Photo By Spc. Courtney Marulli | Staff Sgt. Theo K. Antoine, of Loreauville, La., shows an Iraqi army soldier how to...... read more read more
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By Spc. Courtney Marulli
2nd Brigade Combat Team
2nd Infantry Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq – Training Iraqi army troops in warfare is important, but so is teaching them skills such as supply operations and maintenance to ensure they can keep their vehicles running and parts coming in.
The 1st Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division's Military Transition Team along with help from members of the 2nd Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, are teaching Iraqi army troops to become self-sustaining in all areas of military training.
Many members of the Iraqi army have been in the military for more than two decades and are now learning a different way of doing things. The vehicles they drove before were Russian-made and they adopted their organization structure from the British.
Coalition forces are now giving the Iraqi army a new organizational structure and vehicles. The fresh knowledge mixed with what they have always done is becoming the Iraqi army's standard way of doing things.
Maj. Mondrey O. McLaurin, the team chief of the 1-9th IA Logistics Battalion MiTT, said the pace at which he wants the Iraqis to learn at hasn't been as fast as he'd like. Some of this is due to having to build relationships first. The Maxton/Laurinburg, N.C., native said Iraqis aren't willing to learn from coalition forces until they have built a trusting relationship with them.
"They are a very bonding people," he said.
Despite the slow start, McLaurin said he's seen nothing but progress.
"Right now, we're doing a lot of establishing stuff so the next team can come in and focus on shop operations, versus establishing a motor pool," he said. "They'll still have to come in and establish relationships."
It will take a few rotations of other military transition teams before everything is fully functional, he said.
Being hands-on when showing the Iraqis how to do things is very important because it's the difference between taking an online course versus sitting in the class, McLaurin said.
The focus has been on maintenance because it's very hands-on and is the 1-9th IA's biggest issue, McLaurin said. They know how to order parts, but they need to learn how to fix their equipment.
McLaurin said his brigade has helped out a lot by providing subject matter experts.
"I really appreciate 2-2 helping us," he said.
Staff Sgt. Theo K. Antoine, the shop foreman for Company B, 2nd Brigade Support Battalion, comes down to help the 1-9 IA MiTT teach maintenance. His most recent lesson has been teaching the Iraqis how to replace parts for a brake system that was destroyed, and how to fix a crushed oil pan.
Antoine, of Loreauville, La., said he was apprehensive about teaching the Iraqis, at first, not knowing what to expect. But, he said, they have been eager students who ask important questions.
With the aid of an interpreter, Antoine has answered those questions but has also been kept on his toes as he has learned things from the Iraqis as well as passing on knowledge to them.
"It's been smooth because a lot of them are eager to learn," he said.
Antoine said it's important not to push the American way of doing things on them, but to show them a different way of doing things and allowing them to feel comfortable with the process.
"They combine their way with the coalition forces way," he said.
How they do it isn't the issue as Antoine is only concerned about them doing it the right way and in somewhat of an efficient manner.
"Then the mission is complete," he said.
Antoine said he will take a humvee and purposefully create a few problems with it. Then he will bring the Iraqis in and see how long it takes them to find the problem.
"It makes me feel good as it doesn't take them long to find a problem," he said.
One valuable aspect of working side-by-side with the Iraqis, Antoine said, is that it has allowed him to see their way of thinking and how they would approach a problem and solve it.
Since they are used to not having anything, Antoine said the Iraqi's go to great lengths to fix maintenance issues without replacing parts. This has allowed Antoine to learn some tricks from them. Still, he's shown them that with a proper system in place, they can order more parts and fix a vehicle more quickly.
Capt. Shawn M. O'Brien, the maintenance advisor for the 1-9th IA Logistics Battalion MiTT, said Antoine has been a big help to the Iraqi army as he let's them do things their way but makes sure they are doing it correctly.
O'Brien, of Orlando, Fla., said one of the challenges has been the officers and senior non-commissioned officers in the Iraqi Army who are used to doing work based on relationships and not necessarily paperwork.
"It's been tough, but they're coming along," he said.
The older Iraqi army members have a base knowledge to work with, but are having to relearn most things, whereas, the new soldiers coming in are picking up everything very quickly, O'Brien said.
"Hopefully we'll set them up for success, so they can become a self-sustaining Army," he said. O'Brien said his hope for the Iraqi army members is that one day they'll be appreciated the way American Soldiers are appreciated and be able to walk down the street or go home in uniform.
"They are at risk everyday," he said.
Lt. Col. Edin, the maintenance company commander for the 1-9th IA, has been in the Iraqi army for 24 years and has always had maintenance as his specialty. However, the humvee is something new to him as he is used to working on armored vehicles and tanks.
Edin said learning from the coalition forces has been very successful, as they have taught the Iraqi army ways to make maintenance better and improve the overall ability of the force.
Getting used to the new system is something he and others will just have to adapt to, Edin said. He said he's been in the army a long time and you just have to get used to change.
In the old army, Edin explained, senior non-commissioned officers had to spend three years in a specialty school before they could earn their rank and become a subject matter expert, like a maintenance NCO. Since they have all of that prior knowledge, with a few adjustments he said they will be experts in the new system in no time.
Chief Warrant Officer Badry, the maintenance supervisor for the 1-9th IA Logistics Battalion, has been in the army for 34 years and said it shouldn't be a problem for him to pick up on the new techniques.
Badry said everything is better now than it was before.
"It was like a lot of work before and nothing was accomplished," he said. "It's still a lot of work, but you feel like you succeed."
His favorite part of the new system is that there is no pressure.
"You feel comfortable," he said. "You like to do things because you're not forced to do things."
Pvt. Saab, who has been in the Iraqi army for two years, said he hasn't had any problems learning the new techniques. Saab said this was his first class on the humvee and he likes the vehicle. He said he wants to become a vehicle electrician.
"I got a little bit of expertise from civilian life and am looking forward to a class on it," he said of learning to be an electrician. He hopes to incorporate what he learns in the Iraqi Army into a civilian career later.
"If you love something; love to learn it," he said, "you will learn real quick."
| Date Taken: | 05.13.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 05.14.2007 09:59 |
| Story ID: | 10343 |
| Location: | RUSTAMIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 89 |
| Downloads: | 60 |
This work, Supply, maintenance taught to Iraqi Army troops, by SPC Courtney Marulli, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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