April 15,2008:
One type of soldier that is
particularly popular in Iraq are reservists whose civilian job is as policemen.
These guys are particularly popular if they are back for a second tour. The
reason is simple, the cops have "street smarts." They have a better sense of
what is suspicious, what "doesn't look right." And after one tour, they are
attuned to the different street vibe found in Iraq. This is an even more
valuable skill now, with more operations seeking to find terrorists groups that
are running for cover and trying to keep themselves, and their equipment,
hidden. The first two waves of reservists (who arrived in 2004 and 2005) taught
the army and marines a lot about how police techniques are very applicable, and
useful, for counter-terror operations. But over the last six years, the police
reservists have had time to exchange experiences and observations with each
other, and military personnel in general (largely via the Internet). This has
led to some major changes in the way the military conducts counter-terror
operations. The individual cops themselves, both beat police and detectives,
find themselves much in demand for their ability to see what everyone else
misses, and for passing those skills on.