Personal Security Detachment: "No job like it"

Our correspondent with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, Cpl. Joel Abshier, recently went on patrol with the battalion's personal security detachment. Never heard of a PSD? Probably because it's one of those myriad subunits within the big-name infantry battalions that doesn't get any specific coverage. Cpl. Abshier wrote this piece and took the pictures in the flash presentation above to amend that fact.

During the course of a standard week, the detachment provides transport for the battalion commander and his staff to many places, including the weekly meetings as well of tours of the region for which his battalion has responsibility.

The Marines were jovial as they cracked jokes and talked amongst each other before arriving near the main gate, where they all dismounted their vehicles to load their weapons. The sounds of 5.56 millimeter and .50 caliber rounds entering the chambers of their respective weapons sent a deafening realization of the situation. At this point the mentality of the Marines became strictly business.

The PSD Marines, no matter what unit they belong to (RCT-6 has its own PSD), attend certain training evolutions specific to their jobs: protecting VIPs. Not congressmen or other luminaries, but the commanders of the units to whom they belong. It may seem a little strange, that a commander would have his own personal security detail, but the Marine officers out there, usually lieutenant colonels and above, are the big brains behind what we do out here.  They oversee planning and execution of the missions we undertake out here in order to root out the terrorists in our area of operations.

“Our mission is providing the safe and successful travel for the battalion commander to our unit’s battle spaces,” said Staff Sgt. Jeffery S. Benkie, the PSD platoon commander.

“Many people think PSD just goes from point A to B. We handle every convoy as a combat patrol,” Benkie, 34, of Rio Vista, Calif., said. “If we are engaged, we will return fire. We won’t run from a fight.”

With more than 40 lbs. of gear attached to their flak jackets, including smoke and fragmentation grenades, as well as magazines full of ammunition, they remain ready for anything.

The commanders are out non-stop, inspecting their Marines' positions, attending meetings with local leadership and generally making their presence known. This means their PSD Marines are out with them. They work hard to ensure they are always ready for anything.

Their preparation paid off  April 18. The detachment was driving down a road they have traveled numerous times before when they encountered one of the most effective enemy weapons in : the improvised explosive device, or IED.

“We were blown the hell up,” Benkie said candidly. “Apparently if we were closer to the actual IED,  we would not have walked away as well as we did.”

An IED detonated directly on the side of one of the Humvees, sending an echo bouncing off the quiet deserted streets of Fallujah. Somewhere between 80 to 100 meters behind the downed Humvee, the following vehicle in the convoy was hit with fragmentation, said Sgt. Michael J. Fejka, a vehicle commander for one of the Humvees.

Once the smoke cleared, Benkie instantly pulled his gunner, Pfc. John L. Chance, 22, down from the gun turret. Chance, of , and other turret gunners have a special set of ballistic protection designed to shield them from enemy fire and explosions. In this attack, it may have saved his limb.

“His arm was hit by some shrapnel, but he’s doing okay now,” Benkie said. “If it wasn’t for his arm protection, who knows what could have happened.”

You can read the rest of the story here.

By the way, the music in the flash presentation is "300 Miles to Tehran", composed and performed by Vox's own Blair. He gave us permission to use his music in our videos, and we are taking that permission and running with it. He cranks out some great music. Make sure if you want to use the music you obtain Blair's permission first.