325th Brigade Support Battalion Trains Iraqi Army Non-commissioned Officers

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Dustin Abbas, Company C, 325th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Bde....... read more read more

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Dustin Abbas, Company C, 325th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Bde. Combat Team, 25th Inf. Division, instructs Iraqi soldiers during First Aid training from Jan. 11-27 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, Iraq.  see less | View Image Page

TIKRIT, IRAQ

02.19.2009

Courtesy Story

3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, TIKRIT, Iraq - "We never had this type of training before; in the end, we gained confidence that we could teach our Soldiers," said Sgt. Yassin Rashid, 4th Division, Iraqi army.

The 325th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division partnered with the 4th Division, Iraqi army to conduct training on basic combat skills over a three-week period in January. Each training session was designed to teach basic first aid, weapons maintenance, night vision device operations, driving at night, weapons qualification and night fire familiarization. To help the Iraqis become more independent, the classes focused on training the leaders in a train-the-trainer model of instruction so that they would be able to train their Soldiers when they return to their unit.

Six Iraqi non-commissioned officers from Headquarters Support Company, 4th IA participated in the first session Jan. 11-13. During the second training session, Jan. 18-20, the same non-commissioned officers had a larger role instructing the training while 325th Bde. Support Bn. Soldiers assisted and monitored the training for approximately 35 Iraqi army soldiers. By the start of the third and final session, all six Iraqi NCOs were well integrated into the instruction and leading the training for their IA soldiers.

This partnership model has improved the 4th IA's ability to train their soldiers on skills they need in order to assume a greater role in the security of Iraq.

"Many of our Soldiers have neither driven vehicles nor have seen night vision devices [NVD] until today, but they are now well trained and confident to drive at night with NVDs," said Iraqi army Sgt. Rezkar J. Ahmad.

The first aid course was instructed by Spc. Dustin Abbas, Staff Sgt. Branden Schoolcraft and Sgt. Benjamin Cobian, all medical personnel from Co. C, 325th Bde. Support Bn.

"This training was very successful for me, because I learned how to conduct First Aid in order to treat any injured soldier in combat, but also learned I can apply this to our daily lives," said Pvt. Pishtiwan Omar Ali, Military Police Company, 4th IA. Both Cobian and Schoolcraft said that they had great confidence in the Iraqi NCOs' ability to teach their Iraqi soldiers during this training.

During the initial training sessions, some Iraqi soldiers had difficulty understanding what was being taught because all instructions had to be given through an interpreter. After the Iraqi NCOs began teaching the classes, they were able to articulate instructions better because they had already gone through the classes the previous week, and they were instructing their Soldiers in Arabic.

Concurrent with the combat skills training, 325th Bde. Support Bn. conducted two sessions (Jan. 11-13 and Jan. 25-27) of Advanced Medical Training at the COB Speicher Troop Medical Clinic. The Advanced Medical Training course was designed to teach Iraqi medics advanced medical procedures such as physical therapy, dental, laboratory, preventive medicine and surgery techniques. Maj. Matthew Packham, bn. surgeon, C Co., 325th Bde. Support Bn. also provided a class on surgical suturing and basic pediatrics.

"Training is a key to leadership and now they are able to pass on this information to their soldiers. It inspires them to train other soldiers," said Packham.

This training strengthened how Iraqi soldiers feel about their non-commissioned officers and their chain of command.

"The Iraqi soldiers gain respect and confidence that their non-commissioned officers can lead them and can take care of them," said Cobian.

The joint training with the 4th IA created a positive and lasting partnership with the non-commissioned officers. It allowed 325th Bde. Support Bn. Soldiers to see how, by training Iraqi security forces, they make a direct impact on the promising future of Iraq.

"The reason why we are here in Iraq is to help improve the Iraqi security forces so they can assume a greater role in protecting their country," said Maj. Joseph Ritter, 325th Bde. Support Bn. executive officer.

Partnership with the 4th Iraqi Army Division will continue throughout the deployment, with plans to train logistical functions with the 4th Motorized Transportation Regiment in February 2009.