3 March 2005
Zero Casualties
Sunni Triangle's Top Cop
Brings His Troops Home
Fredd Bergman, Freedom Radio--Audio Links Below--Photos by Michael Yon
US Central Command contacted EDCC with a unique
opportunity to interview the Sunni Triangle's top cop,
1st Infantry Division's Provost Marshal in Iraq.
A family man--father of four--Lieutenant Colonel Rodney Morris
trained at Lackland AFB during the 1980s and has phoned a
special message to citizens of San Antonio and the US. It is a message of
pride and hope.
LTC Morris commands Military Police and prison systems, including the
infamous Abu Ghraib, in "Area of Operation Danger," arguably Iraq's most
hostile zone. Now completing a tour at war, the MPs of 1st ID are returning to
garrison with all troops accounted for and, in a statistical anomaly, no
casualties or even serious injuries.
Soon-to-be-released detainees from Abu Ghraib undergo an orientation that
introduces concepts of a free Iraq and advantages of US intervention. The
program concludes with a tour of improvements in social services and
utilities, which America has delivered. The program is now expanding to other
prisons.
EDCC offers this first hand audio experience as a service to our readers,
our troops and the Nation at large.
We sincerely thank US Central Command and Department of the
Army for allowing us the opportunity to support our national mission.
EDCC salutes
LTC Rodney Morris
as our
Freedom Patriot of the Month
For convenience, this interview can be opened or downloaded in five parts. To hear
the interview simply click on Part 1 below. The mp3 files should open up in your
default audio application. At the conclusion of each segment, simply click the next
part on this page. NOTE: These files will take a few moments to load.
Minimize your audio window and you can click on photos, to enlarge, while you
listen. Each photo opens up in a new window--close each window when done
viewing. Full-size photos include captions.
ACOUSTICA
Audio brought to you by
Interview Questions / Topics:
Part 1:
· Colonel, please describe your title, your job and your
area of operations.
· We’ve displayed maps for our listeners. Please
describe the geographic area known as the “Sunni
triangle.” (click to enlarge maps)
· As to multi-component structure: what is the
percentage of people within your command in the active
versus reserve and other forces, and do you find the
training levels of your civilians adequate?
· What specific activities are the Reserve and Guard
components involved in?
· I understand that there have been changes in the
prison system and there have been efforts to educate, or
at least somewhat reform your detainees. Describe what a
typical detainee experiences in Abu Ghraib and the prison
systems under your command.
Part 2:
· Does your prison system detain run-of-the-mill
criminals and war criminals, and if so, what types of
challenges does this situation present?
· What are your current control measure strategies for
Improvised Explosive Devices?
· You mentioned that you are training and mobilizing an
Iraqi police operation. Do you see possible conflicts of
interest in military police training a civilian force?
· When did you arrive in Iraq, when is your current
deployment scheduled to end, and what outfit will replace
you?
· How does it feel, knowing that you’re about to head
home?
· As an interviewer, it’s my job to ask questions but one
doesn’t always know the questions to ask. What would you
have Americans know, that they might otherwise not?
Part 3:
· I’m told that you have an enviable casualty rate.
· Please describe what went on during the elections.
(click on map for provincial election results)
Part 4:
· Having experienced this unique duty, do you have any
interesting or humorous anecdotes to share with us?
· Are you a fisherman? Though Iraq is mostly desert, as
I look at the map I see several large waterways. Have you
done any fishing in Iraq? (The answer might surprise you!)
· Any messages for your family and friends back home?
