SGT Michael Frenza
US Army Reserve
382nd Military Police Battalion
Paralegal Specialist
Operation Iraqi Freedom ’06-‘07
US Army Reserve
382nd Military Police Battalion
Paralegal Specialist
Operation Iraqi Freedom ’06-‘07
Michael Frenza and his younger sister Mollie grew up in Waterbury CT and graduated from Watertown High School. Both of Mike’s grandfathers served in the military. One grandfather served with the Marines during the Korean Conflict and his other grandfather was in the Navy in North Africa during World War II.
Mike graduated from Providence College in 2001 with a degree in accounting. While he was at PC he had a Resident Assistant that was going through Officer Candidate School with the Marines and considered joining the Military. After graduating from college and while he was working at Price Waterhouse Coopers, 9/11 happened. Mike’s college girlfriend also broke up with him. The following year, he felt that he had a void that needed to be filled and re-considered the military.
Mike went to visit a Navy recruiter and was looking for something in the area of Intelligence. They had openings but he didn’t enlist. Later he went to talk to the Army recruiter and while they didn’t have any available openings in intelligence, they did offer signing bonuses. Mike signed up as a reservist. He went home and told his parents who responded, “You did what?!”
Mike enlisted in November of ’02 and was sent to boot camp in April ’03 at Fort Knox. Mike was 23 years old at the time. He was surrounded by a lot of guys who were 17 years old, had never been away from home and lacked any level of maturity. The recruits had their eyes opened as they endured the process of being broken down and then built back up. There were 300+ recruits from all over the US in his boot camp group. Mike was only one of three recruits from the Northeast. “It was a real melting pot.” Mike recalled boot camp lasting 10 weeks and there was not much physical training but there was lots of marching and learning soldiering skills such as shooting, how to handle a grenade, rappelling and lots of time on the obstacle course. He remembers feeling very disconnected from the world since there were no cell phones permitted, phone calls were limited to 5 minutes per week and there were no newspapers or internet to provide any current events.
Mike’s next stop was Fort Jackson in South Carolina for Advanced Individual Training. Here the recruits learned their military jobs. For the next two months he learned paralegal skills. He returned home in early October ’03. Mike was gone from Price Waterhouse Coopers for 6 months and although he was welcomed back, he felt his time away put him on a slower trajectory for advancement.
As a reservist, Mike was obligated to attend training one weekend each month and for two full weeks each year. He was assigned to the 3rd Legal Support Organization in Boston where the focus was on ensuring paperwork such as vaccination records, wills, insurance, etc. was up to date so reservists would be ready to deploy. Mike didn’t expect to deploy, but if he did, he thought it would be stateside. When the phone call came to deploy in 2006, he was told he was going to Iraq.
His unit mustered at Fort Devens in Massachusetts in April of ’06 and then departed for Fort Dix in New Jersey. There they underwent Mobilization Training. This training was more intense and dealt with how to deal with combat situations. Mike said, “I was scared. We didn’t know what was going to happen and didn’t know what to expect.”
Mike’s first stop on his way to Iraq was Kuwait where they waited for further instructions. Mike recalled, “It was hot; 120 degrees. It was like walking into an oven.” Instructions arrived that they were to head to Balad and then on to Camp Ashraf. Also known as Forward Operating Base Grizzly, Camp Ashraf was located in central eastern Iraq, 100 miles west of the Iranian border, 25 miles north of Baghdad and 50 miles east of the US air base in Balad Iraq. Mike drove a Humvee in a convoy from Balad to Ashraf. “It was nerve-wracking. We were concerned about IEDs.” At this point, Saddam Hussain had already been captured. While Mike was in Iraq, Saddam was executed.
Camp Ashraf was near the city of Ashraf, that was the home to the PMOI (Peoples Mujahedin of Iran). These were Iranians who had come to Iraq to work for Saddam against Iran. The mission of Mike’s group was to protect these refugees from local hostilities and find countries that would accept them for relocation.
This was not a combat location, but it was certainly remote, and no one left the base. There were approximately 600+ people on the base consisting of Army Reservists, US Marines, Moldavan soldiers, Bulgarian soldiers and US civilian contractors. Mike recalls that there was no alcohol permitted but apparently no one told the Moldavans. Mike’s second job was running the PX on the base. Life was monotonous. He worked from 7am to 7pm, showered, ate dinner and then watched movies.
In August of 2007 Mike’s unit prepared to complete their tour. The replacement unit arrived, and they completed a one week “right seat-left seat” transition. This is where the replacement troops followed along or rode along while the incumbent soldiers brought them up to speed. That lasted approximately one week. Mike’s unit retraced its steps and first went back to Balad, then to Kuwait and then to FT. Dix. Once back in the US, his unit headed to FT. Devens for a period of “deprogramming and re-acclimation.” The total time from leaving Camp Ashraf to leaving FT. Devens was about two weeks. This seems to be a particularly short period of time for troops that were in a combat zone to prepare for the return to civilian life.
When Mike left for Iraq the US economy was strong and there was a climate of economic prosperity. He remembers returning to work in October of 2007 to find that two Bear Sterns hedge funds had collapsed, and prosecutors had launched a criminal probe into the collapses. The clouds of “The Great Recession” were rolling in.
Mike remained active in the reserves until December 2010 when he was discharged. I asked what lasting memories Mike had from his time in the service. “Your Battle Buddies. You were with these people 24/7 for 16 months. We have a bond that will last for life.”
Thank you, Mike, for serving your country, putting your life and career on hold, traveling to a Forward Operating Base in a combat zone and risking injury or worse. We sincerely appreciate the adjustments you had to make when you came home and the impact that had on your personal life and career.
Mike graduated from Providence College in 2001 with a degree in accounting. While he was at PC he had a Resident Assistant that was going through Officer Candidate School with the Marines and considered joining the Military. After graduating from college and while he was working at Price Waterhouse Coopers, 9/11 happened. Mike’s college girlfriend also broke up with him. The following year, he felt that he had a void that needed to be filled and re-considered the military.
Mike went to visit a Navy recruiter and was looking for something in the area of Intelligence. They had openings but he didn’t enlist. Later he went to talk to the Army recruiter and while they didn’t have any available openings in intelligence, they did offer signing bonuses. Mike signed up as a reservist. He went home and told his parents who responded, “You did what?!”
Mike enlisted in November of ’02 and was sent to boot camp in April ’03 at Fort Knox. Mike was 23 years old at the time. He was surrounded by a lot of guys who were 17 years old, had never been away from home and lacked any level of maturity. The recruits had their eyes opened as they endured the process of being broken down and then built back up. There were 300+ recruits from all over the US in his boot camp group. Mike was only one of three recruits from the Northeast. “It was a real melting pot.” Mike recalled boot camp lasting 10 weeks and there was not much physical training but there was lots of marching and learning soldiering skills such as shooting, how to handle a grenade, rappelling and lots of time on the obstacle course. He remembers feeling very disconnected from the world since there were no cell phones permitted, phone calls were limited to 5 minutes per week and there were no newspapers or internet to provide any current events.
Mike’s next stop was Fort Jackson in South Carolina for Advanced Individual Training. Here the recruits learned their military jobs. For the next two months he learned paralegal skills. He returned home in early October ’03. Mike was gone from Price Waterhouse Coopers for 6 months and although he was welcomed back, he felt his time away put him on a slower trajectory for advancement.
As a reservist, Mike was obligated to attend training one weekend each month and for two full weeks each year. He was assigned to the 3rd Legal Support Organization in Boston where the focus was on ensuring paperwork such as vaccination records, wills, insurance, etc. was up to date so reservists would be ready to deploy. Mike didn’t expect to deploy, but if he did, he thought it would be stateside. When the phone call came to deploy in 2006, he was told he was going to Iraq.
His unit mustered at Fort Devens in Massachusetts in April of ’06 and then departed for Fort Dix in New Jersey. There they underwent Mobilization Training. This training was more intense and dealt with how to deal with combat situations. Mike said, “I was scared. We didn’t know what was going to happen and didn’t know what to expect.”
Mike’s first stop on his way to Iraq was Kuwait where they waited for further instructions. Mike recalled, “It was hot; 120 degrees. It was like walking into an oven.” Instructions arrived that they were to head to Balad and then on to Camp Ashraf. Also known as Forward Operating Base Grizzly, Camp Ashraf was located in central eastern Iraq, 100 miles west of the Iranian border, 25 miles north of Baghdad and 50 miles east of the US air base in Balad Iraq. Mike drove a Humvee in a convoy from Balad to Ashraf. “It was nerve-wracking. We were concerned about IEDs.” At this point, Saddam Hussain had already been captured. While Mike was in Iraq, Saddam was executed.
Camp Ashraf was near the city of Ashraf, that was the home to the PMOI (Peoples Mujahedin of Iran). These were Iranians who had come to Iraq to work for Saddam against Iran. The mission of Mike’s group was to protect these refugees from local hostilities and find countries that would accept them for relocation.
This was not a combat location, but it was certainly remote, and no one left the base. There were approximately 600+ people on the base consisting of Army Reservists, US Marines, Moldavan soldiers, Bulgarian soldiers and US civilian contractors. Mike recalls that there was no alcohol permitted but apparently no one told the Moldavans. Mike’s second job was running the PX on the base. Life was monotonous. He worked from 7am to 7pm, showered, ate dinner and then watched movies.
In August of 2007 Mike’s unit prepared to complete their tour. The replacement unit arrived, and they completed a one week “right seat-left seat” transition. This is where the replacement troops followed along or rode along while the incumbent soldiers brought them up to speed. That lasted approximately one week. Mike’s unit retraced its steps and first went back to Balad, then to Kuwait and then to FT. Dix. Once back in the US, his unit headed to FT. Devens for a period of “deprogramming and re-acclimation.” The total time from leaving Camp Ashraf to leaving FT. Devens was about two weeks. This seems to be a particularly short period of time for troops that were in a combat zone to prepare for the return to civilian life.
When Mike left for Iraq the US economy was strong and there was a climate of economic prosperity. He remembers returning to work in October of 2007 to find that two Bear Sterns hedge funds had collapsed, and prosecutors had launched a criminal probe into the collapses. The clouds of “The Great Recession” were rolling in.
Mike remained active in the reserves until December 2010 when he was discharged. I asked what lasting memories Mike had from his time in the service. “Your Battle Buddies. You were with these people 24/7 for 16 months. We have a bond that will last for life.”
Thank you, Mike, for serving your country, putting your life and career on hold, traveling to a Forward Operating Base in a combat zone and risking injury or worse. We sincerely appreciate the adjustments you had to make when you came home and the impact that had on your personal life and career.