The last and possibly most
important mission for the United States military before it departs Iraq is to
establish stability and promote the rule of law. In The Last Mission:
Establishing the Rule of Law in Iraq, West Virginia Public Broadcasting
producer Chip Hitchcock follows a West Virginia Military Police battalion as it
helps to transform the Iraqi police from a force that once served a brutal
dictator into one that serves the people and the law.
Will eight years of war,
more than $700 billion, the sacrifice of thousands of lives and the work of
more than a million Americans create a stable democracy in Iraq? Hitchcock
(Bridgeport to Baghdad) investigates these questions in his latest
documentary, taped while he was embedded with the West Virginia National Guard’s
151st Military Police Battalion.
The unit was in charge of
advising and training Iraqi police officers in Iraq’s largest province last year.
The “Advise and Assist” process is the primary mission for almost all American
troops as they prepare the Iraqi Army and Police to fully take over their
country’s security when the American military leaves at the end of 2011.
You can also watch Bridgeport to Baghdad: West Virginia's 459th at Home and at War.
for more information contact Chip Hitchcock
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Filmmaker Chip Hitchcock tapes a 151 Military Police Battalion promotion ceremony for Staff Sgt.
Samuel Goines, from Elizabeth WV, at Camp Ramadi, Iraq, in June 2010. Photo by Jason Means.
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Filmmaker Chip Hitchcock tapes a meeting between soldiers of the Ohio National Guard 585 Military Police company, and an Iraqi police chief in Anbar Province as part of a documentary on the last American Army efforts in Iraq. Photo by Jason Means. |
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Sgt. Robert Cutshaw demonstrates how to swab hands to detect explosive particles for Iraqi policemen in Anbar Province. Photo by Chip Hitchcock |
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Lt. Col. Jim McHugh is the West Virginia National Guard’s 151 Military Police Battalion’s commander. In his “day” job, he’s the Jackson County, WV, prosecutor. |