before acting silly. Additionally, if the NCOs witness a soldier acting in a fashion that is unacceptable, they can order that soldier back to base, ending the “night out on the town”. If that’s not sufficient, they can summon MPs (Military Police Officers) from the base to come and “fetch” that soldier - who is under the authority of the Universal Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) 24/7/365.

What can be scary about having soldiers “on patrol” with civil authorities (police) is the potential misunderstanding that can occur. It’s all too easy for some citizens to see a soldier with a law enforcement officer and THINK that the soldier is acting as a police officer. Posse Comitatus specifically prohibits that - granting soldiers arrest authority over citizens.

what we need to recognize - as has been demonstrated in the past - is that soldiers can act in SUPPORT of the civilian authorities, just as National Guard units have been doing for years, and as various military branches and members did after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. In my view, having those soldiers on the street, helping to maintain peace by serving as a filter against unwanted behavior on the part of military members, is a good thing. I think it’s a fine example of what can be accomplished if leaders in different communities put their egos away and work together for the benefit of all involved.

What do you think?

Is Food the Central Theme for Mass Uprisings?

U.S. exercise in crowd control.  Notice the "Food Now" sign.

After the 30-year reign of Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, severe poverty seems to be a driving force behind the massive uprising in the last six days.  Without food, it seems the people had no choice but to take to the streets and demand an equitable solution.  A similar event is anticipated in the United States.  Above, Army National Guard troops conduct an exercise in crowd control and identify the perpetrators as those demanding food.  Will a shortage of food be the primary motivating factor for an uprising in the United States?

J.T. Waldron

National Guard recruiters forged re-enlistment papers: report

Rawstory

Washington State National Guard recruiters repeatedly forged re-enlistment papers in a desperate attempt to hold on to soldiers in the run-up to the Iraq war surge, a local news channel's investigation has found.

In one case, a soldier found himself fighting against deployment to Iraq after re-enlistment papers with his signature on it appeared -- even though he never signed any such papers, reports Chris Ingalls at KING channel 5 news in Seattle.

And in another case, a sergeant who had signed up for a one-year tour of duty was shocked to discover his enlistment papers stated he had signed up for two years.

Former soldier Michael Patrick sounded the alarm when he discovered forged re-enlistment papers with his name on them.

"Sounds crazy," Michael Patrick told KING 5. "Sounds like something from a movie."

The Washington National Guard soon determined that Sgt. Wendy Schaefer, a recruiter, had paid soldiers and civilians out of her own pocket to sign up recruits. She also promised the Guard would pay $1,000 for each enlistment.

According to Guard documents, Schaefer "created an environment that may have caused some of these 'paid assistants' to fabricate documents in order to get money."

"The documents we received in the Patrick case do not explain how anyone would possibly think they could get away with signing over a soldier's life," Ingalls reported.

In another instance, Sgt. Keith Jackson says he was confronted by his superiors with enlistment papers showing he signed up for a two-year tour of duty, when he says he signed up for a one-year tour.

"I didn't sign it," he told KING 5. "That isn't my signature."

"While the Guard denies the forgery it granted Jackson an honorable discharge soon after KING 5 first told his story," the channel reports.

In neither case has anyone in the Guard been disciplined. Sgt. Schaefer told KING 5 in an email that she left the Guard with her record intact. And the soldier who forged the signature in order to collect money from Schaefer has never been held to account either.