Sorry but this will be long!!!
I would like to say that I haven't been in the army long at all, just over two years, but unfortunatly my first duty station was Torii Station in okinawa, Which I know is an NCO graveyard (no offense) with the COLA being as high as it is i'm getting about what an E-5 makes easy on my own so its understandable :shock: ... the downside would be this; I have no job here. I have never been in a position where I have had the chance to assist protect or defend anyone. My post perimeter is less than 5 miles, only 1.5 of which is occupied, and 1.2 of which contains the SF box. we have no housing, and therefore no domestics, we have three barracks counting the senior enlisted and officers barracks, a shoppette and a club/bar. That is about the extent of my post. after 1630 this base is almost deserted. And during the day, nothing gets done anyway. All we can do is write tickets (which arent worth anything since they dont get processed and noone gets there license taken away. and as we cant write 1805's here they aren't worth money.) My unit leadership was recently revamped due to some major problems within it, which led to myself and my pregnant wife living in the barracks for 8 months now, and it taking me my wife and some very good NCO's about 4 months to get my wifes chapter 8 paperwork through. :? As it is, the overall environment is improving but like I say, as an MP I have no future being here as I can see it. I've been to one domestic (off post) in the past year and a half. I know very little to nothing about my job, am an E-4 and will most likely be close to my E-5 when I leave. As it is I see my only hope to not being tore up when I get to my next duty station and having pv2's telling me how to do things the right way, :cry: is getting deployed next year (lord knows I need the money) and putting in for WO and changing to a WOMOS and getting out of the MP corp. Does anyone have any ideas?? It's hard to study up on things, considering that I dont know what to study up on, the FM's aren't very helpful... bah its too much crap for one topic.. :evil: Oh well any help would be appreciated.

I am in a similar situation my post is one mile .......around! we have no barracks anywhere and we all live in private homes. after 1830 it is deserted. But thankfully this is my third duty station, and I have been at the jobs that keep you jumping till ETD and a few hours after. The best advise I can give you, Demand training, tell someone we need sergeants time training, read your books and manuals, listen to some (not all of the war stories). Never under estimate that PV2 who will be giving you advise, No one ever gets to the point where they know everything about police work and have been to every kind of call. So unfotrunatly you will not know everything but if you have at least a base knowledge of Most stuff you will be okay.

Approach your career like this. You can learn something from everybody, and there are only two basic lessons. What to do and what not to do.

Sorry to hear but you should pity me more!

Try this scenario: Being a military policeman in a military intelligence unit. Oh, by the way, coming right out of OSUT. I have never been in a MP vehicle. I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MY JOB AS A 31B and I have never seen a real 1805. Atleast ya'll have. The only pro is that I only work 14 days out of a month (12 hours shifts) and all I do is sit on my butt and do my security checks every other hour around the perimeter.

Thankfully I am enrolled in college and I have completed 30 SH's of civilian education. HELL, I even do my homework at work because I have nothing else to do but watch TV all day.

I will feel the same way about PV2's telling me what to do when I leave my duty station as a SPC (P) or even SGT.

Good luck and wish me luck as well.

Well, enjoy the slow times while you can. Even before this whole new IRAQ / Afghanistan thing kicked off, we were busy at one of my duty stations. We had 6 diffierent MP companies on post, 4 in my battallion. One of our companies was deployed, one was training to deploy and one just got back. The other was tasked out with the post stuff like road duty and backfilling for the company that was getting ready to deploy so that they would have enough people. I spent almost half each month training in the field, got married and deployed exactly one month after saying "I do." Uponoi return we worked shifts on the road like 8 days on and one off if we were lucky. That one day off often changed to platoon duty or something like that with very little notice. We seemed to always be on some kind of alert which meant no drinking for sometimes one month at a time and we had to stay within one hour away incase we were alerted. I took up fishing a lot because I could do that on post and have my uniforms and TA-50 in my trucky ready to roll. I barely saw my wife and only got the opportunity to take one college class while at that duty station. When I deployed I got two days off because I chose to take the 4 day pass on the base rather than go to another country for 4 days...well, the needs of the army rose above my need for a 4 day pass on post and it was knocked down to 2 days off. We ran several missions a day and sometimes the day ran into the 18 hour or more time-frame. At the time I hated it, after being away from it, I would love to go back to it.

Be glad that you are where you are if you are able to take college. You will will have the chance in the future to place more of an emphasis on the needs for your soldiers to go to college rather than trying to focus on yours if you can get most of it knocked out now.

As for the not knowing what to study to prepare yourself for your next duty station, ask another MP. Talk to one of those MPs that have not been stuck behind a desk their whole career. Look at the skill level manuals for the MPs and see what you are supposed to know.

Almost every MP that I have got the privelage of knowing in the past is either pouring sand out of their boots now or climbng through the mountains of afghanistan. I am sure that many would love to have the chance to be at a job where nothing happens after a certain hour or where all they really have a chance to do is knock out some college.

Look at it this way though i've been in the army a littlte over two years myself (D 795, CO. 2001) and my first duty station was ft sam houston. Now the way the army is heading possibly getting rid of garrison MP units, thats all i know if i was to get depolyed right now i would be a poor lost soul. We don't even get issued TA 50 here. But thats the best thing about the army you get both sides at some point.

Theres always a positive and a down side to everything its all what you make of it. Reference my signature quote.

I haven't seen a real 1805. All I get to use is the 1408s. Although nothing really happens, i like to think I'm still making a difference. Depending on where we get to TDY, we either have 8 or 12 hour shifts. Not bad, but some of these places like Giessen are boring. While working in Giessen PMO, I always hope to get the Butzbach area or Friedburg, because at least you have a chance of a case since the inf.. is out there.. and thats not even the case. With just about all of 1AD gone, we have to only make sure and the families are safe.. nothing more to do really.

Chalk up a DA 4187 for Fort Eustis, VA. I am currently stationed at Fort Eustis (221st MP Detachment), two time Stem Award winner. We are mainly garrison and stay busy on the road with just one platoon. I can almost guarantee your 4187 would be granted if you requested Fort Eustis because there is currently a new MP company forming and will be getting in to full swing in mid march. It will be the 202nd. In the last two weeks we have inprocessed about 15 new privates just out of OSUT. Right now the 202nd is projected a deployment to Cuba in Early 2005 after a year of train up. This would be a perfect opportunity for a soldier like yourself.

OK Boys, this may sound a little harsh. QUIT YOUR CRYING!!!!!!!! So what if you don't have a damn clue what your doing. You are all young soldiers just begining your careers. You have alot of time to learn your jobs. Now for the second part, who cares if you have never been in a patrol car or written a ticket. You boys need to focus on your warfighting. Coming out of all these little jobs your in now, you aren't going to another garrison unit. You are going to be bouncing your face off the back of a M2 or MK19 in the turret of a HMMWV going balls to the wall through the desert. There are alot of good MP's dying every day because they were too focused on writing a ticket and not on fighting for their life and their buddies life. Here is a recommendation from an old MP. If you go to Garrison, you have all the time in the world to learn, and there will be understanding NCO's who will teach you to work the road. Focus on war. Find yourself an NCO and ask for classes on warfighting subjects, let them tell your their war stories and learn something. Do some good hard PT, road march, lift weights, do push up and pull ups. Take some martial arts, learn hand to hand fighting so you can kick someones butt and not have to shoot them. The sad truth boys is that there is not much LE for an MP out there anymore, if you want to be a cop, finish your time and get out, if you want to serve your country stay in. But no one can stress enough how much your need to focus on warfighting.

Well, When I enlisted into the army, I made the mistake of going 95B... or 31B now? Anyway, I soon realized that although an MP seems to be one of the more visible jobs in the Garrison army, It not the only one. I also realized that as an MP, you are a cop. I know this sounds stupid, but that never really sunk in before they were teaching me to write tickets at Ft Leonardwood. Well, I decided that MP was not for me and I re-negotiated my enlistment contract. Now I'm a Shammin Signal Soldier. HAHA Just Kidding. I admire those MP's that are the warfighters on todays modern battlefield. But as for you MPS in the squad cars and at the security desks.... Get a real job.

[quote:e04d2ef49c="TenaciousP"] But as for you MPS in the squad cars and at the security desks.... Get a real job.[/quote:e04d2ef49c]

I'll have to keep that in mind the next time someone steals all your stuff, or attacks you, or the next time I go to an attempted suicide of a family member or soldier. You think that patroling and protecting your home, family, friends, possesions, and equipment isn't a real job?? Well, no offense but its a good thing you got out of the MP Corp.

Serve Protect Defend.

You know what, I actually would like to retract that statement. I know that garrison MP's do provide a great sevice to all soldiers. That was just my "I dont want no stinking speeding tickets" side of me talking. Police work is a noble position. I have been noticing lately though, that civilian police are taking on more of the MPs workload. Is this the new way of the army?

Throw in some "Krispy Kremes" Tenacious P and we MIGHT forgive you (Sorry I have a penchant for Self depricating humor)

Done!