An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Sept. 19, 2012

Maine Army National Guard MPs train for Afghan duties

By Sgt. Jonathan Monfiletto New York Army National Guard

CAMP McGREGOR, N.M. - The 488th Military Police Company of the Maine Army National Guard is here training with Division West's 5th Armored Brigade for its first deployment in the unit's current form, as Soldiers prepare to head to Afghanistan.

Sgt. 1st Class Derek Wilcox, the unit's guard force commander, said this will be the first time the company has been shipped out since it began flying its own flag about four years ago.

The 488th was previously part of the Maine Army National Guard's 169th Military Police Company, Wilcox said. The 169th last deployed about five years ago.

"It's exciting," Wilcox said of the unit's first tour of duty. "The unit has a really good mix of experience and young, new Soldiers. It's nice to see the level of mentorship going on."

One of those young, new Soldiers is Spc. Clay Landry, who said the tour of duty in Afghanistan will be his first deployment.

"I'm excited," Landry said. "I can't wait."

The unit will support detainee operations in Afghanistan, Wilcox said. "It could be anything in support of the facility."

During their deployment, Wilcox said, it will be his role as guard force commander to conduct daily briefings on the safety, rules and intelligence at the facility, while conducting hourly checks to ensure the safety of both the Soldiers and the detainees.

While the company is at Camp McGregor for the next several weeks, Wilcox said, the Soldiers are scheduled to train in detainee operations, entry control points, force protection and fundamentals of patrolling, as well as weapons.

The unit's preparation for the deployment began three months ago, though, Wilcox said, when the Soldiers spent about six weeks practicing basic warrior tasks and battle drills at their home station in Maine.

"I think it's a good refresher," Wilcox said of the unit's training, both at home and in New Mexico, which includes hands-on training the Soldiers do not typically get. "It's good to get this refresher training."

Landry agreed that the training is good, noting he and his fellow Soldiers get to switch roles during each exercise so they know as much as possible about their mission.

For example, Landry pointed out, Soldiers performing a detainee operations exercise take turns acting as detainees and guards in a mock detention facility, while others work on the facility's quick reaction force.

"How the Army does it, I think it's great," Landry said.

Besides the company's military training, individual Soldiers also have experience of their own from previous deployments, as well as their civilian jobs.

"There are a good number of civilian law enforcement and civilian corrections officers," Wilcox said. "Being an MP unit, people who do that in the civilian world are drawn to the unit. It brings an added level of experience to the unit."

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Soldiers with the Army National Guard speak with D.C. locals while patrolling Metro Center Aug 26, 2025. About 2,000 National Guard members are supporting the D.C. Safe and Beautiful mission providing critical support to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department in ensuring the safety of all who live, work, and visit the District.
Guard Members From Six States, D.C. on Duty in Washington in Support of Local, Fed Authorities
By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Soucy, | Aug. 29, 2025
WASHINGTON – More than 2,000 National Guard Soldiers and Airmen from six states and the District of Columbia are on duty in Washington as part of Joint Task Force – District of Columbia in support of local and federal...

Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, Maj. Gen. Russel Honore, Task Force Katrina commander, and Brig. Gen. John Basilica, 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team commander, talk to news media during the aftermath of Hurricane Rita on Sep. 29, 2005. Basilica was appointed commander of Task Force Pelican, responsible for coordinating National Guard hurricane response efforts across the State. The task force included tens of thousands of National Guard Soldiers from Louisiana and other states.
Louisiana Guard’s Tiger Brigade Marks 20th Anniversary of Redeployment and Hurricane Response
By Rhett Breerwood, | Aug. 29, 2025
NEW ORLEANS – This fall, the Louisiana National Guard’s 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, known as the Tiger Brigade, commemorates the 20th anniversary of its redeployment from Iraq in September 2005, coinciding with the...

Alaska Air National Guard HH-60G Pave Hawk aviators and Guardian Angels, assigned to the 210th and 212th Rescue Squadrons, respectively, conduct a hoist rescue demonstration while participating in a multi-agency hoist symposium at Bryant Army Airfield on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 22, 2025. The symposium, hosted by Alaska Army National Guard aviators assigned to Golf Company, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion, included U.S. Coast Guard crews assigned to Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic out of Air Stations Kodiak and Sitka, Alaska Air National Guardsmen with the 176th Wing rescue squadrons, U.S. Army aviators from Fort Wainwright’s 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion, Alaska State Troopers, and civilian search and rescue professional volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group. The collaborative training drew on the participants’ varied backgrounds, experiences, and practices, to enhance hoist proficiency and collective readiness when conducting life-saving search and rescue missions in Alaska’s vast and austere terrain. (Alaska Army National Guard photo by Alejandro Peña)
Alaska Air Guard Conducts Multiple Hoist Rescues of Stranded Rafters on Kichatna River
By Staff Sgt. Seth LaCount, | Aug. 29, 2025
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — Alaska Air National Guard members with the 176th Wing rescued three rafters Aug. 28 after their raft flipped over on the Kichatna River.The Alaska Rescue Coordination Center opened...