Praetorians complete 15 month tour

Photo By Master Sgt. Opal Vaughn | Sgt. Aaron Philbrick, Headquarters squad leader, holds the "Centurions" guidon while Capt. Craig Giancaterino, commander, 287th Military Police Company, uncases the colors, relieving the 202nd Military Police Company of command while at Forward Operating Base Warhorse in the Diyala province of Iraq, Feb. 26.  

IRAQ

02.25.2009

Story by Spc. Opal Vaughn  

14th Public Affairs Detachment

The 287th Military Police Company, "Centurions," based out of Fort Riley, Kan., held a ceremony to take control of operations from 202nd Military Police Company, "Praetorians," on Feb. 25.

"This deployment has been challenging," said 1st Sgt. William Finch, first sergeant, 202nd MP Co. "It has been a lot harder than a 12-month deployment but our Soldiers have done extremely well and I am very proud of how they handled it."

Upon arriving to Iraq, Soldiers of the 287th trained closely with their counterparts to fully understand how to perform and execute their duties.

"We are just recently being reactivated as a battalion so we are fielded with a lot of young Soldiers, a lot of young junior leaders and the platoon sergeants and the senior leadership are a fifty-fifty mix between deployed and non-deployed experience," said Capt. Craig Giancaterino, commander, 287th MP Co. "But we have trained for this and my first sergeant and I are very confident enough to show ISF [Iraqi security forces] to have trusting confidence in us."

"My expectations for my Soldiers are to take it to the next level by continuing to validate the remaining IP stations in the area," Giancaterino said. "I want to take a step back and be more of an overseer and a mentor to ensure the Iraqi police are set up for success and that they have the necessary tools to achieve that."

With such big shoes to fill, Giancaterino is still certain the Centurions are capable, willing and able to pick up where the 202nd MP Co. left off.

"We would like to continue the great rapport that the Praetorians have established in the Diyala province," Giancaterino stated. "We have conducted battlefield circulations with the 202nd and have heard nothing but good; we're hoping it can be kept up the same way so we've got some big shoes to fill."

After a 15-month long deployment, the Praetorians will finally be casing its colors and leaving its former responsibilities in capable hands.

"It's been a long waiting game," said Capt. Mary Newell, commander, 202nd MP Co. "A month goes by, two months goes by and then three months goes by and nothing. We've been thankful for it but the whole time we've just been waiting. We've always been in a responding role as per say being responded to."

Continuing to be vigilant, the Praetorians new mission will be redeployment and reuniting with family, friends and loved ones back in Fort Eustis, Va.

"The unit will be relocating to Fort Bliss so that will be a significant challenge within itself," Finch stated. "Some of the Soldiers will be PCSing to other locations, some Soldiers will be staying; these are challenges that we will all have to face. Soldiers reintegrating with their families; some of them that have had struggles during the deployment, not having their friends or peers here to help them out like they did here. Hopefully these things will not be a challenge but unfortunately, it always happens."

Even with such a long stretch the Praetorians continued to stay focused, professional and boost each other's moral.

"It's been hard on the Soldiers to be gone so long from their family, friends and loved ones," Newell stated. "But for an MP Soldier that is used to variety and having a number of different types of missions instead of everyday doing the same types of missions and working with the same people, good and bad, a certain relationship is developed being deployed for so long."

Many changes occur during a Soldiers deployment; the addition of new family members, tested spousal relationships and even death. But each Soldier has the support of their fellow Soldiers to pull them through.

"We have Soldiers who had a child before they left go on R & R and by time they get back to the rear, they have a second child and that's really long time to be gone in the key events to happen in our Soldiers lives," Newell stated. "Being deployed has a lot of effects on families and it's challenging on a lot of Soldiers and you can see both tiredness and happiness coming out of my Soldiers' faces."

Forward Operating Base Newell laughs about her XO wanting to make letterman jackets for being deployed for such a long time.

"My XO's got a unique sense of humor," Newell laughs, "we've just been here way too long. I been deployed for six months and 12 months before this so I was thinking three months, it won't be that much longer than a year."

With herself, her first sergeant and her driver, Sgt. Catherine Duffy, who held the guidon for ceremony, the 202nd MP's said farewell with the casing of their colors.

"But we rolled the guidon and it wasn't any less anti-climactic then if we had had a big ceremony, no, it was just us," Newell stated. "The last month it seems like so many things were coming up. But my Soldiers held in there and got things done."

• Date Taken: 02.25.2009
• Date Posted: 03.10.2009 10:21
• Story ID: 30950
• Location: IQ