.: OP ORDER
We are the Arizona National Guard 855th Military Police Company. This is the "unofficial" Home page for the unit. Here you can see some pictures, video clips, and a few other bits of information about the unit and what it's Soldiers have done.
A few minor changes has been done. The biggest being the FORUM has been removed. This was done to prevent any OPSEC violations from occurring. I have put the pictures back up. Since, to my understanding, they are not a violation of OPSEC.
Newest to the site is the JOIN US link. Have a look, it's on the left.
On November 11 2006 I was honered to be a guest speaker at an Elks lodge here in Yuma, Az. I have never spoken as a guest speaker before and have never compiled anything like a speech, but I gathered up my thoughts as best I could and wearing my Class A uniform delivered the following:
What it means to me to be a veteran
Hello, my name is John Gawler. I am a Staff Sergeant in the Arizona Army National guard. I belong to the 855th MP company, based in Phx with the mighty 1st platoon residing here in Yuma.
I was asked to speak to you tonight about what it means to me to be a veteran by Bill Martin Jr. I would like to thank you Bill, and the Elks lodge for offering this opportunity to me.
I have never given much thought about being a veteran, or what that means to me. So I spent the past few days and nights thinking about what I would say tonight.
I guess I should start by explaining how I became a veteran. A long long time ago, in 1986, I had just graduated high school. I had a best friend who I always hung around with named Robert Testerman.
One day I called his house, his mom answered and told me he wasn't home. He'd gone to join the Marines. I couldn't believe what I'd heard. I had never thought about the military before, but once I saw Robert again he convinced me that joining the Marines was a better idea than doing nothing, which was my thing at the time.
So I joined the Marines. During my time in the Marines I grew up a lot. I thank the Marines for teaching me the high moral standard that I carry with me today. I was not always a model Marine but they kept me disciplined enough that I grew out of that phase and developed into a Marine who was proud to serve this Country.
The Marines had sent me over seas to where I learned for the first time that other countries do not live the same as we do here. Before I joined the Marines I had never even left my home county.
I'd have to say this was the genesis of a point in my life where I really began to see what a great nation we have. Much of what I saw overseas was beautiful. But I saw parts of life there that I never thought were real except in movies.
The first time you see another country and how it differs from ours they call it culture shock. It hit me pretty hard. When I came home I really appreciated what most people take for granted here.
I spent sometime thinking about that. How so many people complain about things we take for granted here, when so many people in other Countries can only dream about these things.
It may make you mad, if your lucky enough to have served, and can see how great it is here compared to other places, when you see or hear some one complaining.
But it also makes me proud to know that I was part of something, our military that helps provide and protect the freedoms, privileges, and rights that this person has and can't even see, because they never saw people living in a jungle, with no electricity, they never saw children who won't go to school because they have to work in the fields to help support the family.
This part of my life help me really understand the quote "For those who fight for it, Freedom has a flavor the protected will never know."
But I wasn't always in the Marines as you may have guessed. After getting out the Marines I began a career as a police officer here with the City of Yuma. After a few years I missed the sense of camaraderie, belonging, and purpose that I had in the Marines.
Since I was already a police officer and the local National Guard unit was a Military Police unit. I joined up. Thinking it would be an easy transition from my civilian job to the Guard job, I could play with machine guns on the weekend and finish up the time I needed to get a military retirement. Besides, I'm a Marine, I can handle what the Guard can deliver.
And it was like that until Sept 11, 2001.
Everything changed for me on that day. I remember thinking I am so glad to be a part of the Military. And I remember thinking, what have I gotten myself into. It didn't take long. Within days my Unit was mobilized and guarding the Palo Verde nuclear power plant.
I am very proud to have been a part of that mission. After that came the Iraq war. In Feb of 2003 the 855th MP company received orders to deploy to Iraq. We were deployed for 14 months with 12 of those in Iraq. My unit was lucky, we didn't loose a single Soldier, but not for a lack of effort on the side of the enemy. One of our primary missions in Iraq was convoy security. Almost everyone in 1st platoon were on missions that came under attack. Our most wounded was hit by a bullet in the arm during an ambush. The rest of us were lucky enough to get away with a light peppering of debris, ringing ears, dirty shorts, and the ability to come home alive and well.
It wasn't all convoy security though. We did our best to train new police officers. The 855th MP company ran at least two different police academies and we all trained the new Iraqi police officers. It was difficult to see the efforts of the new Iraqi police continually meet with resistance when word got back to us about officers we helped to train being killed or assassinated days after graduating.
Other missions we were tasked with were operating a detention cell, which is military talk for a jail. Other units would capture suspected insurgents and bring them to us where we would house them until they were released or send to other detention cells for longer stays.
Our first tour of Iraq ended in early 2004. Since then I have helped in the relief efforts of the Katrina disaster.
I have deployed more with the National guard than I did on active duty in the Marines. But much is different now. Our Country is at war with an enemy unlike the threat I trained to fight in the Marines.
So that is a snap shot of my journey to becoming a veteran.
It's still hard to explain what it's like. But maybe it can be explained by saying I feel a stronger sense of purpose and duty towards my country than I did before becoming a veteran. And I would not have this feeling if it were not for the experience I had in the Military.
I'll sum up with a conversation I had with my 4 year old son Alex just two days ago. He asked me why I protect the Country. I replied "so you can live free" after thinking about my answer he said back to me "you mean so I don't have to pay for things". And I told him "Yes, Alex, so you don't have to pay for things".
Both of our answers meanings are miles apart but the basic premise of the answers are the same. He won't have to pay the price of living any other way than the American way as long as our great military is proud and strong.
Thank you for giving me this opportunty to speak. |
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.: SITREP
My hopes are to continue operating this site, although my main intention for it's use was to have a place for the unit to keep informed of upcoming drills and the information that pertains to that.
From what I under stand the site can not be named after the unit, and no information can be posted revealing what the unit is currently doing or training to do. Once I find out for sure what is safe to put on the site I will either make those changes or remove the site entirely.
Drill notes Updated 12-4-06 Class A inspection went very good. Every one looked great, the time taken to prepare showed. Keep the uniform ready like this at all times.
The APFT was also met with some success, and again for those who prepared (or are simply in shape) it showed. Note for the OUTLAWS, last time we had a company PT competition we won. That means the other platoons are wanting to beat us next time... let's not let that happen. Stay in shape!
On another note the Yuma Daily Sun Newspaper did a phone interview with me about this site. I hope I gave a good interview and did not embarrass myself or anyone. :) Interviews are always fun.... As a hopeful result of this more of the community we are from and serve may pay a visit here and even join the forum to give some input, etc.
Did you notice that "great looking" banner ad across the top? Well, as long as this site lives on this server we're stuck with that "thing" until one of two things happens.
- Someone pony's up a few bucks a year to upgrade this server account to a "no-ad" account.
- Our other server ever gets fixed and I take the time to move things back to it.
How much is it? Well, it's about 50.00 bucks a year. Sorry but I'm not going to do it. I maintain, update, and otherwise run the site for free and for my amusment (it seems) so I'll take any donations to upgrade this account that come in. Just think! If a few of you send a few bucks it could add up to the needed amount. I promise I won't drink beer with the money! Email me if interested.
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