Before He Became a Police Officer, He Fought to Save a Convoy in Iraq

 

West Palm Beach, Fl - Before He Became a Police Officer, He Fought to Save a Convoy in Iraq. The Silver Star recipient helped bring every soldier and civilian driver home. The effects of the battle followed him into his next career.

Twenty trucks were moving through Iraq when the attack began.

Read more or listen to the #Free Podcast on the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast website.

The soldiers protecting the convoy were outnumbered. Civilian drivers were caught in the danger with them. Then Staff Sgt. Chad Malmberg, a Minnesota National Guard soldier from St. Paul, led 15 soldiers in the fight to get everyone through.

For roughly an hour, his unit defended the convoy south of Baghdad. Three times, Malmberg left the protection of his armored vehicle to fire a rocket or throw grenades at the attackers.

The convoy escaped. No soldier or civilian driver was killed or wounded, and not one vehicle was lost.

Malmberg’s actions earned him the Silver Star for gallantry in combat. He became the first Minnesota National Guard member since World War II to receive the medal. At a ceremony attended by about 1,000 soldiers and family members at St. Paul RiverCentre, then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty said, “He’s a hero, no question about it.”

Malmberg credited the training, weapons, and courage of the soldiers under his command. He also remembered something his father had told him as a boy:

“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, but it’s the size of the fight in the dog. That day, we had a lot of fight in us.”

The battle did not end for everyone who survived it

The convoy suffered no physical casualties. Yet Malmberg says many of the soldiers he led faced mental health challenges afterward. He faced struggles of his own.

Their story raises a question that can be easy to overlook when a mission ends successfully: What happens to the people who must keep living with what they experienced?

For Malmberg, returning home also meant starting another demanding career. His father and uncle had served as police officers, and he followed them into law enforcement with the St. Paul Police Department.

The surroundings were different from Iraq, but police work carried its own pressures. Officers respond to violence, injuries, and people in crisis. They make decisions under stress and then return to work for the next call. Those experiences can accumulate, even when the person carrying them appears fine.

In a special episode of the Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, Malmberg speaks about his struggles, what helped him move forward, and the habits that help him maintain the life he has built. His account connects the experiences of combat veterans and police officers through a concern both groups know well: the lasting effects of critical incidents.

Turning experience into training

After leaving the St. Paul Police Department, Malmberg co-founded STORM Training Group with Tom Menton. The company trains law enforcement agencies in defensive tactics, de-escalation, and coordinated team responses.

The training focuses on control, positioning, and decisions made under stress. Its aim is to help officers manage physical encounters while reducing the chances of injury for everyone involved.

STORM reports that departments using its training have seen reductions in use of force and injuries. Malmberg discusses those reported results and the thinking behind the methods in the episode.

For someone who has led soldiers through a firefight and later served as a police officer, preparation is personal. What people practice can shape what they do when a situation changes in seconds.

So can the support they receive afterward.

Chad Malmberg helped bring an entire convoy safely through an hour-long battle. His Silver Star recognized what he did that day. His story also speaks to the years that followed, when the work of moving forward continued beyond the battlefield.

Listen to Chad Malmberg’s story on the free Law Enforcement Talk Radio Show and Podcast, also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, and the show’s website. Please share the episode with a veteran, police officer, or family member who may connect with his experience.

Attributions

The Storm Training Group

US Army

St. Paul Police Department

Facebook

Facebook Group



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