The end of an era: 761st Military Police Battalion cases colors

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Balinda O'Neal Dresel
  • 134th Public Affairs Detachment
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The 761st Military Police Battalion, Alaska Army National Guard, deactivated during a Jan. 22 ceremony at the Alaska National Guard Armory here.

Col. Jeffery Roach, director of strategic plans and policy, AKNG, presided over the ceremony and was accompanied by Lt. Col. James Palembas, commander of the 761st MP BN, and Command Sgt. Maj. George Juelch, 761st MP BN command sergeant major.

“It has been an incredible honor of mine to command the 761st MP Battalion and join the ranks of the previous battalion commanders,” said Palembas while praising his predecessors for an outstanding job since the unit’s standing in 2008. “Because of the Soldiers and their energy, drive, and accomplishments, it has been one of the high points of my military career.”

The 761st MP BN can trace its roots to the Alaska Territorial Guard, a military reserve force component of the U.S. Army that was organized in 1942 in response to attacks on American soil. The 761st MP BN was a constabulary unit stationed in the Territory of Alaska at Fort Richardson towards the end of World War II and transformed from the the 3rd BN 297th Infantry in September 2010.

In 2007 the 3-297th IN BN (Scout) deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom which constituted the largest unit-sized deployment of the Alaska National Guard since WWII. In 2013, the 761st MP BN deployed to Guantanomo Bay, Cuba in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The unit also participated in the multinational peace keeping exercise, Khaan Quest, near Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, in 2016.

“Although we knew deactivation was coming due to the downsizing of the Army, we focused on the lines of effort of the command; building capacity and developing partnerships,” explained Palembas. “We developed a great battalion staff team of junior officers and noncommissioned officers and we excelled in our focus.”

As part of the deactivation, the 297th MP Company has been aligned under the 297th Regional Support Group, ensuring the legacy of the military police battalion lives on in the Alaska Army National Guard.