IA, Gimlet MiTT conduct cache search during Operation Gimlet Tidal Wave

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Crane | A soldier from Commando Company, 4th Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, searches the side of a canal, Oct. 4, 2008, for signs of buried weapons during Operation Gimlet Tidal Wave, conducted in the Abu Ghuraib District of western Baghdad.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

10.04.2008

Story by Spc. Benjamin Crane 

Multi-National Division Baghdad

By Spc. Benjamin Crane
Multi-National Division – Baghdad

BAGHDAD – Soldiers from the Military Transition Team, attached to 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Striker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, nicknamed "Koa," which is Hawaiian for warrior, teamed up with Soldiers from Commando Company, 4th Battalion, 24th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, to search for weapons caches in the Abu Ghuraib area of Baghdad as part of Operation Gimlet Tidal Wave, Oct. 4, 2008.

"It was a combined effort to try to erode the enemy's ability to use the supplies to conduct attacks against coalition and Iraqi forces as well as securing the population of Abu Ghuraib in the future," said Maj. Robert Risdon Jr., a Chicago native, and team chief for the MiTT, 1st Bn., 21st Inf. Regt.

Military Transition Teams train, advise and supervise soldiers of the Iraqi army. Before every mission, the MiTT trains or rehearses several techniques with the Iraqi soldiers such as searching and detaining a suspect, treating wounded soldiers and practicing different patrol formations.

"We do the same things that MiTT teams have done in the past," said Risdon. "We coach and advise, train and teach the Iraqi army to make them better."

Strength and independence are what is needed for the Iraqi army to continue to be successful in the future, working less and less with the help of the U.S. military.

"We are trying to teach these Soldiers to stand up on their own two feet so we don't have to be here [watching them] in the next couple years," said Capt. Eugene Kim, a native of Norwalk, Calif., the personnel section adviser to the leaders of the 4th Bn., 24th Bde., 6th IA Div., who serves with the MiTT, 1st Bn., 21st Inf. Regt. "We are different than line units who chase the enemy; we teach the Iraqi army soldiers to chase the enemy."

"The future of Iraq depends on the strength of its security forces, but to become stronger, the IA must realize their weakness and overcome them."

The Iraqi security forces have been improving constantly, becoming more able to perform and plan operations with every mission they conduct.

"They're getting better. They are executing; they are doing their job; they are completing the missions they need to do," said Risdon. "They understand their mission and they are doing fairly well at it. The U.S. has set the bar high and we always try to make ourselves better. That's what we are trying to impart to them."

Serving on a MiTT is about imparting tactical knowledge and skill, and as that process progresses, relationships of trust are built between soldiers of both armies.

"It's all about relationships. If they don't know you, they won't listen. It takes months; it takes time. We are at the point where we built that relationship. They listen to what we have to say," said Kim.

The more the Iraqi and U.S. Armies work together, the quicker the transition to a more free and safe place for the Iraqi populace and thus the success of Iraq as a country.

• Date Taken: 10.04.2008
• Date Posted: 10.08.2008 13:53
• Story ID: 24682
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ