Deployed cops reflect on service to nation, community

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

11.08.2005

Courtesy Story

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Spc. Dan Balda
4th Brigade Combat Team PAO

BAGHDAD -- For three Task Force Baghdad Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 184th Infantry Regiment, it wasn't enough for them to serve their country in the Army National Guard, they also decided to protect and serve their local communities. Two chose to be police officers while the other joined the U.S. Marshals.

Cpl. Tim Scarrott, a police officer in Oakland, Calif., had always been told by his father to have a career where he could put in an honest day's work for an honest day's pay and to stand for something.

"I believe that is what a police officer does," Scarrott said. "We protect and serve, and I felt it was a worthwhile career that would give me the ability to help people."

Once he joined the police force, he put his thoughts of being a Soldier by the wayside until 9-11.

"After 9-11, the U.S. invaded Afghanistan andâ?¦there was a need for people to serve in the military. I love my civilian profession, but I felt there was more I could do for my nation and my community by serving in the National Guard," Scarrott said. "I chose the National Guard because I love my job â?¦ I wanted to help during a time of need."

1st Lt. Jon Minnich, a native of Las Vegas, and the fire support officer for C Company, 1st Bn., 184th Inf. Reg., pursued a job with the U.S. Marshals while enlisted in the Air Force.

"I was coming up on my 10-year point in the military, and I realized that regardless if I did 20 years active duty I would still have to get out and find another career," Minnich said.

In the mid-1990s, he attended a law enforcement job fair and, after speaking with a U.S Marshals representative, was impressed by what they had to offer.

Like Scarrott, Sept. 11, 2001 brought Minnich to a crossroads and made him rethink why he had joined the military.

"I was getting close to 15, 16 years in (federal service) and could have ridden my last four years out, retired and been done with it, but that wasn't what I wanted to do," he said. He chose to become an officer because a part of him had always stayed with the military.

Another 1/184th Soldier, Staff Sgt. Richard Sanchez, joined the military at a young age because he wanted to jump out of airplanes.

His friends told him how much they enjoyed being a part of the 82nd Airborne Division and he followed suit, eventually serving in the Special Forces. When he came to the end of his enlistment contract, he decided to put himself through the Rio Hondo Police Academy. From there, he joined the Compton (Calif.) Police Department where he has served as a gang detective since 1991.

All three men believe there is a direct correlation between their careers, especially while deployed; which is why so many Soldiers choose to continue serving through law enforcement after getting out of the military.

"I think the taking and giving of orders and the structure (lead to the correlation)," Sanchez said. "Everything has to be done in a uniform way. You can associate what we are doing here with being a cop, patrolling the streets, gathering information, building a rapport, searching vehicles and houses -- everything we do here is associated with police work."

For Sanchez, the deployment has not been without its losses"both in Iraq and back in the U.S. His platoon has been hit hard since they have been in Baghdad and, in August, he lost his police partner of nine years.

"I've taken my losses here, and I've taken a couple back home, but we came to do a job," Sanchez said. "We came with the possibility of not coming home every time we go into sector. (In Compton) what are the odds of getting shot or hurt? It does happen but it's very rare."

"Being a Soldier is a lot more dangerous and more difficult than any civilian job back home as far as set hours and a set schedule; here it is 24/7, the hours are longer and the work is more difficult," Scarrott said.

In their civilian jobs, Scarrott and Minnich work either by themselves or with a partner which differs from the Army's emphasis on teamwork among a large group of people.

"As a police officer, you go out on a call and take reports. A lot of your work is going to be all individual effort that will later be supervised by a sergeant. Here, as a team leader, I supervise my men directly and there's a lot more teamwork involved," Scarrott said.

Sanchez said there are some similarities between his tour of duty here and back in Compton. "Some of these insurgents are just like gang members back home. They work in groups. They adapt to our way of working and try to counteract that. They're always trying to find a way to beat us. It's a battle."

Sanchez compares patrols in Iraq to a rollercoaster.

"Sometimes you go out there and see something you can laugh about," he said. "But sometimes â?¦ you go out and something happens that hurts your buddies. It's an emotional challenge being in Iraq versus the States. Back home, you can shut it off when you go home after work'turn the power switch and worry about it the next morning. Here, that switch is on all the time."

• Date Taken: 11.08.2005
• Date Posted: 11.08.2005 11:21
• Story ID: 3654
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ