Crazy Horse Soldiers settle in at JSS 2

Photo By Sgt. Daniel West | Corporal William Clay, Headquarters and Headquarters Co., 589th Brigade Support Battalion, keeps watch from a guard tower on Joint Security Station Two, Aug. 21, 2008.  

AL KUT, IRAQ

08.25.2008

Story by Sgt. Daniel West 

Multi-National Division-Central

By Sgt. Daniel T. West
41st Fires Brigade

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq – A typical day at Joint Security Site Two near Shaik Sa'ad is spent working on the outpost and usually involves as many as six hours at a guard tower with Iraqi soldiers, said Staff Sgt. Jesus Palacios, 67th Forward Support Company.

"Working with the IA's can be hard because very few of them speak English," said Spc. Prichard Tulong, 67th FSC. "We mainly use hand and arm signals."

"We've gotten very good at talking with our hands," added Palacios. "Even when talking to Americans, now, we find ourselves talking with gestures."

Soldiers of the 41st Fires Brigade and Iraqi security forces are adjusting to their new role at checkpoints around Wasit province since the Georgian soldiers redeployed.

Living and working closely with the IA poses some problems; the language barrier being the most significant, saidTulong. The Soldiers said they have seen success working with the IA despite that fact.

"We do well with them," said Palacios. "Everything we do, they want to do. A big part of our job is training, but they came to us very well trained in vehicle and personnel searches."

"We mainly conduct refresher training for them, now," he added.

"They know the standards," said Tulong. "Each day they impress us with something when we try to teach them, and it turns out they already know the task."

"A lot of them have quite a bit of combat experience," he added. "They tell us some crazy stories."

Life at a small checkpoint with a small group of people has not been easy, acknowledged both Tulong and Palacios.

"We'll have been out here for two weeks on Saturday," Palacios said. "It seems like forever."

"It's hot and lonely out here," he added. "Morale's as good as it can be, though."

Despite the differences, the IA and U.S. Soldiers established a true camaraderie at the small checkpoint.

"They're motivated the same as us," said Tulong. "We just have to take it one day at a time."

• Date Taken: 08.25.2008
• Date Posted: 08.25.2008 07:23
• Story ID: 22839
• Location: AL KUT, IQ