By Sgt. Fred Minnick
QAYARRAH, Iraq -- Sgt. Jessy Johnston is rebuilding the Iraqi army one soldier at a time. In Qayarrah, Iraq, south of Mosul, the 2000 Merriville High School graduate is a primary instructor for soldiers in the Iraqi civil defense corps.
"Part of rebuilding Iraq is rebuilding Iraq's military," said Johnston, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team).
"It's important to me that we train them well, so they can defend themselves and their country when we leave."
Currently, Johnston and his fellow platoon members are training a new company of ICDC soldiers in a rigorous three-week basic training course. With the help of interpreters, Johnston mentors the soldiers on basic marksmanship, squad movements and he teaches the noncommissioned officers the values of leadership. "When the Americans teach, they don't yell at us," said Pvt. Khalaf Hasan, an ICDC soldier.
"This is much different than how the instructors in the former Iraqi army were. I am able to learn a lot more this way." Johnston said in the former Iraqi army, the officers were well trained, but the lower enlisted soldiers and non-commissioned officers were not as advanced in basic soldiering skills. It's his personal mission to see that every soldier he trains also becomes a leader.
"Our goal is to instill leadership in the lower levels and build cohesion and confidence in the men, so they can realize that they are as good as any other army," he said.
Johnston uses U.S. Army field training manuals as guides for instruction. However, according to 1st Lt. Leo Flor, it's Johnston's charismatic approach that is the key to teaching the Iraqi soldiers.
"Johnston is doing an awesome job!" said Flor, Johnston's platoon leader. "He's really making an effort to teach [Iraqi soldiers]. He's even picked up a little Arabic and creates power point presentations for his classes."When asked why he works so hard to train a group of people he's likely to never see again, he thinks about his wife, Cordelia, son, Dylan, and his parents, Bryan and Charllote Hess, who live in Merriville. "I'm not trying to save the world," he said. "I'm just trying to do what I can to reduce the terrorist threat to give my family a better future.
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| Date Taken: | 06.15.2004 |
| Date Posted: | 06.15.2004 15:00 |
| Story ID: | 5 |
| Location: | QAYYARAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 483 |
| Downloads: | 393 |
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