Local teacher is deployed as military police soldier

Thursday, October 9, 2008 12:39 PM CDT

Jeanie Miller, special education teacher in the Watertown Unified School District, recently completed training to prepare her for a one-year deployment with fellow military police soldiers. Later this month, she will deploy with her unit to serve the United States as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in support of the global war on terrorism.

Miller is a sergeant with the 330th Military Police Detachment based in Sheboygan.

She and the rest of the 330th are gearing up for the one-year mobilization and deployment. Military officials never confirm where specific units will be stationed as a force protection measure and because frequently, last minute changes in regard to specific missions do occur with some units shifted from one location to another within the large Southwest Asian Theater. The majority of units recalled for Operation Enduring Freedom, which is approaching its seventh year, do deploy and serve in Afghanistan.

Miller is the daughter of Terry and Maria Frederick of Gays Mills. She is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and a 1998 graduate of Horicon High School. She said family, friends, co-workers and students are what she will miss most during this time.

“I am doing this for everyone I know and for my country,” she said. “I hope that my service will not only set an example but will make a difference as well.”

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She has been an Army Reserve soldier for about five years and this is her first military deployment. The 330th Military Police Detachment performs similar missions on military installations or facilities to those done by civilian police departments in communities in Wisconsin and all over the nation. The 330th Military Police Detachment is a subordinate of the 300th Military Police Brigade headquartered in Inkster, Mich., and a part of the new 200th Military Police Command headquartered at Fort Meade, M.D.

Miller will be missed by the students, teachers and families of the Watertown Unified School District.

“We are concerned for her well-being and will keep her in our thoughts and prayers over this next year,” Superintendent Dr. Doug Keiser said.

Keiser said he is proud of Miller's personal sacrifice and her commitment to freedom here in the United States and around the world.