U.S. Army Cpl. Emmanuel Nazario stands atop Camp Bondsteel

U.S. Army Cpl. Emmanuel Nazario stands atop Camp Bondsteel April 14, 2020, outside of Ferizaj/Urosevac, Kosovo.

Nazario, a native of Carteret, New Jersey, is a member of the New York Army Reserve’s 423rd Military Police Company and is currently deployed in Kosovo as a member of the NATO-led Kosovo Force Regional-Command East Task Force Military Police detachment.

Whether providing security during military events, patrolling Bondsteel and other KFOR installations, or conducting other military-policing operations, Nazario and 423rd MPs are charged with safeguarding the interests, assets and personnel of KFOR.
Nazario, who enlisted into the NY Army Reserve as a military police officer in 2013, has served his community and country to further extents than the Army Reserve’s traditional one weekend per month commitment.
A full-time patrol officer with the Baltimore County Police Department’s 11th precinct, Nazario said he values the opportunity to make a positive difference in his community every day as a civil servant.
“My most personally fulfilling days on the job come from positive and proactive interactions with community members,” said Nazario. “I enjoy taking a proactive, versus reactive, approach to policing.”
With nearly seven years of military policing experience, Nazario said he aims to further polish his policing skills in Kosovo and share his experiences with his military and civilian counterparts at the end of his tour.
Accounting for the safety of U.S. service members, KFOR personnel and the people of Kosovo is Nazario’s top priority in Kosovo.
And now accounting for unexpected factors such as the global response to the COVID-19 virus that has not spared Kosovo entirely, Nazario remains focused on force protection.
“Military and civilian policing is not easy. Otherwise everyone would do it,” said Nazario. ”This is our job and we are proud to do it.”
(U.S. Army National Guard photo illustration by Spc. Miguel Ruiz)