1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs

Story by Spc. Jason Jordan

By Spc. Jason Jordan
1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division

KIRKUK, Iraq – Soldiers with Company A, 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 10th Mountain Division's Sapper Platoon, recently conducted the 'The Iron Claw Academy'; where members of the Iraqi army were trained by U.S. Soldiers in a series of 'left seat-right seat' exercises that taught the IA soldiers how to conduct route clearance operations to help ensure local roads were secure for travel.

"Iraqi security forces have been doing a phenomenal job lately of proving that they are ready to stand on their own and move forward as a new country," said 1st Lt. Adam Pray, Co. A Platoon Leader from Camillus, N.Y. "This partnership we are experiencing as we share knowledge and experience is solid reassurance that everything will be ok as we, the coalition force, gradually draw down."

Thirty-two members of the IA's 15th Brigade, 4th Division, completed the academy – receiving insignia patches for their uniforms, along with plaques commemorating the historic event.

"This type of partnership training that will eventually result in the handover of certain vehicles and technologies to Iraqi security forces is something that has only recently begun to occur in certain parts of the theater," said Lt. Col. Tarn Warren, 1st BSTB commander.

Among the training was a checklist used in the reaction to an improvised explosive device known among the engineers as the five Cs: Confirm, Clear the area, Call higher headquarters, Cordon and Control. The IA members learned this - and other tasks usually described as difficult, such as the finesse of the Buffalo's arm extension. Several IA soldiers quickly grasped the work and did remarkably well, according to the engineers assigned to conduct the training. They also received instruction on the operation of several different vehicles and special equipment designed for IED removal.

"These guys impress us time after time – displaying a constant motivation to gain as much knowledge and experience as they possibly can – and they do it rather quickly," said Sgt. 1st Class Andrew Way, Company A, 1st BSTB platoon sergeant from Oshkosh, Wis. "The atmosphere is almost always heartfelt and easygoing as we try to have fun learning from each other. They like to joke to us that the reason they learn so quickly is because of the Playstation 2," he continued.

The 1st BSTB's Iron Claw Academy occurs at a time when the world is hopeful that the continued progress in Iraq is a sign for better things to come.

"We are very proud to help lead our country forward with a new hope that we can be a free and democratic nation," said Capt. Mustafaa, 15-4th IA. "We are grateful for our American brothers, but we are prepared to show the world that we can stand on our own."

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