GUANTANAMO BAY, Cuba - Wednesday, June 25 marked the final days on island for Soldiers in the 93rd Military Police Battalion as they handed over the authority of their mission to the incoming 391st MP Battalion. With a storied past of participation in nearly every conflict since WWII to Operation Iraqi Freedom, the 93rd has done its best to live up to its past by completing their deployment here at Joint Task Force Guantanamo.
Joint Detention Group commander, Army Col. David Heath expressed his gratitude towards the 93rd MP Battalion and pointed out how they played a vital role in the formal establishment of the joint area of operations, the Expeditionary Legal Complex. In addition to this role, they were responsible for the security of military commissions and contributed secured, escorted and assisted in the custody transfer of detainees to their countries of origin or third party nations.
“The 93rd Military Police Battalion, under the magnificent leadership of [Army Lt. Col.] Rich Ball, racked up an impressive list of accomplishments during their deployment to Guantanamo Bay,” said Heath. “Following the assumption of their mission to conduct detention and security operations within the JTF area of responsibility, Rich and his team established the first ever battalion tactical operations center within JTF Guantanamo, which ensured mission command situational understanding throughout the battalions area of operations.”
A slew of transfer of authority ceremonies has been going on as a large rotation of MP commands have departed. Heath’s own assumption of command for the Joint Detention Group took place the day before on June 24th, with his time at JTF GTMO still able to be counted in the single digits. Despite his brief tenure here so far, Heath says he is impressed with the performance displayed by the outgoing unit.
“Although I have only been on ground for a few days, I have been continually impressed by the professionalism and dedication of the Soldiers and units under the 93rd. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the things you have done for the mission, and the nation,” said Heath.
As the Transfer of Authority ceremony and its traditions began to come to a close, the commander of the incoming 391st MP battalion, Army Lt. Col. Roger Glenn, thanked the 93rd for their dedication and professionalism in the mission thus far and the relationship they gained with each other in the short period they worked together.
“To the 391st MP Battalion, I would ask you to simply take a moment and think forward some eight-and-a-half months,” said Glenn, “as we will be standing upon this field again and be in a position in which we will be relinquishing the guidon to our successors. It will take a deliberate effort to end the race with your intended goals.”
| Date Taken: |
07.03.2014 |
| Date Posted: |
07.03.2014 09:58 |
| Story ID: |
135234 |
| Location: |
GUANTANAMO BAY , CU |
| Web Views: |
100 |
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0 |
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This work, 93rd Military Police Battalion Transfer of Authority: an end to a journey and the passing of a legacy, by SGT Spencer Rhodes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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