Multi-National Division – Baghdad detainee holding area exceeds standards

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Whitney Houston | Staff Sgt. Pleva prepares items for a detainee's room, Oct. 18, 2008, at Multi-National Division – Baghdad's Detainee Holding Area. Pleva serves as the facility's Sergeant of the Guard and is responsible for day-to-day operations during his shift. The DHA routinely exceeds established standards during monthly inspections conducted by the inspector general.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

10.18.2008

Story by Maj. Lorraine Januzelli 

Multi-National Division Baghdad

By Maj. Lorraine Januzelli
Multi-National Division – Baghdad

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – The sergeant at the gate immediately takes charges of the visiting officials upon arrival. Rank is irrelevant; small talk is non-existent. Selected personal belongings are turned in and inventoried, and new badges are issued, which is followed by a short but thorough briefing.

Once full compliance is acknowledged, the sergeant moves himself and his charges safely inside the Multi-National Division – Baghdad Detainee Holding Area on Camp Liberty, Oct. 18, 2008.

"The process is followed verbatim without fail every time anyone enters the facility," said Sgt. 1st Class Jenkins, the senior non-commissioned officer in charge of the DHA Platoon, which operates the facility.

Such rigid adherence to procedure at the gate characterizes operations at the DHA, which is one of four temporary detainee holding facilities run by MND-B. Since the platoon took control of operations in April, the facility has exceeded standards on every inspection, said Lt. Col. Craig Newman, MND-B's inspector general.

The 47 Soldiers assigned to the DHA Platoon, Battery C, 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, attached to MND-B, are responsible for the DHA's long string of successes.

However, the platoon's exemplary record represents more than a job well done. The Soldiers' resoluteness directly contributes to protecting the Baghdad populace and Iraqi security and coalition forces from potential attacks by extremists and Special Group criminals.

"The DHA is a powerful tool in the fight against extremist activities," said Capt. Schrock, commander of Btry. C, the parent unit of the DHA Platoon. "Detainee operations here provide near real-time intelligence enabling MND-B Soldiers and Iraqi security forces to act quickly to capture bad guys, locate weapons caches and disrupt attacks."

Schrock is careful to point out that successful intelligence activities at the DHA hinge upon seamless facility operations and detainee management.

The DHA Platoon is charged with the operations portion of the facility's mission, which can hold up to 53 detainees at one time. Procedural compliance is central to the facilities success, according to Jenkins.

The platoons' daily mission set comprises everything from evidence collection to perimeter security, detainee escort and detailed record keeping. Specific procedures are followed each time a detainee is processed into the facility, which includes medical evaluations and a careful inventory of personal belongings.

Cultural considerations are likewise proceduralized though not sanitized. Each detainee is issued a Koran, prayer rug, slippers, blanket and two bottles of water. Traditional prepackaged Halal meals are served three times daily. Even cell assignments take into consideration detainee religious affiliations.

Though the procedural requirements for the facility are heady, the DHA Platoon has not lost sight of its mission's importance.

"It is a big job and has been one of the biggest challenges of my career," said Staff Sgt. Pleva, sergeant of the guard for one of the platoon's three shifts.

Newman reinforces Pleva's assessment. "Our commanding general, Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Hammond, has consistently emphasized that the DHA is a no fail mission," he said. "The leadership out there has been outstanding. In turn, the Soldiers' performance has been phenomenal."

Even the International Red Cross was impressed when it visited the facility recently, said Newman.

The accolades are hard won but not necessarily predictable. DHA Platoon Soldiers are not guards by trade. Rather, they are drawn from an eclectic pool of military occupations – including welders, armorers, radar operators, medics and food service workers. For instance, Pleva is a trained as an Avenger crew member. To prepare for a mission so far outside their normal duties, the platoon trained and certified for the DHA mission at McGregor Range on Fort Bliss, Texas, prior to deployment.

Jenkins, who is a food service sergeant by trade, stressed that the high marks earned from IG are the result of numerous reinforcing efforts: contingency training, commitment to established procedures, improvements based upon internal and external evaluations and consistent oversight by MND-B leadership and the inspector general's office.

Many of his Soldiers' attitudes were shaped by the ignoble treatment of detainees at Abu Ghuraib in 2004, said Jenkins. It was a moment in U.S. history that the DHA Platoon and MND-B leadership vow not to repeat.

This commitment is reflected in the platoon's daily regimen, which emphasized professionalism in every act. For instance, prior to the start of every shift, DHA Soldiers run through a series of emergency actions plans and contingency operations.

"We rehearse everything from detainee-on-guard scenario to fire escape drills to the detailed procedures required for the detainees' personal belongings," said Jenkins.

The platoon augments its daily regimen with unit combatives training, which Schrock said he believes is crucial in keeping DHA Soldiers sharp and ready for potential problems at the facility. The entire DHA platoon is Combatives Level-One certified, with several Soldiers working on their 2nd or 3rd level certifications.

Even so, the platoon members' strict commitment to procedures and training does not obscure their sense of humanity. Rather, Soldiers at the DHA frequently find themselves faced with situations requiring kindness and patience.

Staff Sgt. Myers told about one particularly memorable experience.

"We had one detainee who would not stop crying," said Myers, a military police officer. "He was very upset and would not calm down."

Concerned about his mental state, an evaluation was conducted. While waiting for the results, Myers sat with the detainee and read books to him for eight hours straight while her colleagues watched over her.

"I read to him in English. He could not understand a word I said, but just the act of hearing me read comforted him."

Shortly thereafter, she added, the detainee was determined to be mentally unsound and removed from the facility.

Those who shared the experience with Myers, said Pleva, feel that treating detainees humanely is a fundamental part of their mission.

A key policy at the DHA helps foster such an attitude: guards at the DHA do not know the reasons why detainees are being held. The policy insulates the guards from potential biases and helps ensure detainees are treated fairly.

"DHA Platoon Soldiers are very compassionate. They understand they are working with human beings," said Newman.

During his previous deployment, Pleva said he patrolled the streets of Baghdad and helped capture detainees. This time, he's responsible for their care and welfare while being housed at the facility.

"It allows me to me to see another side of the process and helps me better understand the big picture," said Pleva, adding that it is an experience he finds rewarding.

Such sentiments have resulted in the efficient, well-managed operations, as evidenced by the IG inspection results.

However, under Jenkins' scrupulous watch, no one at the DHA takes their success too seriously.

"We can't afford to have a bad day," said Jenkins.

With that, the senior non-commissioned officer in-charge ushered the group of visiting officials through the heavy metal gate and outside the facility, being careful to take stock of each moving piece involved with the departure.

• Date Taken: 10.18.2008
• Date Posted: 10.22.2008 13:32
• Story ID: 25391
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ