18th Military Police Brigade

Story by Sgt. Daniel Blottenberger

By Sgt. Daniel Blottenberger
18th Military Police Brigade

BAGHDAD – As the Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 18th Military Police Brigade, serve in the final weeks of their 15-month deployment, they took time to gather together just before sundown, Nov. 10, 2008, for a rather unique ceremony that would be the first of its kind in the unit's history.

The reason for the gathering was that two of the brigade's Soldiers: Sgt. Lori Cortner, a native of Portland, Ore., and Sgt. Joshua Klassen, a native of Pocatello, Idaho, both of whom are assigned to HHC, 18th MP Bde., were actually married mere days prior to the event, Nov. 7. The ceremony served to commemorate their new union as they exchanged name tags and wedding vows as the unit chaplain blessed their marriage.

Col. Mark Spindler, the commander of the 18th MP Bde., walked the 'bride to be' down the aisle – in this case, the motor pool – and presented her to her 'soon to be husband,' before the couple recited their wedding vows.

What made this unique coupling possible was the fact the couple was married by way of a double-proxy marriage through the state of Montana. A proxy marriage is performed in cases where either the bride or the groom could not be physically present for the wedding ceremony. During the solemnization of the marriage, which is based on a power of attorney, a stand-in, or proxy, acts on behalf of one of the parties. If neither party is present, it is called a double-proxy marriage.

In this case, the Klassens' parents stood in as the party acting for them at the courthouse in Montana while the couple was deployed to Iraq.

"We were in a hurry to get married so that we could make sure we stayed together when we redeployed in the upcoming weeks," said Joshua.

Even though they were deployed, they said they wanted to have a small ceremony with their unit and freinds, which they now call their family after spending 14 months deployed in the capital city of Iraq.

"Everyone in our unit has been so supportive, and that meant a lot to us," said Lori, following the ceremony. "This unit has become like family to us here, and we wanted to share this special moment in our lives with them."

During the ceremony, the couple recited their wedding vows to one another, followed by the blessing of their marriage by Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Peter Baktis, 18th MP Bde., who is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y.

"It was a very nice and unique ceremony," said Baktis. "It showed total brigade support for their marriage and showed them having a religious commitment to their marriage."

Having their fellow Soldiers there, in Iraq, was a fitting background for their wedding, said the couple.

"We have known everyone in this unit since we met," said Joshua. "We wanted them to be a part of our ceremony and to share in the joy of our marriage."

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