Staff Sgt. Tyson Cole, an infantryman assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team personal security detachment, pulls security with his team and members of the Iraqi army while Col. Stephen Twitty, commander, 4th BCT, tours the city of Mosul. Photo by Spc. Bradley J. Clark.
Longknife PSD quietly ensures mission accomplishment
MOSUL, Iraq – Their first notice to movement is given a short 15 minutes prior. The Soldiers put on their body armor, grab their weapons, and head for the point of departure. Today they’ll be traveling by ground; sometimes it’s by air. Either way, it’s nothing new to them.
For the Soldiers assigned as Col. Stephen Twitty’s personal security detachment, rolling “outside the wire” and traveling throughout the streets of Mosul and the rest of the Ninevah province is an everyday regimen.
Charged with protecting the commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, the infantrymen are prepared to do whatever it takes to see that mission is accomplished, said Staff Sgt. Brandon Dockery, noncommissioned officer in charge of the PSD.
“Providing full security and protection for [Twitty] is our first and foremost priority every time we roll,” said Sgt. Michael Bontekoe, a PSD member who is also a gunner on the commander’s vehicle.
In addition to protecting the commander, the Soldiers provide protection for everyone in the commander’s convoy, to include distinguished visitors and the occasional embedded journalist, said Bontekoe, a Michigan City, Ind., native.
The PSD has currently conducted more than 260 air and ground protection missions without ever having hit an improvised explosive device or having been attacked by small arms or rocket-propelled grenade fire, said Capt. Todd Hook, the PSD officer in charge.
“This is not a result of being lucky,” said Hook. “It is a direct reflection on the platoon’s leadership in doing their homework on a daily basis.”
Several members of the brigade commander’s personal security detachment keep eyes on the streets and rooftops while he visits provincial leaders in the city of Mosul. The PSD is responsible for protecting the commander and command sergeant major during missions. Photo by Spc. Bradley J. Clark.
The team members live their lives “45 minutes at a time,” the same standard by which they must be at REDCON 1, or locked and loaded and ready to move out, added Hook.
“Every time they hear a blast [in the city], they start moving to the trucks,” said Hook. “Often they have less than 45 minutes. The ability to remain flexible is a trademark of this platoon.”
The function of a commander’s personal guard is not a new concept, and its roots can be traced back throughout the history of warfare.
Dating back 2,000 years, Roman generals would choose from the ranks a private force of soldiers to act as bodyguards. These specially chosen troops would consist of both infantry and cavalry soldiers and came to be known as the Praetorian Guard, in accordance with their No. 1 duty: to safeguard the commanding general, or Praetor, of a Roman army in the field.
Today, that process retains some of its authenticity in that every Soldier assigned to the Long Knife Brigade PSD is an infantryman. Each was chosen for the position shortly after arriving at the 4th BCT and spent the full year prior to deployment training with each other.
“Being a part of the PSD has allowed me to see what happens at the brigade level and how everything comes together to make each mission a success,” said Spc. Derek A. Salinas, a native of San Antonio. “We get to travel to places, meet VIPs, and see things here in Iraq that are once-in-a-lifetime things that most Soldiers don’t get to experience.”
Bontekoe added his personal motivation for the ongoing mission of the platoon:
“Flying out to places like the site of the [vehicle-borne improvised explosive device] attacks in Khahtaniya and Al-Jazeera a couple of months ago – seeing the bodies and the destruction caused by the terrorists – that really hits home and makes me want to continue this fight and to see everything through until the end.”
A line of staggered vehicles slowly snakes its way through a dust-filled road, passes security guards at the gate, and slips out into the city. Gunners scan their sectors, drivers watch the roads, and everyone is hyper-aware that true danger can arrive the moment they let their guard down.
Just as their Roman counterparts did 2,000 years prior, the Soldiers of the Long Knife PSD continue to ensure the safety of their commander and provide him the battlefield mobility needed to effectively conduct operations in a hostile environment.