Staff Photo / Bob Coupland Warren, resident Kim Floyd, served as a military policeman with the U.S. Army in Washington, DC in the 1980s. She provided police protection to dignitaries and heads of state as well as during funeral at Arlington National Cemetery.
WARREN – Kim Floyd spent time in the 1980s serving his country in the United States military with the military police stationed in Washington, DC
Floyd served from 1986 to 1988, enrolling at age 18 just after graduating from Boardman High School in June 1986. She said her brother, Jack, is a Navy veteran who served in the United States War. Persian Gulf, and their father, John, was an Army veteran.
“We have all served our country” said Floyd.
She underwent basic training that fall at Fort McClellan, Alabama, which also included a police academy where she learned weapons handling, physical training, police techniques, and basic military and police laws.
“In the beginning, basic training for someone who is 18 can be difficult. It’s something completely different. We had to learn different police tactics,” she says.
Floyd was then stationed at Fort Belvoir near Washington, DC, and then also at Fort Myer, Virginia, which were nearby.
One of his duties was to guard President Ronald Reagan and provide protection for Arlington National Cemetery, which was near the barracks.
“We were in charge of protecting the planes and those going up and down. We were always on high alert with all the dignitaries arriving. The President and Nancy Reagan were talking to us. It was amazing how nice they were together. she says.
Floyd was stationed in Washington, DC, where she provided protection for ambassadors, heads of state and also at military funerals serving at the front door in Arlington.
“It was emotional at the funeral when the horses were bringing in the casket. We were there for the Memorial Day services,” she says.
Her hours were often 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., seven days a week for on-call duty. She often had to check people’s credentials before they arrived on bases and sometimes do vehicle searches and provide protection for officers. She also had to check that the buildings were locked.
She said she remembered when two young men, both 19, were on duty playing with their guns and one shot the other.
Floyd said other women also served as military police.
“Today, women still do not get the same recognition as men for military service. It’s devastating and sad for me. I was going places with my husband and we were both wearing veteran hats and people were shaking his hand, but not mine. My husband used to tell people that I was also a veteran. Too often, women are pushed aside and don’t get the recognition they should be. We have done what men have done in serving our country. My husband gets thanked for his service, but I usually don’t,” said Floyd.
Floyd’s husband, Phil, is also an Army veteran and served in the Vietnam War,
After the military, Floyd studied criminal justice at Youngstown State University, then got a job at Easco Aluminum, where she met her husband.
Kim Floyd
AGE: 53
RESIDENCY: Warren
BRANCH OF SERVICE: Military Police, U.S. Army
OCCUPATION: Worker at Easco Aluminum
FAMILY: Husband, Phil, who is also a veteran
