Inactivation ceremony

CAMP BUCCA, IRAQ -- Lt. Col. Bruce Watson, right, 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron commander, relinquishes command of the 586th ESFS to Col. Alan Metzler, 586th Air Expeditionary Group commander, during the inactivation ceremony on Dec. 22. During its tenure, the 586th ESFS provided detainee operations and forward operating base defense, and conducted area security operations while providing convoy security for almost four years. The different mission sets of the 586th ESFS will now be handled by the 887th ESFS and Ugandan military members. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Raheem Moore)

Inactivation ceremony

CAMP BUCCA, IRAQ -- Chief Master Sgt. Joseph Arico, right, Lt. Col. Bruce Watson, and Master Sgt. Joanne Reed, 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron senior leaders, furl the flag of the squadron for the last time at the inactivation ceremony on Dec. 22. During its tenure, the 586th ESFS provided detainee operations and forward operating base defense, and conducted area security operations while providing convoy security for almost four years. The different mission sets of the 586th ESFS will now be handled by the 887th ESFS and Ugandan military members. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Raheem Moore)

Inactivation ceremony

CAMP BUCCA, IRAQ -- A memorial dedicated to Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson is displayed during the inactivation ceremony of the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron on Dec. 22. During its tenure, the 586th ESFS provided detainee operations and forward operating base defense, and conducted area security operations while providing convoy security for almost four years. The different mission sets of the 586th ESFS will now be handled by the 887th ESFS and Ugandan military members. Airman Jacobson was killed in action when her vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device while providing security for a supply convoy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Raheem Moore)

Inactivation ceremony

CAMP BUCCA, IRAQ -- The flag of the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron flies proudly while its members stand in formation during the unit's inactivation ceremony on Dec. 22. During its tenure, the 586th ESFS provided detainee operations and forward operating base defense, and conducted area security operations while providing convoy security for almost four years. The different mission sets of the 586th ESFS will now be handled by the 887th ESFS and Ugandan military members. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Raheem Moore)

586th ESFS inactivates

Published Dec. 25, 2008
By Staff Sgt. Vincent Borden
386th Air Expeditonary Wing Public Affairs

CAMP BUCCA, IRAQ -- The accomplishments of the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron are now content for the history books. Members of the squadron, including commanders, Airmen and sister service members, gathered in Camp Bucca, Iraq, on Dec. 22 to commemorate the inactivation of a squadron that has contributed significantly to the War on Terror.

Col. Alan Metzler, 586th Air Expeditionary Group commander, presided over the ceremony. Also attending was Army Col. David Glaser, commander of the 42nd Military Police Brigade, and Lt. Col. Bruce Watson, the 586th ESFS's final commander.

The mission of the 586th ESFS was to provide perimeter defense for Camp Bucca and conduct the operations of the Theater Internment Facility, a detainee holding complex. The facility served dual purposes as a holding place for the captured and a venue for reconciliation of detainees; besides their detention, Airmen of the 586th ESFS orchestrated the daily visitation of Iraqi detainees and their family members.

In its almost four-year span of operations from its stand up date of March 2, 2005, the squadron has been involved in both the harsh reality of protection and defense, to a peace facilitating side of war.

In a letter to the 586th ESFS, Gen. Raymond Odierno said its varied missions made it unique and significant to the progress of building a hopeful future for the people of Iraq.

"Our achievements in this war have been borne of the sacrifice of ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things," wrote General Odierno. "For the men and women of the 586th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, you can proudly include yourselves among those noble patriots who boldly stood up and made a difference when your nation called on you to serve."

During the ceremony, Colonel Metzler stressed the importance of the joint support and commitment of the Army during the squadron's operations and recognized their contributions to the mission. He noted it was one of the keys of success to the mission.

"What makes Camp Bucca work is its imaginative leaders intensely focused on accomplishing a complex mission in a challenging environment, knowing that there are dramatic consequences for failure," said Colonel Metzler. "We couldn't ask for a better partnership and genuine friendship."

Part of that friendship was ensuring the Airmen were supported and recognized. Since 2005, the squadron had seven Purple Heart recipients and has been awarded four Meritorious Unit Awards.

The accolades for heroism and achievement were accompanied by the pain of personal sacrifice, and included the posthumous awarding of the Bronze Star medal and Purple Heart to Airman 1st Class Elizabeth Jacobson, the only female Security Forces Airmen to die as a result of enemy contact. A memorial was set up on stage to commemorate Airman Jacobson's sacrifice and the sacrifice of every other American who gave their lives in the war, reminding the ceremony's spectators that the costs of success in the mission of the 586th ESFS were neither small nor light.

Several of the missions of the 586th ESFS will now be handled by the 887th ESFS, a squadron with a storied history of significant contributions in the War on Terror. Other tasks, such as manning defensive towers around the camp, will be filled by contracted security specialists.

As a result of the inactivation, many 586th ESFS Airmen will return home to their assigned bases and those positions will return to the Air Expeditionary Force for tasking.

The future of the men and women of the squadron was addressed by Lt. Gen. Gary North, U.S. Air Forces Central commander, in his final address to the Airmen of the squadron.

"You've completed your mission with honor and excellence," General North said. "You've sacrificed time away from your loved ones to answer your nation's call ... and whether you return home or move on to another location in the AOR, you can do so with your head held high knowing that your contributions here will impact the future of our world."