Ricardo Gibert, left, and Phil Valdez, two of the 40 permanently assigned Diplomatic Security agents at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, enjoy a restful moment.

When a suicide bomber attacked the Iraqi Council of Representatives (parliament) in April, the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad’s Regional Security Office team responded quickly, demonstrating courage and commitment in a crucial front of the war against terror.

On the day of the deadly bombing, the Council of Representatives had adjourned for lunch and Iraqis sat together eating in the parliamentary cafeteria. Suddenly, a loud explosion shook the room. Smoke and dust filled the air, and people ran for their lives, leaving the wounded and dying behind.

The International Zone police alerted the Regional Security Office that a suicide bombing had occurred. The Baghdad office is the largest in the world, complete with a team of Diplomatic Security agents and personal security details supported by fleets of helicopters for airlift, fire support and medical evacuation missions around Iraq. Around the International Zone, they work closely with the military to ensure the safety and security of embassy personnel, along with their Iraqi counterparts.

The RSO teams dispatched more than 100 people, and 25 Blackwater medics joined the U.S. Embassy doctor and other specialists to begin treating wounded Iraqis.

MORAL RESPONSE

This quick response, said Senior Regional Security Officer Randall Bennett, was a moral issue, "just like when we send out our helicopters to carry soldiers back to the hospital. We have the ability to help, and if we don't, people may die. And that is just not acceptable."

As the medics rushed to the injured, RSO security teams fanned out across the compound to provide a cordon of security for the people within. A shuttle system used the RSO’s armored and armed ambulances to run the casualties to the nearest military hospital.

DS Agent Ricardo Gibert performed a preliminary analysis of the damage.

"We went upstairs to review the scene, looking for the obvious components of the bomber and the bomb," he said. "As we looked around, all the cell phones were going off as loved ones and friends were trying to call, knowing something had happened."

After the severely wounded were on their way to the hospital, RSO medical teams began searching for the walking wounded. One team climbed 13 stories in the Al-Rasheed Hotel to examine a woman who had staggered through the lobby. Others among the wounded had wandered over to nearby offices. They were soon located, checked and released.

UNIQUE PRIVILEGE

In coordination with the U.S. Army K-9 team, the embassy’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team searched and secured the building. That evening, following a joint Iraqi/ Coalition investigation, the RSO security teams began to dismantle their perimeter as the Iraqi Army reclaimed responsibility for the site. The bomb attack killed one council representative and seriously wounded scores of others, but the effective response of the well-trained RSO teams may have prevented further injuries.

"There is not another Diplomatic Security team or operation like this in the world," Bennett said, "and the privilege that we all have is phenomenal. When they leave here, they leave here with great pride and self-respect for the work they do, because they literally save lives every single day."