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NEW YORK - After hiking in darkness and setting up the camera gear as dawn approaches, the gold morning light bouncing radiantly off the cascading blue waters of Aunt Sarah’s Falls is near blinding. “It’s beautiful,” says Sgt. First Class Dave Mercado, Operations Noncommissioned Officer for the 340th Military Police Company and avid landscape photographer.
In Mercado’s eyes, cameras, family and the Army are all connected. “I enjoy the travelling, camaraderie and photography. I like to record the landscapes where my family have visited. Its appealing because it records life spent with your family. It captures the precious moments frozen in time,” said Mercoda, who sees the military as a second family. “In the Army we are all brothers and sisters coming together to fight as one.”
As any photographer knows, a great shot is all about capturing light and light has always been important to Mercado, who was born and raised in Batangas, Philippines. “What I miss the most is the sunshine. The weather there is beautiful and I miss playing outside in it,” said Mercado, whose family moved to the Chicago suburb of Bolingbrook, Illinois when he was 16.
“One thing I brought with me from the Philippines is a strong belief in maintaining high standards of work. In my culture we are not obsessed with quantity. We are all about quality. I like to express to my Soldiers that if you do it right the first time you don’t have to again,” said Mercado as he observes his unit conducting vehicle recovery procedures training at the motor-pool here on Fort Totten, New York.
Mercado considers quality and community to be synonyms. “I was part of the first invasion force in Iraq in 2003. Teamwork was essential to survival. One day, we’re getting attacked and we’re taking down this command tent and everybody had to work together and efficiently as artillery fire is exploding and we accomplished the task without a single injury. That’s what I’m talking about.”
Starting his 15-year Army career as a cavalry scout, Mercado’s attention quickly turned to military police work from his time as a civilian police officer. He is currently one of six active guard reserve (AGR) members serving 240 soldiers and officers. “Most of the time we are in the background. Always there working and it is easy to lose sight of the value of the permanent staff. We are the lifeline of the unit. Without us it would all come grinding to a halt,” said Mercado.
“The 340th is the largest unit in our battalion and we are getting bigger all the time. New soldiers are coming in every month and it is Sgt. First Class Mercado who squares them away. He gets them into the system, gives them their platoon assignments. He is my eyes and ears. My boots on the ground. Mercado is the leader of my full-time staff. It’s a tough job and his can-do attitude is invaluable to our unit being a success,” said Cpt. Alexander Medeiros, commander of the 340th Military Police Company.
“I try to photograph the members of my unit, but the responsibilities of being acting 1st Sgt. during this annual training take up too much time for me to get many,” said Mercado. The Army depends on Military Police to maintain law, order, and discipline. They serve as the Army's law enforcement and security specialists by patrolling Army installations and supporting Soldiers during operations.
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2020 15:36 |
| Story ID: | 376099 |
| Location: | NEW YORK CITY, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 15 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Stepping Into The Light, by SPC Gordon Penn, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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