A visit to Fort Leonard Wood, MO

On Thursday, September 29th, we were taken to Fort Leonard Wood to spend the day at the US Army Military Police School (USAMPS). Just about every retired officer had served at the USAMPS when it was at Fort Gordon, GA. Many of us had not seen the new facilities. We excitedly anticipated the visit.

The agenda included briefings from a young Captain, the Commandant of the school and the school's Command Sergeant Major. They reminded us of the primary duties of MP's.

It appears that there is a major change in how the Army is configured. It is becoming more mobile and flexible. The idea is to be able to design the force structure to meet the needs in the operational area.

There is a greater awareness that in the war on terrorism, Military Police are better suited than any other force. Consequently, more MP units are being added.

Our next event was lunch in the dining facility. We walked by the billets. I must say they sure are a lot different today than when I went through advanced training.

Typical MP trainee billets

USAMPS Dining Facility

Lunch was a unique experience. Upon entering the dining facility we were faced with the facilities to wash our hands before proceeding to lunch. The troops are fed very well. It was laid out typical buffet style and the variety was amazing. Everything from hot sandwiches to meat loaf, bar-b-q pork, potatoes, rice and vegetables. Then you came to a fantastic salad and dessert bar. Yes indeed, the troops are fed very well.

The afternoon was devoted to touring the training facilities. Below was the first of several we toured. It is known as the Mobile Operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) facility.



Here the trainees spend one day on crowd control, and the rest of the week learning how to deal with insurgents in an urban environment.




These are just a couple of views of the training location for MOUT. Here the trainees learn how to rely on and back up each other during these types of operations.

We were able to observe part of the training. It is amazing how well the perform. I witnessed a couple of them, one young man and one young woman carrying comrades who were designated as wounded. They do not leave comrades behind. Both of them had a heavy load and fulfilled that part of their mission in fine style.

It is safe to say that our Army is in good hands. All of these warrior police will do us all proud.

Everyone of the RMPO members were impressed with the work ethic and attitudes shown by these young people. We are proud of our Corps and know it is in good hands.

They are living up to the motto of the Corps--Of the Troops, For the Troops!

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