Riverines maintain Basrah's waterways

Photo By Sgt. Benjamin Kibbey | Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason Kendrick, starboard gunner, Detachment 1, Riverine...... read more read more

Photo By Sgt. Benjamin Kibbey | Petty Officer 3rd Class Jason Kendrick, starboard gunner, Detachment 1, Riverine Squadron 3, keeps an eye out as his Riverine Patrol Boat passes under a bridge during a patrol near Basrah, Iraq, Dec. 14. Bridges are a significant security concern for the Riverines, as they can hide a number of possible threats.  see less | View Image Page

BASRA, IRAQ

12.23.2009

Story by Sgt. Benjamin Kibbey 

367th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq — Up to a few months ago, Lt. Omar Falah Hassan, with three years in uniform, had nothing to do with river patrols. Now, he is a platoon leader charged with security and social stability on and around a river that is home to many, but far from his own home.

Helping him and his men in 1st Squadron, 52nd Brigade get their "sea legs" is another group of out-of-towners: Detachment 1, Riverine Squadron 3.

Hassan said that many of the ways the Iraqi army and Riverines function on a unit level are very different, but they try to support each other.

After the Vietnam war, the United States ceased to maintain a "brown-water Navy," but when the Marines requested help with waterway security a few years ago, volunteers from across the Navy stepped-up.

As a result, when RIVRON 3 — the last of the three current RIVRONs to be assembled — was stood up July 6, 2007, it was comprised almost entirely of sailors who specifically requested the duty.

That had a definite impact, said Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremy Houskey, boat captain, Detachment 1, RIVRON 3.

"You've got guys who volunteered for the mission; they want to do the mission," he said. "RIVRON 3 seemed to set the bar for all the training cycles, and a lot of training that was pipelined through the Marine Corps."

The Marine Corps training he referred to included the Marine Corps school of infantry, which he attended in addition to training for handling the machine guns the boats are equipped with and the boats themselves.

Now on their second deployment, RIVRON 3 is throwing that mentality and motivation into not only securing the waterways of southern Iraq, but also securing a reliable future for Iraq's essential river arteries by training Iraqi forces to take over when they are gone.

"We interact with the Iraqis daily," Houskey said. "We take them out, do what they want to do: whatever they want to search, whatever they want to look around."

The primary focus of the training for the Iraqis is how to take what they know and translate it to river operations, said Lt. j.g. Mike Diehl, Det 1 commanding officer.

"They're used to the land aspects, and they've got that down," Diehl said, "but we work with them on how to incorporate the fact that they're now getting boats and how to utilize that lane of communication so that it's a positive instead of a negative."

"Right now, they are looking at it in a negative way, because it's a block for them," he said. "They have the north side of the river and they have the south side of the river."

"But, by getting them so they can operate on both the land and the water in conjunction, you turn that into a positive, so that now it's a way for them to move, to transport; it's another way for them to approach the enemy," Diehl said.

The Iraqi soldiers have learned a lot in regard to techniques for everything from searching boats to setting up security when they go on land, Hassan said.

But what the Iraqis and Americans work together on has as much to do with the application of known techniques as delving into new ones, said Diehl.

"The way we like to teach is that a patrol is a patrol is a patrol, just like a checkpoint is a checkpoint is a checkpoint, whether you're on land or on water," Diehl said.

Much of the training involves not simply learning a set of tactics, but also understanding the principals on which tactics are based so that they can be altered as needed.

"They're looking at different maneuvers and different tactics," Diehl said. "That way if the insurgents are out there, they don't know the best way to avoid having their illicit cargo found."

"They're in a highly visible state out on the river, and it's really easy to be observed, because there are lots of people out and about," he said. "It's very easy to send people through just to see how people are being searched, and put things that aren't bad away in places to check to see if they're going to find them or not."

"Their baseline was pretty good," Diehl said, "but we've definitely taken them to the next level as far as working on their strategies and varying their tactics so that they're not always doing the same thing."

The Iraqi soldiers' solid knowledge base meant that the Riverines didn't have to start at square one with the training.

"Pretty much, they have the game plan; they know how to execute it," Houskey said.

"They just need some help, to get some guidance on what to do. A lot of these guys have been trained by SWCC [Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewman], so they have a general idea of what's going on."

The working relationship is a comfortable one, Hassan said, and one aspect he likes of working with the Americans is simply getting a different perspective. It's always good to approach things in new and different ways, he said.

Much like the RIVRON 3 Riverines themselves, it is the attitude of the Iraqi soldiers that most contributes to the success of operations so far.

"What it boils down to is, the Iraqis are willing to get on their boats and do these missions," Houskey said. "Even though they're working during the day on check points, they get on the boats at night and work with us as well."

Diehl echoed Houskey's impressions.

"They definitely are looking to secure their country," he said, "and you can tell that they're excited and willing to take on the mission and secure the area."

"I've been happy with the work so far, and I think where we're going is only going to get better," he said. "It's definitely been worthwhile for me and my men, and I'm definitely looking forward to keeping on working with them for the rest of our time here."