Iraqi Army Celebrates 86th Birthday

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Cupp | Brig Gen. Jamal Mal Allah Ahmed (far right), commander, 2nd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division (Mechanized) and Col. Paul E. Funk II (second from right), commander, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, joined with Iraqi Army troops from Ahmed's brigade and U.S. Soldiers from various Military Transition Teams as they shared in a traditional Iraqi meal Jan 6. on Camp Taji, Iraq in commemoration of the Iraqi Army's 86th birthday.  

TAJI, IRAQ

01.06.2007

Courtesy Story

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

By Sgt. Jon Cupp
1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Iraqi Army troops teamed up with their U.S. counterparts to celebrate the Iraqi Army's 86th birthday Jan. 6 here.

Iraqi Army troops from the 2nd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division (Mechanized) along with U.S. Soldiers from various military transition teams celebrated the day with speeches, food and a cake cutting.

The traditional date for the Iraqi Army's activation is Jan. 6, 1921 when King Faisal (bin Hussein) I established the first true Iraqi Army battalion, called the Musa Binja Far or "the Moses" Battalion, in Baghdad.

Iraqi Army Brig. Gen. Jamal Mal Allah Ahmed, the commander of 2nd Bde., 9th IA Div. opened the ceremony with a speech prior to a cake cutting ceremony.

"Every year we come together to celebrate and remember the history of the Iraqi Army," Ahmed said. "Today we are working with our American friends to help all of the Iraqi people. In this new year of 2007, we ask God to help us rid Iraq of terrorists, and we come together today to honor all (past and present) Iraqi soldiers and all the people of Iraq."

In addition, Ahmed said he has nothing but gratefulness and praise for the efforts of all of the people who are working "hard together," to help the new Iraqi government along by working to maintain security and stability in Iraq.

He then cut the birthday cake with the assistance of Col. Paul E. Funk II, commander, 1st "Ironhorse" Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and a native of Roundup, Mont., and the Iraqi and U.S. troops feasted on traditional Iraqi meals consisting of fish, chicken, lamb, rice and other native delicacies.

For Capt. Khalid Hassan, an engineer with the 2nd Bde., 9th IA Div., the commemoration, he said, marks a time for writing a new history for a new Iraq.

"I'm glad that our Army is making a new start, and I'm glad to work with the American Army which has a very good system and very good Soldiers," Hassan said. "But the Iraqi Army needs more time to finish it's job (of transitioning)."

"The Iraqi Army mission is very difficult but our hope is for peace for our families, our country and the same for the Americans," he added.

Soldiers in attendance said they enjoyed getting to dine with their Iraqi counterparts and hope to continue working with the Iraqi Army and Iraqi security forces to help transition them to the sovereignty of the Iraqi people.

Capt. Kevin Caflin, an advisor to the 9th IA Div. who belongs to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade Special Troops Battalion, spends his time working with the Iraqi troops on various force protection issues and creating engineering products such as building training lanes, check points and training facilities for the Iraqi troops.

For him, getting the opportunity to spend time with his Iraqi counterparts during the commemoration was a worthwhile experience.

"It was a great honor to be invited here to join (the Iraqis) in their celebration," said Caflin, a native of Belvidere, N.J. "It's a great tradition being able to celebrate Iraqi history and there's nothing that compares to sharing in the camaraderie with our Iraqi brothers."

• Date Taken: 01.06.2007
• Date Posted: 01.08.2007 09:53
• Story ID: 8754
• Location: TAJI, IQ