Policing in "The Cradle of Civilization"

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A brief glimpse into my 1 year tour in Iraq as an International Police Advisor
 
May 2006 - July 2007

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I've been home from Iraq since July 2007.  It hard to believe, and perhaps hard for some to understand, but I still miss it each and everyday.  Many, many times I have thought about going back. 
 
I've never hidden the fact that I made really good money while I was in Iraq.  But the money was only part of the reason why I went in the first place and why I want to go back.  If you haven't been there it's difficult to understand. 
 
During my 13 months in Iraq I lost three men who went with me in May 2006 and one more in Dec 2007 after I came home. 

To the IPA's still in Iraq, I wish you Godspeed.  I pray that God will be your rear guard.  I pray that he will protect you from the roadside bombs, mortars, rockets and ambushes. I pray that will continue to do what you can to take care of your soldiers.  You guys are all heroes in my eyes.  I miss you and wish you the best. 
 
Mark Williams

“Thank you, Lord.  It is so good to know that You lead me and guide me today because You said that the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.  I thank You that You are the God who more than enough and that You are more than enough in my life.  There is no problem I can face today that You haven’t already overcome.  I know that as I begin my day, You have already prepared the way for me before I ever get there.”

“War is not a joking matter, but when we look back, hardship and misery should not be the only thing we remember.  We should revel in the fact that we have made a significant and tangible impact on this region of the world.  We have indeed made a difference.”

 

Author Unknown

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Click here for Glenn's website.

While I was home on R&R in May I watched the Glenn Beck show for the first time.  My wife told me about when we talked by phone.  After watching it for the first time, I was addicted. 
 
I'm not a huge fan of CNN.  However, this guy has it right.  He doesn't care if you are a Republican or a Democrat.  Check out his website and better yet, watch his show, nightly on CNN at 6:00pm CST.  I think you'll enjoy it. 

Click on the link below to hear what you need to hear rather than what the Democrats and the liberal media want you to hear. 

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“This is not simply a fight against terror – terror is a tactic.  This is not simply a fight against Al-Qaeda, its affiliates and adherents – they are foot soldiers.  This is not simply a fight to bring democracy to the Middle East – that is a strategic objective.  This is a fight for the very ideas at the foundation of our society, the way of life those ideas enable, and the freedoms we enjoy.” 
R.L. Brownlee - Acting Secretary of the Army

Monday, Mar. 12, 2007

When members speak not of victory but of time limits, deadlines and other arbitrary measures, they are telling the enemy simply to watch the clock and wait us out.

— VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY

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Please check out Michael Dye's "The PeaceKeepers"
A Bible Study for Law Enforcement Officers. 
Simply click below.

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If you are interested in starting a Bible study for police officers, check out this website.

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First and foremost I want to thank my Lord & Savior Jesus Christ for his unconditional love and mercy.  I am nothing without him. 

I would also like to thank my wife Beth for standing by me and taking care of everything at home.  I don't know what I would do without her.  I also thank my kids and the rest of my family for supporting me.  To a few of my fellow officers here in Iraq; Rodney, Sheldon and Quinten, thanks for everything.  And last but not least I want to say thanks to the greatest soldiers in the world; the men and women of the United States Military. 

First of all let me say that I am not a soldier.  In many of my photos you will notice I "look" like a soldier.  I wear the same uniform as a soldier simply because it is safer for me and for the soldiers I work with.  This way I don't draw attention to myself or my squad.  If I were to dress differently than my soldiers a sniper may look at me as a 'high value target."  Even though he couldn't be further from the truth.  It is an honor to wear this uniform and I do not take it for granted. 

This is my website which covers my tour of duty here in Iraq.  I will share photos with you and I will try to give you a brief glimpse of my experiences in Operation Iraqi Freedom from the viewpoint of an American police officer.  Keep in mind that the website is a work in progress.  Check back frequently for updates. 

I would  like to dedicate this page to my partner, Ron Little.  Ron was seriously injured in December of 2006 while I was on R&R.  Ron's Humvee was struck by a roadside bomb.  Although he will recover I'll miss him.  He'a great guy, a great cop and great friend. 

I guess you're wandering why I decided to have a web site.  First let me say that the views expressed in this website are my own and in no way represent the views of my employer, Dyncorp International, The U.S. Dept of State, the United States Military or the United States Government. 
 
The main reason I decided to post this website is because I'm really tired of the liberal media.  It seems that the media only wants to report the bad things that happen here in Iraq.  Very seldom, with the exception of Fox News, does anyone report on the good things.  The twisted values of the far left are destroying our nation and the morale of our soldiers.  I'm thankful that God plays a huge role in our military.  If it were left up to "The Far Left" the word "God" would be banned from everything. 
 
Another reason is I believe in our President George Bush, I believe in this mission and I believe in our military.   I believe that God led us to this place for a reason and that reason is a part of God's greater plan. 
 
President Bush is constantly criticized for what he believes in.  I don't care what anyone says, I know he is doing the right thing.  Those people who oppose him should get down on their knees and thank God for the opportunity to oppose him, speak out against him and protest against him publicly.  Prior to 2003 if you did that here in Iraq you would have been killed. 
 
I will be the first to say that we have made mistakes during this war.  No one anticipated the backlash from the insurgents that we are experiencing now.  I personally never had much respect for former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.  He had a very difficult job and I'm not judging him but I always felt he was arrogant and wouldn't listen to those who knew what needed to be done.  I also think that we have tied the hands of our soldiers.  No one wants innocent civilians to die but unfortunately that is what is referred to as "collateral damage."  It is unavoidable. 
 
It is my belief that our political leaders do not want to be viewed as "occupiers."  They want the world to perceive us as supporting the Iraqi Government.  Unfortuantely the Iraqi Goverment is, for the most part, ineffective and not capable of running the country at this point in time.  
 
It is also my belief that some Democrats, at the national level at least, do want us to fail.  I think they are willing to go to any lengths to win The White House.  Maybe that statement isn't true, but that's my perception. 
 
This war is more complex than most people can comprehend.  Most people don't understand it because they can't envision anything other than a conventional war like World War II.   This is not a conventional war.  The enemy here does not wear a particular uniform.  As a matter of fact, they simply blend in with everyone else.
And we're not just fighting Iraqi insurgents. 
 
There are terrorists from all over the world who have come here to fight us.  I personally believe that most of this war is being funded by Iran.  It doesn't take a great deal of experience in foreign affairs to figure that out. 
 
The insurgents are cowards who hide behind their religion.  They shoot at us and then run into a mosque.  They plant roadside bombs and then hide in the shadows waiting for us to drive by. Having said that I still continue to pray for them.   It's not my job to judge them, God will be the one to do that.    In case you didn't know, the Quran, or Islamic Bible, strictly prohibits suicide.  So how then do the insurgents justify suicide bombers?  First of all they are not suicide bombers, they are homicide bombers. 
 
We, as a nation, are going to have to be patient.  I'm not saying we can continue on as we have forever.  If in a year there has been no obvious improvements then maybe we wll should reconsider our position.  But this is not something that is going to end anytime soon.  If it were that easy we would have been fiinished a long time ago.  We as a nation have not failed.  The Iraqi people have failed to stand up for themselves.  But keep in mind that the Iraqi people lived under an oppressive and vicious dictator for more than 30 years.  
 
Another thing you need to remember is that there has not been a single terrorist attack on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001.  How then can it be said that President Bush has failed? 
 
Please remember this.  You have the right to oppose this war.  You also have the right to disagree with or dislike our President.  But you have no choice but to support our troops.  If the radical Muslims continue to view our nation as being divided then they will take advantage and the consequences will be severe. I can assure you that Radical Islam is the number one threat to America and our allies.  Check out the photo below, that's about sums it up:
 
 
 
 

The single biggest threat to the United States
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Radical Islam

What is it like here in Baghdad?

November 20, 2006
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This little girl works at our police station in Baghdad.

A lot of people might wander what it is really like here in Iraq.  Unfortunately most people only know what they've seen on the news. 
 
So far this has been a great experience.  Up until about a month ago we were attacked here on our base almost daily by insurgents who would shoot rockets and mortars at us.  On one particular morning, around 3:30am Iraq time, we were hit with 33 rockets.  Fortunately, the insurgents are not very good at this so our casulaties have been minimal.  To date we have lost one soldier and one civilian to indirect fire.  There have been several injuries but only two deaths. 
 
On 20 September 2006, by the Grace of God, I survived my first roadside bomb.  My squad and I were traveling on a main route here in Baghdad.  For security reasons I can't release the name of the route.  As we were traveling to an Iraqi Police Station, a roadside bomb exploded.  We suffered minimal damage to our vehicle and no injuries.  We completed our mission within a short time.
 
This particular roadside bomb was an EFP or Explosively Forced Projectile.  Those three letters will strike fear in the hearts of even the bravest soldiers and civilians here in Iraq.  Fortunately for us the bomb missed us. 
 
On 21 October 2006, again by the Grace of God,  I survived my second roadside bomb.  This one detonated right next to my door as we were going under an overpass.  It was much louder than the first one.  For about ten seconds we were pretty disoriented but once the smoke and debris cleared we realized we were all ok.  Our vehicle suffered moderate damage so our mission that day was cancelled.  It doesn't take long here in Iraq before you have a chance to think about your own mortality. 
 
One very important thing that this experience has taught me is that "it's not about me."  That is a quote from "The Purpose Driven LIfe" by Rick Warren.  If you haven't read the book I would encourage you to do so.
 
On the very next day, October 22, one of my classmates was killed by a roadside bomb.  I also lost a classmate in September when he was shot and killed by a  sniper. 
 
It has been an honor to work with the brave men and women of the United States Army, particularly the 118th Military Police Company, 2nd Platoon, 1st Squad, led by Lieutenant Mark Singer.  My particular team consisted of my Truck Commander or "TC", Sgt David Grounds, driver Private Taylor O'Leary and Gunnder, Private David Truelove.  Our Squad Leader was Staff Sergeant James Jones.  I would mention the rest of our squad but I'm afraid I'll leave someone out.  So to my squad; you know who you are, thanks for everything. 
 
Unfortunately the 118th MP Company has moved to another Forward Operating Base.  I'm now working with a different MP Company.   This MP Company too is made up of great soldiers, the 240th MP Company.  I look forward to working with them.   
 
 

November 20, 2006
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Me, Sgt Grounds and two reporters from Fox News

October 21, 2006
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After we were hit by our second IED. L-R: Pvt Truelove, me, Pvt O'Leary, and Lt Singer

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Taking a break....

September 11, 2006
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On the left is my former partner, Ron Little.

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Practical Homicide Investigation

For the best homicide investigaton training on the planet, click on the link above.

Please get in touch with any comments or reactions to my site.

An American Police Officer in Iraq

January 17, 2007
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With a member of the Iraqi Army