Photo By 1st Sgt. Brent Williams | Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Bobb, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division,...... read more read more
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Staff Sgt. Brent Williams
1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON, Iraq – Deployed for a 15-month tour in support of Multi-National Division – Baghdad and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the senior command sergeant major of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, is interested in more than just inspecting Iraqi security forces and their checkpoints.
Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Bobb, the Raider BCT's senior non-commissioned officer, met with the Iraqi leaders and soldiers of the 2nd Battalion, 1st Mechanized Brigade to take a look at the development of the Iraqi noncommissioned officer May 28.
Bobb met with Command Sgt. Maj. Husseh, the senior enlisted leader for the Iraqi National Police's 2nd Battalion, 1st Mechanized Brigade, to propose a new incentive for the Iraqi ministry of interior's only mechanized national police unit.
The Raider BCT is establishing good working relations with the four ISF brigades responsible for maintaining security for the estimated 1.2 million Iraqis living in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad, said Bobb, a combat veteran with more than 27 years of service in the U.S. Army.
Uniforms, standards and discipline were amongst the key topics of discussion the Iraqi and American command sergeants major discussed as they visited five NP checkpoints across the Rashid district.
"We are culturing and mentoring these soldiers and NCOs as they are mirroring how our non-commissioned officer's corps is set up – from training to day-to-day operations in Baghdad," said Bobb, who hails from the Islands of Trinidad.
Throughout the month of June, the Raider BCT will recognize Iraqi battalion command sergeants major and outstanding members of the ISF to reward discipline, uniformity and hard work in the ranks of the enlisted leaders, he explained.
"We are offering an incentive plan for each of our Iraqi brigades that adhere and develop to the same uniform and standards that the Soldiers of the Raider Brigade and Multi-National Forces – Iraq follow," he said. "In the upcoming months, we will begin to recognize these outstanding Iraqi soldiers and their units, like the Iraqi national police of the 2nd NP Div."
Bobb, who has two combat deployments and more than seven years' experience working as a command sergeant major, will conduct battlefield circulations, visit ISF checkpoints and inspect ISF NCOs as he checks for uniformity of standards and tactical discipline.
"The NCOs set the example," Bobb said to Husseh. "Leaders ensure that soldiers are in the proper uniform and meet the standards every day, and the Iraqi soldiers will be rewarded for their efforts."
At the end of the month, the Raider Brigade's senior command sergeant major will meet with ISF sergeants major from the Rashid district and, together, will select the outstanding Iraqi NCOs and their soldiers who meet and exceed the standards.
Effective enlisted leaders and soldiers, who set the example and lead from the front, will receive military awards and recognition as well as cash incentives, said Bobb.
Husseh said the idea is a good one and will motivate his soldiers to do their best.
Col. Da'ood, the commander of the 2nd Bn., 1st Mech. Bde., told Bobb that he would be happy to enforce uniformity at the checkpoints to improve the level of professionalism and, ultimately, security for the Iraqi people.
"Iraqi leaders have expectations," Da'ood told Bobb. "They know what to expect, and they know what leaders should be like. They know what the Iraqi NCO corps should be like,"
Da'ood, who began his military career in the Iraqi army under Saddam Hussein, asked Bobb to help him bring drill instructors comparable to the U.S. Army standards and "train the trainer" programs for the policemen of his battalion.
Da'ood would like to see the Iraqi NCO corps developed more like when he initially entered the Iraqi army, and said the training would benefit his junior officers as well as his sergeants.
"MND-B has asked us to do our part, and we will do whatever we can to help the Iraqi NCO Corps grow," Bobb promised the Iraqi leaders.
| Date Taken: | 05.31.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 05.31.2008 13:41 |
| Story ID: | 19982 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 282 |
| Downloads: | 234 |
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