Train as you would fight...

This was a motivational phrase that was used quite a bit in the MP Corps in the 80's. It seemed that month after month, summer after summer every minute we had in uniform was spent learning how to do our mission -- handle Enemy Prisoners of War (EPW).

Interestingly enough, at that time all assets in the Army's inventory for handling EPWs were in the Reserve and National Guard. And even though our Active component brethren liked to call us "Weekend Warriors" among other things, they had no trouble calling us (sometimes collect) to handle an issue they really didn't want to be involved in.

The Reserve Component has done most of the heavy lifting in the EPW arena dating back to Desert Storm.

Here are some pictures taken during an exercise. One of the things one might notice is the size of the camp. These pictures represent only a fraction of the size of a modern camp. Also missing from the pictures are all the support troops. Everything a Soldier would have in his/her hometown can be found in these sites: medical facilities, fire fighting capabilities, dining halls, recreation facilities, stores, laundry and bath facilities, chapels, libraries, construction companies, etc. These addressed not only the U.S. Soldiers' needs, but also had to address the EPW requirements per treaties. Humanitarian organizations to include representatives from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from Geneva, Switzerland and Washington, D.C. often attended this training to observe.

Other than the ticks, heat rash, severe thunderstorms and suction mud for the next two or three days, hit and miss meals, and cuts from razor wire, the thing I (and every Soldier who has ever spent more than one hot day and damp, cold night in the field) remember is the smell of Army canvas tents. It doesn't matter how long I have been away from it, I have instant flashbacks the moment I smell hot canvas. I fully believe that smell is a powerful trigger to past experiences. I also go back to Baghdad and Sadam's palace now each time I smell mold.

Yeah, the Army has received some bad press in the handling of EPWs in this war, but considering the hundreds of thousands of them that have been handled since the war began, I think we've done a pretty good job. Remember the quote from George Orwell I put at the end of my article from April 14th.

People used to ask me why I did this Army stuff, month after month, year after year, deployment after deployment and I used to tell them that I was going to keep doing it long enough that maybe the Russians would get tired and quit. So I (and a whole lot of other super guys I served with) kept doing it, adapting from the cold war model to the bizarre war on terrorism, getting it right and passing on our knowledge to those who followed. One thing I could not get used to in this new war was having a political adviser on one shoulder, a lawyer on the other and a media relations representative walking one step behind me.

"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the enemy." (George Washington)

Hooah