Iraqi Police, Army, Coalition Forces hit bullseye in friendly marksmanship competition

Courtesy Photo | Shaykh Husayn Awad Khalaf hands a celebratory cigar to an Iraqi policeman at a marksmanship competition with coalition and Iraqi security forces at Forward Operating Base Bernstein, April 19.  

FORWARD OPERATING BASE BERNSTEIN, IRAQ

04.19.2009

Courtesy Story

3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

FORWARD OPERATING BASE BERNSTEIN, TUZ, Iraq — Everyone was shooting, but no one was hurt when the Iraqi army, Iraqi police, the Sons of Iraq and coalition forces fired AK-47s, M4 carbines, and Glock 9mm pistols together in a friendly shooting tournament, April 19.

The event, hosted by Company A, Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, helped the three groups strenghten relationships which will last long after coalition forces leave the country in 2011.

"This is a lot of fun," said Pvt. 1st Class Devin Nehring, a Co. A Soldier on his first deployment. "Shooting the AK-47 was really exciting, and they [the IA] have one guy out there who's cash money — he's hitting everything."

"Some people are natural marksmen," said Khalid Shwan Ibrahim, a Sons of Iraq member who competed against some of the best the Salah ad-Din province has to offer.

Halfway through the day, Soldiers from Co. A fired up a grill and started grilling traditional American barbeque fare for all the competitors.

"This food is very good," said Mowlud Shakour, one of the Sons of Iraq's top competitors. "The men on the grill are talented, because they can cook and be Soldiers at the same time," he quipped.

The competition was a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs, and each group took the lead at least once during the full-day event. After each iteration, scores were posted as eager competitors looked on. There were pats on the back and pep talks between each episode as the marksmen prepared to shoot again.

Spc. Mostafa El Saka, a linguist, was impressed by the accuracy with which the ISF shot. "If you look at the results, the Sons of Iraq are doing the best right now. For people who don't get many opportunities to practice shooting, they're all doing very well."

Sgt. Shaun Maynard, who was one of the scorekeepers throughout the competition, was excited to watch new friendships blossom as the ISF members both teased and congratulated one another.

"This is a nice little get-together," said Maynard. "We're getting to interact with the ISF; we get to see how they are when they're having fun instead of being all business."

During the last event, the Suleyman Bek police department catapulted into the lead; although they had no experience with the Americans' M4 carbines, U.S. Soldiers coached them all the way to first place.

Immediately after the final event, Lt. Col. Chris Stenman, who commands the Special Troops Bn., handed out certificates to the event's top shooters and gave a short speech to the group.

"I'd like to invite you all to come do this again," said Stenman. "We've started something today that should become a tradition, and I'm very impressed with both the results and your professionalism as Iraqi security forces."

• Date Taken: 04.19.2009
• Date Posted: 05.03.2009 10:13
• Story ID: 33132
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE BERNSTEIN, IQ