"Camp McGovern soldiers ready for riots"
Bosnia-Herzegovina, December 1998

        Stabilization Force soldiers face risks as a part of their peacekeeping mission. It’s simply part of the job of the soldier. Riots and civil disturbances present a special and dangerous hazard to SFOR soldiers. Although not frequent, soldiers must be trained and ready to face civil unrest at any time and in any place outside Camp McGovern. Will they be?

“Yes!” was the emphatic response from Staff Sergeant James B. Pacheco, a squad leader with 1st Platoon, 410th Military Police Company, and a riot control instructor. McGovern is doing their part by providing riot control training for soldiers.

The course is a way of ensuring soldiers know what to do if they face a violent crowd while on patrol, according to the East Providence, R.I. native. “Every soldier that’s going to be outside the wire is required to take this class.”

Training consists of different postures, striking techniques and types of formations. “It’s just another tool in the box they have to use.”

According to Pacheco, professional appearance is one of the most important factors in riot control. “It’s important to show the crowd we know what we’re doing. If we can form up and disperse the crowd with a show of force, then that’s what we’re going to. If not, we have to do what we have to do, and we’ll be ready to do it.”

Pacheco said he enjoys being an instructor. “My motivation is knowing that I am able to make a difference. I like seeing the troops go from good to exceptional.”

Pacheco is no stranger to crowd control. “This training has been drilled into my head so many times, it’s just second nature to me. If you asked me to go execute a riot control mission right now, I could handle it.”

Pacheco seeks to give the McGovern soldiers he instructs the same experience and confidence. “The first time you go into a live riot shouldn’t be the first time you have done the maneuvers.”

To ensure his soldiers get the most out of his class, he strives to make it interesting. “I don’t want to give them a seminar. I want them to learn something, and I have to see results when I teach.”

Pacheco said one way he measures results is by how well he can hear after the class. “I like the soldiers motivated, and yelling and screaming the words. By verbalizing, it increases the motivation tenfold. It also helps the soldiers enjoy the class, and they learn more because of it.”

He also likes to step aside at some point to let the class practice what they’ve learned, and he won’t release them until they are able to perform the task without the guidance of an instructor. To him, this is the final exam for his class. When they complete the maneuvers flawlessly, he knows they are ready.

Article, Camp McGovern soldiers ready for riots, Interview of SSG James B. Pacheco, 410th MP Company, Story and photo by, PFC Phillip E. Breedlove Jr., 22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Talon, Friday, December 25, 1998, Page 8.