138th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Story by Spc. Richard Vogt

by Spc. Rich Vogt
138th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

MOSUL, Iraq (October 9, 2006) – The 296th Brigade Support Battalion is working with the 2nd and 3rd Iraqi Army Divisions to develop IA headquarters support companies.

"Each division, brigade, and battalion has a headquarters support company," said Maj. Marvin A. Emerson, commander, brigade support medical company, 296th BSB, 3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

The headquarters support companies deal with anything that has to do with support, such as logistics, supply, food, and medicine. These companies also hold a driver's training course to include preventive checks and maintenance service. The model the 296th BSB presented to the Iraqi Army was a train-the-trainer model, where U.S. Soldiers develop the Iraqi NCO Corps, who in turn develop junior troops.

The leaders from the 296th BSB met with Col. Mohammed, chief of staff, 2nd IA Div., and Capt. Saad, HSC commander, 2nd IA Div., to present a plan for developing and training the IA support network.

The IA has equipment it cannot use, such as new field kitchens, because Soldiers have not been trained on them. The 296th BSB is looking to help them make use of their new equipment.

"Their cooks will learn to handle food service for the 2nd IA and 3rd IA," said 1st Sgt. Sharon Dean, 1st Sgt., Headquarters and Headquarters Support Company, 296th BSB. "They need to learn meal planning. They have a meal cycle; they just need to implement that into their meal planning," said Dean. "They also need a primary mover for their field kitchens. They also need to learn proper sanitation requirements, like how far away the latrine and wash area needs to be from the food preparation area."

Also, the IA reports that their big truck, called the Kraz, is frequently in need of service, and that is because of improper maintenance. With proper training the IA will be able to better maintain these vehicles.

The plan was warmly received by the Iraqi commanders, who anticipated starting training after the holy month of Ramadan.

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