SPRINGDALE : 15-year police veteran to join elite counterterrorism group
Posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/226961/
SPRINGDALE — For 15 years, Del Atkinson’s uniform varied from police fatigues to body armor as his assignments alternated between home and foreign soil. The longtime Springdale police officer’s double duty ends today when he starts a new fulltime job with the Air National Guard. Atkinson, 44, is the new program manager for the Phoenix Raven program — a group of specially trained security personnel formed in 1997 that protects military aircraft traveling in “high-risk” areas. He’s assigned to the 113 th Air Wing of the District of Columbia Air National Guard at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Atkinson will manage Raven personnel assigned to air bases across the United States.
“I’m ready to go,” said Atkinson, a senior master sergeant formerly with the 188 th Fighter Wing in Fort Smith.
He resigned last week with the rank of corporal from the Springdale Police Department.
“I’m ready to get to know my troops and show them what’s expected,” he said. “It’s my job to lead by example and mentor and mold them into an effective fighting force. I’m ready to hit the ground running.”
Phoenix Ravens act much like air marshals on military planes. They protect cargo and passengers, whether it be dignitaries or prisoners of war.
As a Raven, Atkinson has been to places including Jordan and Afghanistan. In February, he protected U. S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Ark., on a congressional trip to Indonesia.
After the trip, Boozman recommended Atkinson for the Raven manager job to Brig. Gen. Linda McTague, commander of the 113 th Air Wing.
“The congressman knew that [Atkinson ] had a long history of serving both his country and the Springdale Police Department,” Boozman spokesman Sara Lasure said. “He was impressed by him first-hand on the trip.”
Atkinson’s military career began in 1982, when he joined the Army after graduating from high school in Black River Falls, Wis. A move to the Air National Guard brought him to Arkansas, where he became a Springdale police officer in 1994.
In Springdale, he was known as an outgoing, hard-working officer who could calm a suspect with his words. He worked as a patrol officer and as the department’s public information officer. He also served on an undercover drug task force.
“Del takes things in stride, and it’s one of his best assets,” said Springdale police Sgt. Ed Motsinger. “The guy’s just a friendly person. It’s hard not to be happy when you’re around him.”
Through his Air National Guard and Raven duties, Atkinson was deployed on military missions all over the world while he was a police officer, including two tours in Iraq.
He had to adjust to not being in a war zone when he got home.
“You’re working a car accident and it takes a second to register that the sirens are emergency vehicles, not an attack on your life,” he said.
Lt. Ken Church, one of Atkinson’s supervisors, said he never saw Atkinson struggling to adjust after a mission.
“I’ve seen him come and go. He’d get orders, deploy to another country, then come back and do it over again,” Church said. “It was like riding a bike to him. He made it look easy.”
Atkinson was an adviser to the Iraqi Air Force in 2005 while stationed at New Al Muthana Air Base in Baghdad, where he was made an honorary Iraqi citizen.
At first, the Iraqi soldiers called him “friend.” By the time he left, they were calling him “brother.”
Atkinson is highly decorated, with more than two dozen military awards and commendations. He’s most proud of the Joint Service Commendation Medal, which he earned in 2005 in Baghdad serving on Gen. David Petraeus’ Multinational Security Transition Command.
Last week, Atkinson turned in his police guns and uniforms. Fellow officers said they’ll miss the guy known as Mr. Military.
“Del steps into places most people don’t want to go,” Cpl. Tim Hill said. “He’s the most patriotic guy I know.”