Jeff,

I just wanted to give you an update on the PSD for 2/24. As the CO, I cannot ask anymore from these Marines. They guard me, as if I was the President. They are well trained, and professional. They are a hard target and make me a hard target. Those Marines are just cracker-jack.

As I have talked to them and Gunny Frakes, they tell me that the training they received from you was spot-on and has made all the difference as to what they should be doing. I am out quite a bit. I stop enroute to meetings to talk with locals, to gauge atmospherics and from time to time if we something suspicious we stop to investigate. These Marines have yet to see anything they can’t handle.

Additionally, the way they protect me during meetings and while outside the wire is impressive. I have, by far, the best PSD in the theater. My Iraqi Counterparts have assigned me a great deal of credibility due in no small part to the way the PSD protects me. Their actions and vigilance have earned the respect of their US counterparts but, also from our Iraqi colleagues.

Jeff, the training you provided was worth 10X what we paid. I owe my life to these Marines. However, I owe a lot to you as well. You provided a foundation from which Gunny Frakes has built upon. The Marines all speak highly of you and think your training was instrumental in preparation for Iraq and their mission.

I have taken the liberty to recommend you to other Battalion Commanders as well. In fact, during a recent site survey one of my peers was attempting to recruit my entire PSD to come over to his BN. Thanks for all your efforts and thanks for the great tool you have helped forge.

S/F LtCol F.C.

Jeff,

Without being in complete violation of operational security let me make an attempt at explaining to you what came in VERY HANDY…….. VEHICLE RECOVERY!!!!!!! Bro, let me tell you. The way that we did it in that parking lot that day is EXACTLY what we had to do to grab some individuals out of a DOWN vehicle! We are all OK now, but the moral of the story is IT WORKS. Please whatever you do tell EVERYONE… especially the guys from SWAT that taught it. I have two words! AMBUSH and FIRE! Two more words… Left and Right because that is where it came from!

GySgt M.E. Platoon Cmdr

This is HUGE here. Vehicle Checkpoints!!! If there is any way that you can implement more of this into your schedule it will pay you huge dividends. The Marine Corps is already teaching this but you put more of a “cop” twist and personalized it. It just gives them a different perspective. This is something that we do A LOT! It NEEDS to be addressed. Thanks for the instruction.

Cpl B. B

About the cuffing… yes, with flex cuffs because those are the most accessible. Like I said we had to use some the other day and it’s not the first time we’ve used them. Thanks to you, it went very smooth and we looked professional.

Sgt C. E.

Like I’ve said before the course helped a lot. For example, when we picked up another company commander and 1STSgt they said that they loved riding with us and that we have our s*** wired tight. I don’t think that we could’ve done it without yours or Andy’s help. You were right. It took a couple of weeks to gel. After that it’s all instinct. You just have to know what the other guy is going to do. We rode the rails through one of the towns in our A.O. Just a little more to watch. Now it’s eyes, hands, and rooftops.

Lcpl G. T.

We see civilian guys rolling in their fancy SUV’s all the time with the dark windows and 10 foot whip antennas but I’ve never really had a chance to talk to any of them. We just give each other the “nod” or the mutual raising of the head like “what’s up.” I was talking to this dude (Marine) about it and he said that once he got back he was going to look into it. Hey, I gotta go for now but I will write more later.

Oh yeah, before I go… one more tip. YOUR HANDCUFFING TECHNIQUES ARE AWESOME! Detainee handling is a big thing here. Two-on-one drills, flex cuffing, takedowns… your class was great. Just overall… apprehension is a good thing to know. I know because we had to use it the other day.

Lcpl R.G.

Because I am so anxious to get into the mix of things and get some that I hate being hindered by having to stay in that damn vehicle. It the best job ever once we’re rolling, but it could stand to be a little better when we are stopped doing security halts and stuff like that. You know? When everyone else is out there searching for IEDs and holding their rifles and getting ready to engage and stuff like that it really sucks to have to stay in the vehicle. But like I said… once you are rolling, the driver’s seat is where it’s at. Like you taught us, I run cars off the road when I have to, and play chicken with most of them. In a short time you made us better drivers, thanks. If they won’t stop, I make them stop… Hey, might makes right!

R. A.

Well, as far as your training, I can’t think of anything else you need to change. We get mortared ALOT!!! If you can throw anything about that in there, but I doubt it. There is really not much you can do when bombs are falling from the sky and you don’t realize it till the first one hits.

S. J

I did get a chance to patch some holes. Good thing. It was on 8 Iraqi national guards who got hit with two RPG’s. One didn’t make it. As far as the course goes, if you take anything out, I don’t think we would be as ready for anything. The BC doesn’t go many places that are not well secured. We haven’t done any formations around him into crowded areas yet. It’s still early. If the situation arises, we’re ready to give it a shot. The rest of the course is all ‘good to know’ stuff – period. I truly enjoyed all of it. I suppose the only thing that should be changed is the length. More time for each section to better ingrain it in our muscle memory. But you already knew that.

Doc

1-2 Man formation: YES, now keep in mind this is mission oriented. In fact, that is what I DO. Either a 1 or 2 man. Another thing we did not anticipate, although you told us, was that we have a civilian translator here assigned to just the old man. He has one who goes everywhere with us. He is a good dude. Report sheets you provided were most useful, especially the route. I personally like the execution checklist – very concise. Line of Sight: VERY Applicable. We have to use that several times! On the road too. That is also applicable in vehicles. Red Man drills: Always good. If not for anything else, it helps with confidence and reaction time. Again, I hope I could be of some help. I gave the Bn Cmndr your e-mail address.

Gunner

Before I go, I would like to throw out some general statements.

– Site Survey: Very Important. Have had to do it several times. Map and floor plans were spot on.
– Formations: Good to go, because we usually move to secure compounds rather than just a building.
– Driving: Huge. We operate very similar to a Combined Anti-Armor Tank team by virtue of assets and weaponry but we protect the “Old Man.”
– Reports: Very handy. I used them a lot initially until we came out with our own personal tailored to what it is we do specifically. Great starting tools.
– Convoy procedures: Tactical control. We didn’t cover it much but what I have learned from you we used. Oh my goodness you were right. Vehicular escorts as well. The coordination and balance placement of weapon assets as well as communication between all ie brevity codes call signs for mission specific situations.

I guess that is about all that I could think of right now.

Sgt S.R.

I was only present for the first day of classes. Even though I wanted to train I couldn’t. It however was interesting and many of the Marines who went through the whole course told me it was worth the time and that they learned a lot. So far, the missions I’ve been involved with haven’t had anything to do with security of specific personnel, but mostly recon patrols and things of that sort. However, I have been watching the security details and the way they work so i will better support them if need be.

Lcpl D.M.

Jeff,

Just wanted to write and let you know all is well. The whole team isn’t together yet so we’re just kinda feeling the place out, doin’ ride alongs. I appreciate all the time and effort you and your guys put into training us. The least I could do was give my undivided attention. I told gunny it was nice that for a change you actually have guys teaching you who have practical experience. Not just someone who attended a three month school and is now all of a sudden the duty expert. I hope that everything works out. The corps could really use this type of training for future PSD ops.

Cpl B.J.