Deployed 205th MPs mentoring Afghanistan police

KABUL -- Nearing the half-way point of their year-long deployment, Missouri National Guard Soldiers with the 205th Military Police Battalion are hard at work in Afghanistan, performing the vital tasks of mentoring and providing support to the country's national and border police agencies.

"From the top down, the leadership realizes that mentoring the Afghan National Police and Afghan Border Police is a priority," said Command Sgt. Maj. Jay Marsden, the 205th's battalion sergeant major, who is currently deployed with the unit. "Afghanistan will not be a stable country until the citizens trust the government. The trust begins with the police who are on the streets with the citizens."

The Poplar-Bluff based 205th -- which has 80 Citizen-Soldiers activated from across the state -- was deployed to Afghanistan in April after being activated in March. The 205th has three basic missions -- to mentor the 202nd Shamshad Regional Police Headquarters, based in Kabul; to mentor the Afghan Border Police Headquarters Zone 1 near Jalalabad; and to support another military police company that is assigned to it.

The Soldiers are spread out over 11 locations throughout Regional Command-East, an area comprised of 14 provinces and spans nearly 120,000 square kilometers (almost 75,000 miles). RC-East is populated by roughly 7 to 10 million residents and is home to more than 400 Afghan tribes.

"Our troops are performing in an outstanding manner, Marsden said. "Many Soldiers have skill sets that have really helped the Afghanistan police forces. Some of our Soldiers have embarked into an area they have never been in. However, they have performed well and shown what Missouri National Guard Soldiers are made of."

Sgt. 1st Class Robert Myers, readiness noncommissioned officer for the 205th, is not deployed with the battalion, but said that the home-town communities are very supportive of their deployed Soldiers.

"There is a huge amount of support back home," he said. "Everybody is eager to take care of the families of the deployed Soldiers. Whether they need their yard mowed, their roof fixed or whatever, the people are stepping up to get it done."

The 205th is serving RC-East under the 101st Airborne Division and 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. Daily activities vary from location to location. The Soldiers stationed near Kabul primarily work 12- to 14-hour shifts at the 202nd Regional Police Headquarters mentoring staff.

The Soldiers who mentor the Afghan Border Police live on the same base and work various hours mentoring staff members as well.

"We also have a mission to support an MP company and we have a 24-hour team that supports all the locations," he said.

Marsden said the weather has been a factor when the 205th is conducting operations, with temperatures reaching into the 110-120 degree range with high humidity. Depending on the mission, Soldiers are living in varying types of accommodations -- some have hardened buildings, some in wood huts and some even share a room, Marsden said.

"Overall, it has not been too bad," he said. "Our Soldiers just adapt and overcome the circumstances."

Morale is high among the Soldiers, he said. Soldiers have been sent on leave, something they all look forward to, he said. Most Soldiers have down time each week to do laundry, watch a movie or simply relax, he said.

But most of their time is spent hard at work to complete the mission.

"The 205th is working very hard to support the Afghanistan people," he said. "We are making a difference in Afghanistan and by the time we turn it over to our replacements, we will have made positive steps forward for the future of Afghanistan."

For more information about the Missouri National Guard, please call 1-800-GoGuard or visit www.moguard.com.

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For more information about this release, please contact Scott Moyers at (573) 339-5796 or e-mail him at scott.moyers1@us.army.mil.