Commentary by Sgt. Venable Leon
The job of a Military Police Officer typically goes unnoticed…unless you are receiving ticket.
There is a lot of work that goes into ensuring that we are able to feel safe. Military Police are dedicated to assisting, protecting, and defending every day, not just when things go wrong. Being an MP is vigorous job that requires soldiers to grow up fast. MP’s typically work an eight-hour shift, but if an incident happens, their shift could last up to 15 hours.
I spoke with two of the finest MP’s that Stuttgart has to offer, Staff Sgt. Brandon Bean and Sgt. Dennis Brown, about their lifestyle, their responsibilities, and some of their best experiences.
Bean is one of the Desk/Operations Sergeants of the U.S. Army Garrison Provost Marshal Office. He is responsible for dispatching MP vehicles to certain locations, and for all law enforcement coordination while he is at the desk.
His best experience as an MP happened two years ago. Late at night, a local family drove up to the PMO panicking. The father ran inside and said his son was unconscious in the vehicle. Bean called for an interpreter and instructed someone to call for an ambulance, then ran outside to the car. The child was unresponsive, so he began to do two-three seconds of cardiopulmonary resuscitation, or CPR. From Bean’s quick response actions, the baby opened his eyes and started to breathe again.
“Knowing I could do that for the parents was probably my life-long, best experience I ever had,” said Bean.
Sgt. Brown became an MP to be a public servant in a unique career field. Brown is a Traffic Accident Investigator. His responsibilities include advising the garrison commander on roadway safety, enforcing traffic laws, and processing abandoned vehicles and accident collisions. He also works with Stuttgart’s Army Substance Abuse Program to help educate the public on roadway safety, and how to prevent DWIs.
Brown’s best experience happened when he was in Soul Korea in 2010. The monsoon season caused major flooding on post and he was tasked to direct traffic at an intersection. A rush of water came and knocked him off his feet. He gathered his composure, and realized that he couldn’t swim. Despite his fears, he stood up, maintained his post, and continued to direct traffic. For most people, this moment may have been embarrassing, or even a cause to quit, but for Brown, he overcame his fears making this moment his best experience as a Military Police Officer.
“This was the first time that I truly understood the importance of being a public servant,” said Brown.
Read more about the MP’s process after a service member abandons a vehicle: click here.