Soldiers partner with Iraqi forces to share

Courtesy Photo | 1st Lt. Adam C. Moore, platoon leader, 51st Transportation Co., 30th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, stops briefly while on a mission to offer gifts of appreciation to the grateful Iraqi security forces at the checkpoints alonghis route. The Soldiers of the 51st Trans. Co., say they often stop to coordinate information with ISF and to share goodwill, sometimes by sharing sports drinks, sodas, cookies and muffins.  

QAYYARAH, IRAQ

03.20.2009

Courtesy Story

3rd Expeditionary Sustainment Command

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE Q-WEST, Iraq - The transportation Soldiers who often escort convoys of supplies throughout northern Iraq have learned to work closely with Iraqi security forces – and it has paid off.

The Soldiers of the 51st Transportation Company, 30th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, say they often stop to coordinate information with ISF and to share goodwill, sometimes sharing Gatorade, Mountain Dew, cookies and muffins.

"To step down from one of the large vehicles driving by and say, 'we appreciate what you're doing for us, and you are doing your country a great service,' gives Iraqi soldiers and police a sense of pride in their job," said 1st Lt. Adam Moore, platoon leader, 51st Trans. Co.

Since arriving at Q-West, the Soldiers going out on missions realized the importance of these Iraqis and the impact they have on their lives during this deployment.

1st Lt. James Correa, platoon leader, 51st Trans. Co., was leading a convoy of U.S. military and Iraqi commercial trucks when one of the Iraqi trucks broke down. The convoy was on a very narrow road, used heavily by both civilian and military vehicles, and the broken vehicle froze traffic in both directions.

While the maintenance personnel assessed the situation, a group of Iraqi army soldiers approached (their officer spoke English) and offered assistance. They provided chains to hook the truck up to another commercial truck so it could be towed out of the chokepoint to a place where it could easily be fixed. This saved time that would have had to be spent maneuvering the proper recovery vehicles through the tight spot to recover the disabled vehicle – time anti-Iraqi forces could have spent plotting to attack the convoy.

1st Lt. Adam Moore, platoon leader of 2nd Platoon, 51st Trans. Co., has been waved down twice by Iraqi security forces. Both times they were warning the convoy about possible roadside bombs ahead. The first time it turned out to be nothing. The second time the convoy was stopped the Iraqis used their own route clearance to investigate a suspicious pothole that was in the direct path of the platoon's moving vehicles. Inside this pothole, probably placed during a limited visibility dust-storm, they found a buried improvised explosive device.

Capt. Joshua Kerton, commander, 51st Trans. Co., said taking the time to stop, make friends, and build upon the solid foundation between American and Iraqi forces has empowered the ISF to do a better job securing the routes that U.S. Soldiers and Iraqi civilians travel on.

"This will ultimately lead to the ISF taking a bigger role in the security of their country," Kerton said, "and will allow American troops to get home that much sooner."

• Date Taken: 03.20.2009
• Date Posted: 03.20.2009 07:37
• Story ID: 31367
• Location: QAYYARAH, IQ