Photo By Lt. Col. Bradford Leighton | About 65 Soldiers from the Illinois Army National Guard’s 333rd Military Police Co....... read more read more
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The average January temperature at Fort Greely, Alaska, is -2.5 degrees Fahrenheit, with lows reaching -25 degrees. It’s so cold that frostbite can develop in minutes. Vehicles are plugged into engine block heaters to prevent engine fluids from turning into jelly.There, with just about four hours of daylight, were about 65 Soldiers of the Illinois Army National Guard’s Freeport-based 333rd Military Police Company keeping their eyes and ears open among the frozen forests of interior Alaska protecting anti-ballistic missiles critical to the defense of United States of America.“Few people have ever heard of Fort Greely but every American sleeps under the protection it provides,” said Capt. Christian Grego, the 333rd Military Police Co. commander. “I had the honor of leading a great group of men and women who safeguarded our homeland in an environment that truly tests one's character, resilience, and discipline. I could not be more proud of those who were to my left and right.”
From late September 2024 these Soldiers guarded everything within the limits of their posts and only stood down when properly relieved in July. In the winter months, an occasional moose or caribou would stroll by. On some nights, the Soldiers could see the magical aurora borealis dance across the skies in vibrant greens, blues, reds and pinks.Long hours of security can be tedious, but the 333rd MP Soldiers kept engaged through tough and realistic training. They were deemed fully trained on both their battalion and brigade external evaluations.Spc. Marilyn Guzman won the 49th Missile Defense Battalion’s Best Warrior Competition in March 2025, topping a competitive field of four Soldiers and one noncommissioned officer. The Best Warrior Competition is used to test Soldiers skills, strength, endurance, and resilience through competition. This year, the Illinois Army National Guard Soldiers unable to participate in Illinois were able to compete alongside Alaska Army National Guard Soldiers.Seven 333rd Military Police Co. Soldiers, 12 total across Alaska, attempted the Norwegian Foot March, an 18.6-mile ruck march with a minimum of 25 pounds strapped to their back in June 2025. Another 12 333rd Military Police Soldiers went through robust training on saving lives at Alaska’s Fort Wainwright Medical Simulation Training Center in February 2025. Twenty-four 333rd Military Police Soldiers completed Level 1 Combatives Training in June 2025.The Soldiers practiced their close-quarters battle training in the shoothouse for hours, honing their skills between March and June 2025. This training culminated in a platoon Situational Training Exercise in May 2025 using a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter from the Alaska National Guard’s 207th Aviation Regiment for aerial infiltration. As Military Police, they also received extensive training in “less than lethal” weapons throughout the deployment.
| Date Taken: | 11.25.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 11.26.2025 12:25 |
| Story ID: | 552493 |
| Location: | FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, US |
| Hometown: | FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 19 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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