Apr 25, 2004 By Carol Kekela 4 min read

A Mount Independence family hopes government officials take action over their concerns for the safety of their son’s military police unit in Iraq. Charles (Matt) and Candace Gibbs joined several other families of the U.S. Army Reserves, 372nd Military Police Company, based in Cumberland, Md., at a rally there on Friday, hoping to bring attention to the fears their soldiers have for themselves and their concerns over the lack of equipment and training.

Their son, Spc. Russell Gibbs, 23, has been in Iraq for a year, having been activated in February 2003 and deployed to Iraq last May. Prior to that activation, his unit saw active duty in Bosnia in August 2001, returning home eight months later in March 2002.

Gibbs is among 80 members of a military police unit serving in Iraq.

Recent e-mails home to loved ones show the fear the members of the unit now have, and Charles Gibbs said his son even said he has a “bad feeling about this next mission,” something he has never said before.

The MPs said they were concerned about their new mission: protecting tractor-trailer convoys from Iraqi insurgents. They will travel on roads under recent heavy insurgent attacks.

“They are fearing for their lives,’ Gibbs said. “They are proud to be there doing their duty, but the next mission will leave them without equipment and proper training.”

Gibbs said his son’s unit is supposed to ride “shotgun’ on tractor-trailers driven by civilian drivers. The tractor-trailers are not equipped with guns, ammunition or surveillance equipment.

“They will be sitting ducks,’ he said. “They will have no communication with their unit, night vision goggles, medical supplies or weapon-cleaning kits.”

In their e-mail letter to families, the soldiers urged their families to send copies to congressmen, senators and local leaders.

“While being extended again is obviously a hardship on any military family, this is not our primary concern,” several members of the company wrote home last week.

Their concerns were sent to U.S. Rep. John Murtha, Sen. Rick Santorum and state Rep. James Shaner.

“We did get a response from Santorum today (Saturday)” said Candace Gibbs. “He said he forwarded our concerns to the Department of Army.’

The couple said they have not personally had any response from Murtha’s office.

“We have been going non-stop for a week over this,’ said Charles Gibbs. “We are so concerned about their safety and know now they are concerned and scared, too. …They said they are in dire straits right now.’

The unit was mobilized in February 2003 and cut orders for 365 days for mobilization to Iraq. In January, the unit was issued a 110-day extension order and told that they would be released as soon as possible.

“The unit has been training Iraqi police, finishing a mission at the Abugarde Prison near Baghdad, the site of the heavy bombing last week, prior to the extension and their new mission,’ said Gibbs. “We thought they were on their way home.”

The soldiers wrote home, “This (new mission) is not an MP (military police) mission and cannot be found in any MP handbooks or resources. There are no standard operating procedures for such a mission, and we have no battle drills that cover shooting from cabs of trucks, dismounting from cabs of trucks, or any other drills that would apply.”

They added, “We would be alone on these missions with no communication with other members of our unit and with the MPs providing escort security in armored Humvees.”

Gibbs is a 1999 graduate of Laurel Highlands High School and entered Indiana University of Pennsylvania, studying criminal justice. He joined the Reserves while in high school.

“The unit was supposed to come home in December,” said Charles Gibbs, “but they extended their time and sent them on a mission in Al-Hilla, just south of Baghdad. They finished that mission and were supposed to come home.’

Gibbs said that eight days ago, the unit members packed their gear, including personal items, for transport home and were supposed to fly home Friday night.

As of Saturday, the unit was in Kuwait but was supposed to be back in Iraq on Monday.

Meanwhile, the families on Friday signed petitions that were sent to government representatives in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The families will again assemble in Cumberland to get updates on the unit.

“The families and the soldiers just want the Army to give them what they need to do a good and a safe job,’ Candace Gibbs said.