Military beckons Missouri troopers to Iraq

Brig. Gen. Michael Pace, left, and Lt. Col. Gregory Mason
stand on the roof of the 35th Engineers’ Brigade headquarters, Camp
Liberty, Baghdad, Iraq. The brigade’s flag flies in the background.

Two Missouri state troopers recently found themselves serving together, but this time not with the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Brig. Gen. Michael B. Pace and Lt. Col. Gregory D. Mason are Missouri Army National Guardsmen attached to the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division as part of the Multi-national Division-Baghdad.

Pace, a retired major with the MSHP, is the commanding officer of the 35th Engineer Brigade comprising over 1,100 soldiers from National Guard units across the United States and is the first Missouri National Guard general officer to command a unit in overseas wartime service since World War II. The brigade’s soldiers are responsible for clearing the major routes used by coalition forces of the deadly improvised explosive devices and construction of outposts and security stations across Baghdad.

Mason, a lieutenant with the patrol, serves as the brigade’s intelligence officer, directing the intelligence section, which is responsible for tracking enemy activity, emerging trends in enemy tactics, and providing predictive analysis to disrupt the insurgent activity.

AAST salutes the state troopers across the country who have served or are currently serving in the armed forces.

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