4th IA Taking the Right Steps to a Strong Army

Photo By Pfc. Carlee Ross | Maj. Henry McNeilly the G-3 5 and effects advisor for the 4th Iraqi Army Division shows the view of the Tigris River from the back of the Hospitality Palace at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Dagger.  

TIKRIT, IRAQ

10.30.2006

Story by Pfc. Carlee Ross 

25th Infantry Division   

by Pfc. Carlee Ross
25th Inf. Div PAO

TIKRIT, Iraq – On the historic green banks of the Tigris River near Saddam Hussein's birthplace stands the palace the 4th Iraqi Army (IA) Division Headquarters calls home.

It is arguably the smallest of the palaces built under the Saddam regime, but it is still an impressive structure. They call it the Hospitality Palace for unknown reasons -- possibly for ironic purposes, perhaps for the hope of an undivided country.

As it goes through its daily mission, the 4th IA is taking steps, slowly but surely, to creating a stronger army so it can help to create a stronger country.

"Building a new army has so many details; building a strong army is a matter of time," said Col. Tariq, Deputy G-3, 4th IA.

Tariq has served 25 years in the formal army, most of which was spent under Saddam's Iraqi Republican Guard. He fought in the Iran-Iraq war and the 1st Gulf War. When the war in Iraq began most of Saddam's army realized he had made a mistake. That is when Tariq went home. He did not want to fight for Saddam's army any more. In March 2005 Tariq joined the new Iraqi Army the United States was helping to create.

The IA is now fully in the lead. Their troops plan and conduct patrols and operations on their own. Executing these missions requires cooperation and coordination with Coalition Forces and Multi-National Division North because they still need some logistical and personnel support.

"The 4th IA Division Military Transition Team (MiTT), assigned from the 25th Infantry Division, is the link to providing coalition enablers, fire, medical and aviation support," said Maj. Henry McNeilly, G-3 and effects advisor to the 4th IA.

The MiTT trains and advises its Iraqi counterparts and evaluates readiness levels based on proficiency in maintenance, training, leadership skills and accountability.

"Since the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the 4th IA Commander and Multi National Division-North (MND-N) Commander, 4th IA is clearly taking the lead very seriously and they truly intend to run their own division, just as we would intend to run our own," said McNeilly.

Almost every Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) in the Army is here working with the IA, ranging from cooks to scouts.

The 4th IA is relatively ethnically and religiously mixed. There is an almost even split of Kurd and Arab, with most Kurds being Shi'a and most Arabs being Sunni.

For being a diverse division they work well together, said McNeilly.

"I believe in the long run, having such a mixed group of soldiers will help to bring the country together. Not in an American sense, but in an Iraqi sense. Working together now shows it can be accomplished if they try hard enough," said McNeilly.

The IA are working, living and eating with their Coalition Forces trainers, creating an environment where both learn a lot in a small amount of time. One can get the impression of a bright future for this country, in time, through sacrifice and patience.

"We highly appreciate the support from the U.S. Army," said Tariq. "The 101st Division gave us a lot, and the 25th will continue."

"By the end of our deployment I hope to see a division that can conduct operations on its own without the need for Coalition support," said McNeilly. "If they can do this they will be successful as a division and we will have been successful in advising and training them to that level."

• Date Taken: 10.30.2006
• Date Posted: 10.30.2006 14:23
• Story ID: 8185
• Location: TIKRIT, IQ