A captain in the Iowa National Guard, Latham was deployed to Garoua, Cameroon, in west-central Africa in March. The deployment is scheduled to last about six months.
Latham is an officer with the Omaha Police Department, but before joining the Omaha department, Latham served as a deputy with the Page County Sheriff’s Office and as a police officer with the Clarinda Police Department. This is his third deployment with the Iowa National Guard; he previously served in Afghanistan and Iraq.
“The most important aspect of our mission is building a relationship with the Cameroon government,” Latham said.
His unit also works with the Cameroon Air Force and the U.S. Embassy, “with a focus on stabilization in the region,” Latham said.
In Iraq, Latham served as a mentor to Iraqi police on democratic policing and standard police functions.
Latham said his career in law enforcement and his experiences from his two prior deployments have proved beneficial during his time in Garoua.
“I have a lot of interaction with military leaders and community leaders, and I have a better understanding of the importance of those relationships.”
He said there are two dangers American soldiers stationed in Garoua needed to be aware of.
“The biggest threat we see in Garoua is probably the wildlife. They have some of the world’s most poisonous snakes in this area. Vector Control manages the wildlife, but we still find two or three snakes every couple of weeks in our compound,” Latham said. “Their rainy season is also between May and August, so there is a concern for the potential of malaria.”
Source: omaha.com
