Photo By Sgt. Geoffrey Ingersoll | Lt. Col. James Morrisroe, senior adviser, Quick Reaction Force 3, 1st Iraqi army QRF,...... read more read more
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By Cpl. G.P. Ingersoll
Multi-National Force - West
DIYALA, Iraq – They're in every clime and place. They're the country's 911 force. But they aren't the Marine Corps.
The Iraqi soldiers and Marine advisers who make up 1st Iraqi army Quick Reaction Force's three Quick Reaction Force brigades have seen action in eight provinces in Iraq. Whether it's North, South, East or West; in Sadr City, Anbar, Basra or Diyala, this group of stalwart soldiers is determined to bring stability to any region in need.
"It's almost like their gypsies," said Staff Sgt. Philip H. Collins, operations and civil affairs adviser, QRF 3, 1st IA QRF. "They move from one place to another, accomplishing the mission, as flawlessly as I've ever seen them. It's like they're a 9-1-1 for Iraq ... they go wherever they're needed as fast as they can get there."
Fast is just a word. For the QRF soldiers, readiness is a lifestyle, punctuated by the sound of a whistle.
Collins said a QRF commander brought a whistle out to evening formation one day. The commander explained that his soldiers were to gather their gear and mount their vehicles as quickly as possible when they heard the whistle.
Then he blew into it, randomly, for the next few hours.
Soldiers flew from their racks, crushed newly lit cigarettes and left their tea behind, while the commander and an advisor stood outside with a stopwatch.
Along with hasty mobilization of resources, QRF soldiers must also quickly familiarize themselves with their constantly changing surroundings, from new terrain to new tribes.
"When you are the QRF, everything is so much faster," said Collins, 30, from Baltimore, "you have to know the battlespace faster, you've got to really work hard to get out there and know the population to get information; you have to be so much more involved."
Getting involved may seem difficult in Iraq, a country of various religious sects and countless tribes. The QRF adapts well to the diverse cultural landscape because it is truly a national unit, with members of many tribes and many religions in its ranks.
"[It helps] because a lot of places that we go to have higher percentage [of people] that are Sunni or Shia," Collins said. "When we go into an area, the brigade commander or the commanding officer will talk to a sheik and tell him, 'my brigade is mixed, we show no favoritism to any different tribe.'"
Collins mentioned one negotiation where two sheiks from different tribes came to an easy agreement because the IA facilitating the talks had uniformed representatives of the different tribes.
"[Nationalizing] gives them an edge. Locals see that we're not playing the tribe game. They feel the brigade will respect the area that they are in more because of it."
But it's not just their region or religion that sharpens that edge.
"These are proven brigades, battle-tested," said Sgt. Jason M. Adcock, assistant intelligence officer, 1st IA QRF.
Adcock, 29, a native of Ducktown, Tenn., said insurgents had once pinned down a group of IA Soldiers with sniper fire. Their warrant officer went crazy.
"He was yelling at all the jundee [Iraqi enlisted men]," Adcock said. He said the warrant officer rallied the troops to repel the enemy assault. "They're really go-getters ... they look forward to a challenge."
That's probably because there's not much that can challenge Iraqi's who have seen as much training as the QRFs. They've attended humvee, marksmanship, close-quarters combat, heliborne insertion and scout courses. A select few completed a training evolution with Navy SEALs.
Since they started demonstrating their proficiency, the 1st IA QRF's brigades have supported crucial stability operations in Basra and Baghdad. Gathering intelligence, patrolling streets and detaining individuals on their own except for occasional reports back to small Marine Military Transition Teams
"This brigade, they don't need much advice, they've got their stuff together," Collins said.
Collins said all training the QRF completed is put to good use because the QRF gets the chance to ensure stability in many of Iraq's provinces. He said there is one drawback to the QRF's cross-province capability.
"You don't have time to get settled, you know, because you never know when you're moving again," he said.
| Date Taken: | 09.20.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 09.20.2008 17:20 |
| Story ID: | 23935 |
| Location: | DIYALA PROVINCE, IQ |
| Web Views: | 255 |
| Downloads: | 147 |
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