Story and photos by Army Sgt. Kevin McSwain
210th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment 

An Iraqi police officer fixes his equipment after trying on their new bullet-proof vest for the first time.

The vests, presented during an Aug. 15 ceremony in Baqouba, were shipped overseas free of charge and delivered by the U.S. Army to the Iraqi National Police. 

One e-mail between an Army officer deployed in Iraq and the nonprofit group Brotherhood of the Badge paved the way for the donation.

“When I received my mobilization order, I had a 5-month-old baby and a 3-year-old and I promised them that I wasn’t going to come to Iraq a just do my time … I was going to make a difference,” said Lt. Col. Jodee Kautzman, 40th Corps Support Group intelligence and operations officer.

She got the ball rolling with a message to Brotherhood of the Badge founder Mike Harris.

The three-year old organization based in California collects used police gear from across the United States and sends it to Iraq to help the national police force.

“My husband worked with Mike Harris when he was in Baqouba during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003,” Kautzman said. “Brotherhood of the Badge shipped used police equipment to his military police unit.”

The goodwill gesture did not come without obstacles.

Lt. Col. Jodee Kautzman thanks the pilot that flew the aircraft which delivered the vest to Balad, Iraq.

“It was like reinventing the wheel since 2004 … by the time the equipment arrives, the original point of contact is gone,” Kautzman said. “I am trying to forge an enduring path for shipment of donated equipment.” 

Seeking help, Harris called his congressman, California Rep. George Radanovich, who made some calls to DHL asking for assistance with the shipping.

DHL paid the overseas shipping to Balad, and allowed the Brotherhood of the Badge to pay only $6,000 of the $197,000 charge to ship the equipment to New York.

“The donation from DHL made this delivery possible,” Kautzman said. “The Brotherhood of the Badge had already purchased the vests, which were worth approximately $2.5 million, and did not want to waste money they could use to purchase more equipment.”

On Aug. 15, Kautzman traveled to Forward Operating Base Warhorse to witness the presentation of the vests to Iraqi police officers in Baqouba.

“This donation will help in their fight against terrorists,” said Lt. Col. William Benson, who works with the Iraqi police as part of a 4th Infantry Division police transition team.

Gen. Ghassan A Al-Bawy, Iraqi chief of police for Diyala province, said that with the arrival of the vests his officers will be able to better train.

“We have over 10,000 officers,” Al-Bawy said. “We will make sure the new vests are inventoried and distributed to the officers that need them the most.”

Along with the military training, the Iraqi police are mentored by a group of privately contracted U.S. police officers.

According to someone who has been in the Iraqis’ position, U.S. police officer Derek France, “As fellow police officers, we want to give them the best training and equipment possible.”