200th Military Police Command

Story by Sgt. Darius Kirkwood

Soldiers from the 200th Military Police Command left no doubt about the quality of reserve component troops after performing several critical missions honorably during the 2009 Joint Service Open House, an annual air show held at Andrews Air Force Base.

More than 100 military police Soldiers from the 800th Military Police Brigade assisted Andrews Air Force Base's 316th Security Forces Squadron with screening guests at the open house for contraband to ensure that no unauthorized items or weapons entered the installation, according to Air Force Master Sgt. Leo C. Pereira, who was the non-commissioned officer in charge of the security detail. The screening took place at FedEx Field, home of the Washington Redskins and the location of the overflow parking for the JSOH.

The 800th MP Brigade Soldiers were among the 1,100+ reserve component service members who augmented the 316th's ranks with military law enforcement muscle.

"They did an outstanding job," said Tech. Sgt. Thomas W. Johnson, who was in charge of the metal detectors that the Soldiers operated while screening visitors at the air show. They followed directions, made split-second decisions – whenever they saw something that wasn't kosher, they asked questions first, and then they handled it like they were supposed to," he added.

At the site of the air show, another group of 200th MPC Soldiers from its headquarters at Fort Meade, Md., was fielded to inform the public of the year-old command's presence and increase its recruiting efforts. The team manned a booth in an aircraft hangar along with those of a number of other military units and civilian organizations. At the 200th's stall – which was flanked by an armored Humvee that is normally employed by military police Soldiers at war – they handed out literature about the Army Reserve, informed passers-by about the military police corps, and made personalized dog tags.

"We really wanted to let people know who we are and what we do," said Sgt. Wilbert Adams, a military policeman at the 200th. "We attracted a lot of younger people who are already interested in a career in law enforcement, who wanted to know the kinds of jobs MP training might qualify them for in the future."

Like the many units with much more extensive histories that were present at the JSOH, the 200th MPC made their presence known, and executed their tasks effectively. And just like those storied units, the 200th is looking forward to many successes to come.

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