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Iraqi soldiers master weapons, graduate from course

Photo By Lance Cpl. Jeremiah Murphy | Throughout the Iraqi Small Arms Weapons Instructor course, Marines and members of the...... read more read more

03.14.2008

Courtesy Story

I Marine Expeditionary Force

By Pfc. Jerry Murphy
Regimental Combat Team 5

HABBANIYAH, Iraq – Members of the Iraqi army graduated from the Iraqi Small-Arms Weapons Instructor Course Mar. 14, along with a few Marine counterparts.

The 21-day course is designed to teach the Iraqi soldiers to be masters of their weapons so that they will be able to teach the course to their fellow soldiers and peers.

"We teach them, in depth, about the AK-47, the RPK (Kalashnikov hand-held machine gun), and the PKM (Kalashnikov automatic rifle modernized)," said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Stuart J. White, the Multi-National Forces-West Iraq gunner and advanced instructor for the course. "We also teach them about the M-16 because we're eventually going to be issuing them out to the Iraqi police and Iraqi army."

The course's students included an Iraqi army lieutenant and captain, as well as several warrant officers in the IA. Three Marines also sat in on the class with hopes of becoming instructors themselves.

"Along with the Marines, we had 24 warrant officers in this class. They brought a lot of maturity and experience to the class and were very insightful and wanted to take whatever they could from the course," said White, 45, who grew up in Burlington, Vt. "They're going to be able to go back to their units and provide their fellow soldiers with a lot of knowledge from the (course)."

With the addition of the Marines to the class, White said that in the beginning, there were differences in cultures, but in the end, it brought some natural human competition between the Marines and members of the IA.

"At first, it was a little slow because the Marines didn't quite understand the Iraqi culture," White said. "Eventually, the Marines began competing on the ranges against the (IA) and the two cultures became close and became friends. Natural human competition set in and they had a good time with it."

White added to the presence of the Marines in the course, saying, "The Marines also learned that the IA and IP do care and are willing to learn what is being taught. Also, while the Marines were standing on the (firing) line, preparing to either instruct or fire, the IA was standing right next to them, mimicking their every move and preparing themselves for when they will be the ones teaching the course to their own."

During the course, the class evaluated every shot and in then end, rewarded the best overall shooter of all four weapons and the best shooter using the M-16.

"This is just the third time in a year and a half that a Marine has beaten an Iraqi in being the best shooter with the M-16," White said during the graduation ceremony. "Considering the fact that Marines consider themselves the best shooters in the world, this says a lot about the Iraqis and their willingness to learn."

Sgt. Kyle D. Dailey, a vehicle commander with Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1, won the M-16 shooting competition and Sgt. Troy D. Burmesch, a rifleman with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines won the overall weapons firing competition.

Now that the Iraqi soldiers have completed the course, they are determined to get back with their units to teach their fellow soldiers.

"They were taught very good and can't wait to start instructing on their own, to their own," said Kevin, an MNF-W interpreter. "This is a great class and the (soldiers) learned a lot."