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U.S. Army Cpl. Jorge Lopez stands atop Camp Bondsteel April 14, 2020, outside of Ferizaj/Urosevac, Kosovo.
Lopez, a native of Poughkeepsie, New York, is a member of the New York Army Reserve’s 423rd Military Police Company and is currently deployed in Kosovo as a member of the NATO-led Kosovo Force Regional-Command East Task Force Military Police detachment.
Whether providing security during military events, patrolling Bondsteel and other KFOR installations, or conducting other military-policing operations, Lopez and 423rd MPs are charged with safeguarding the interests, assets and personnel of KFOR.
Lopez, who enlisted into the NY Army Reserve as a military police officer in 2014, has served his community and country to further extents than the Army Reserve’s traditional one weekend per month commitment.
A full-time patrol officer with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s Metro Transit Police Department, Lopez said his commitment to a life of dual-hatted service to his community and country began shortly after he returned home from military policing school.
“It was the best decision I ever made,” said Lopez. “The hard work and long days are worth it knowing I have the opportunity to positively impact somebody’s life every day.”
As one of the youngest dual-hatted service members within the 423rd MPs, Lopez said that aspiring military police officers and civilian civil servants should not skip out on the opportunity to live the fulfilling life of dual service.
Similar to his civilian-policing career, where he admits his days can become tiresome, responsible military policing in Kosovo is a 24-hour, 7-day-per-week effort.
Accounting for the safety of U.S. service members, KFOR personnel and the people of Kosovo is Lopez’s top priority.
And now accounting for unexpected factors such as the global response to the COVID-19 virus that has not spared Kosovo entirely, Lopez remains focused on force protection.
“There are some good days and some bad days,” said Lopez. “But having the opportunity to impact people’s lives positively every day is what makes everything worth it.”
(U.S. Army National Guard photo illustration by Spc. Miguel Ruiz)
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2020 08:56 |
| Photo ID: | 6183015 |
| VIRIN: | 041420-Z-LZ801-1002 |
| Resolution: | 4523x3015 |
| Size: | 5.51 MB |
| Location: | CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ |
| Hometown: | POUGHKEEPSIE, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 770 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, Dual-hatted New York Reservist deploys to Kosovo [Image 5 of 5], by SGT Miguel Ruiz, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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