Wolfhound makes difference training Iraqi army soldiers

Courtesy Photo | Sgt. Michael Rios, a native of Sebastian, Texas, leads his team through a house in the Taji Qada, northwest of Baghdad, where they conducted searches to locate enemy weapons and activity May 6. Rios is an infantry team leader assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. His team is composed of MND-B Soldiers and Iraqi Army soldiers from the 36th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division. (U.S. Army photo/Staff Sgt. J.B. Jaso III)  

TAJI, IRAQ

05.24.2008

Courtesy Story

2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

By Spc. John Ahn

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Working together with the Iraqi army is an important step in the success of this war – and an important step in Iraqis taking charge of their nation.

A fire team showing a unified coalition front line force at a Joint Security Station near Camp Taji, northwest of Baghdad, is a model for a successful transition from a dependent Iraq to a sovereign nation that can secure the people.

The fire team consists of both Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers and IA soldiers from the 36th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division. Sgt. Michael Rios, a native of Sebastian, Texas, serves as the team chief. He is assigned to 2nd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment "Wolfhounds," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team "Warriors," 25th Infantry Division.

The formation of the combined group initially came together out of sheer necessity when Rios' Soldiers were reassigned to other duties or left the area for environmental morale leave.

The sudden moves forced the U.S. and Iraqi soldiers to learn to work together and overcome linguistic barriers. Overcoming those barriers was a challenge, said Rios, but they were eased through the use of interpreters and hand signals.

"The most amazing aspect of the fire team is that we speak so little to each other," Rios said. "We work mostly by hand signals and knowing glances."

Acknowledgement, he added, is made by a simple nod.

"They work like any other fire team in a modern army," he said. "They know their jobs, take directions from their leader and execute. They are well rehearsed and work flawlessly together."

Rios said he believes in their ability to work as members of a team.

In fact, he added, they train together every chance they get. During their available free time, they come together to work on close-quarters combat drills, practice search techniques for vehicles and buildings, and constantly refine their battle-drill skills. All team members know what they are expected to do when hostile contact is made.

"He is a good leader," stated Hamed, an IA Soldier from the 36th Bde. Hamed has been on Rios' team since the beginning. "(He's) patient and decisive – and very funny too."

Even with a language barrier, Rios is passing on his knowledge and preparing the IA soldiers to be future leaders. He said his vision is to be a force multiplier by being an example so that these soldiers can one day show their future soldiers how to be proficient warriors.

Rios said he demands excellence from his team and doesn't allow them to give less than their best.

"I want 100 percent from them, their undivided attention. If they work hard now and train properly, when it comes to firefights and real-life matters, they won't have to think about it," he said. I want them to identify what they must to do and execute."

The tough training and expectations have brought the Soldiers of these two diverse cultures together to form a close-knit team and have become brothers in arms.

• Date Taken: 05.24.2008
• Date Posted: 05.24.2008 11:39
• Story ID: 19774
• Location: TAJI, IQ