Iraqi soldiers test skills at live-fire event

Photo By 1st Sgt. Justin A. Naylor | An Iraqi army officer talks to his soldiers about their role in the culminating training event at Forward Operating Base Normandy, Iraq, June 26. This is the last event of a nearly month-long training rotation for soldiers from the 5th Iraqi Army Division.  

FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, IRAQ

07.05.2011

Story by Sgt. Justin A. Naylor 

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Being able to work as a team in a combat situation can mean the difference between success and failure for a military unit.

Soldiers from the 5th Iraqi Army Division took part in a group live-fire event at Normandy Training Site, Iraq, June 26, which focused on the unit’s ability to work together to meet an objective.

The live fire was the culminating event for the Iraqi soldiers after an almost month-long training rotation at the Kirkush Military Training Base, Iraq, near Normandy Training Site, said Lt. Col. Richard Kirk, the officer in-charge of the security forces assistance cell for the 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, U.S. Division-North.

The IA soldiers began training for this event by focusing on basic concepts such as marksmanship and individual movement drills, explained Capt. Sa’ad, an officer serving with the 5th IA div.

The training was broken down into individual elements, allowing the soldiers to become proficient in each necessary skill before moving on, continued Sa’ad.

The soldiers then built on the basic skills and used them to conduct advanced tactics such as unit movement and coordinated attacks using infantry, mortars and mounted elements, he continued.

“It’s very comprehensive,” said Sa’ad of the training. “It’s covers the whole spectrum of operations.”

For the culminating event, soldiers used the skills they had learned during their training to conduct a company-size attack on a simulated Iraqi terrorist cell.

Soldiers operating mortars provided supporting fire to help weaken enemy locations before infantry elements moved in and raided the site.

“This event is about putting everything they’ve learned in the training together,” said Sa’ad.

“This is their chance to break away from the training cadre and prove themselves,” said Kirk, a Columbus, Ohio, native and a 29-year Army veteran.

The culminating event allows them to bring together all the smaller tasks they’ve been practicing in the last three weeks and demonstrate them at full speed and in a live-fire scenario, explained Kirk.

For the junior leaders involved in the event, it was also an opportunity to build confidence in their ability to work together and accomplish a goal in a battlefield scenario, said Kirk.

The group of IA soldiers that participated in this training are only a small percentage of the total number that have gone through the training rotations since the inception of the training in January, explained Kirk.

The goal is for every battalion of the 5th IA div. to go through this training, Kirk said.

“You definitely see a lot of improvement in the soldiers after they’ve gone through the training,” said Sa’ad.

For the soldiers that participated, the culminating event was an opportunity to use the soldiering skills they had learned during their training rotation while working as a team to accomplish an objective.

• Date Taken: 07.05.2011
• Date Posted: 07.05.2011 05:23
• Story ID: 73233
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, IQ