Afghanistan Motorcycle Police Ready to Mount
Why didn't we think of that?
Instead of selling off the bikes and giving the proceeds to the local police they instead asked the police to use them to help the military in pursuits across terrain where Humvee’s were unable to travel. Trained and mentored by an Army captain with the help of a biker bar owner and Harley devotee from Washington state, the unsettled nation now has its first unit of motorcycle-riding Afghan police.
There was one member who stood out in the unit, so U.S. soldiers decided to give him a nickname. Originally they called him “Mad Dog” but that didn’t go over very well since dogs are not looked upon very highly in Afghan culture. The next choice was “Crazy Horse” but the officer didn’t like being named after an animal. After explaining to him the origin of the name, it allegedly grew on him.
At first the officers needed some training on the bikes, but since then the motorcycle unit has been highly effective. Pat MacDonald, a former cop and contracted trainer for the Afghan national police has been training the unit on special riding techniques and maneuvers. MacDonald plans on shipping a bike home to the Red Dog Saloon, his biker bar in Washington to mount it on the roof as memorabilia.
More by Joe Magro
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