Maryland trains MPs in state for deployment

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1768″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”.vc_custom_1500561874506{margin: 0px !important;border-width: 0px !important;padding: 0px !important;}”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”.vc_custom_1500561885612{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 1px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 1px !important;}”]

Photos by Maj. (MDDF) Richard Mulderick, 70th RTI Unit Public Affairs Representative

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css_animation=”fadeIn” css=”.vc_custom_1500561896322{margin-top: 1px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 1px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 1px !important;padding-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Article by Sgt. Regina Glott, 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1500561908028{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 1px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 1px !important;}”]REISTERSTOWN, Md. (Aug. 10, 2013) – Through the 31B reclassification course, the Maryland National Guard’s 70th Regiment provided training to help meet the Guard’s demand for military police officers.

The 2nd Battalion, 70th Regional Training Institute successfully graduated its first complete 31B MP reclassification course class here at Camp Fretterd Military Reservation in March.

“We want to train Maryland Soldiers in Maryland,” said Master Sgt. Buddy Houston, operations and quality assurance noncommissioned officer for the RTI. “This is the first time we actually produced MOS [military occupational specialty] qualified soldiers from beginning to end.”

Previously, Maryland only taught phase one of the course, and Soldiers were sent out of state for the second phase.

Houston, who is responsible for ensuring the course is in accordance with Training and Doctrine Command standards, indicated the state was in jeopardy of losing the 31B mission, so it ramped up its capabilities to expand the course to teach two phases.

This expansion was also in response to the high demand for trained MPs to support the 200th MP Company’s deployment.

The course is new to Maryland and helps save money by training Maryland Soldiers at home as opposed to out of state. The RTI and the 200th MP Co. worked together to train Soldiers to deploy.

“We received phenomenal assistance from the 200th,” said Houston. “They provided us with role players to help make the scenarios more realistic.”

Staff Sgt. Keith Radcliffe, a currently deployed member of the 200th MP Co. with a background in law enforcement, served as a military police instructor for the 31B course and has held the MOS for five years.

“My experience as an instructor was very eye-opening to me. Being able to use my talents and experiences to help and teach others to perform the job was very humbling,” said Radcliffe. “I enjoyed teaching, as well as learning, from my students.”

The process to become an instructor took Radcliffe almost a year to complete, from submitting a packet to teaching two phase one and phase two level courses, to include the boards. The boards, also known as murder boards, are when the student instructors train  instructors from the United States Army Military Police School using the same curriculum USAMPS created for the MP Corps.

“The selection for becoming an instructor was very hard . . . they took the best of what the MP Corps had to offer in Maryland,” said Radcliffe.

Six states sent Soldiers to the Maryland 31B reclassification course.

“The success of our 31B [program] is due to the collaboration with MP units. Using their equipment, weapons, vehicles and role players to enhance the program, [and] working collaboratively, we will build a successful program,” said Houston.

The Maryland Army National Guard’s 200th and 290th Military Police Companies, as well as the Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment of the 115th Military Police Battalion, are currently deployed to Afghanistan.

“The course helped deploying unit members with the basic skills to become an MP and carry out the mission overseas,” said Radcliffe. “The training was fresh in the students’ minds, and they could apply it right away.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]