Courtesy Photo | First Lt. Muhannad Saadi Tayeh, right, an officer with the 17th Iraqi Army Division...... read more read more
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By: Staff Sgt. Justin Phemister
2nd AAB, 1st Inf., Div., USD-C
BAGHDAD — The 17th Iraqi Army Division has its first scout/snipers. Soldiers with 1st “Dragon” Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, United States Division– Center worked with their counterparts in the 17th IA Division
commando battalion over a period of several months, culminating with the completion by five Iraqi soldiers of an advanced scout/sniper marksmanship training at the Qa’qaa range outside Baghdad Aug. 4, 2011.
As a way to add to the esprit de corps of the new scout/snipers and reinforce their special status, the Dragon Battalion is arranging for the graduating IA soldiers to be rewarded with the badge of an AK-47 rifle clutched by an eagle’s talon for wear on their uniform, designating them the “Golden Talons.”
“The Golden Talons are more than just precision shooters, and they are the first of their kind,” said Maj. Henry Malinverni, a stability transition team officer with 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment and a Fort Dix, N.J., native, who was the force behind the training.
Malinverni likened the new scout/snipers’ capability to surgically take out an enemy with accuracy and minus collateral damage to that of an eagle, the 17th IA Division’s symbol.
“Think of an eagle as it soars undetected, far from its prey and carefully selects a single target from a school of fish,” said Malinverni. “When it’s finally ready, it strikes lightning-quick and accurately, taking that single victim from the surging masses.”
It is this capability that is now a part of the 17th IA Division’s arsenal, and it was the metaphor of the eagle that Malinverni used to sell the scout/sniper program to Staff Maj. Gen. Ali, commander of the 17th IA Division.
“The Iraqis’ idea of a sniper was simply a guy on a roof with a rifle,” said Malinverni. “In actuality, they are much more than that, and we used this scout/sniper training to make clear the distinction.”
The 17th IA Division commandos learned not only precision shooting, but also concealment and movement-to-target techniques, range estimation, spot reporting, and many associated tasks, such as zeroing an advanced combat optical gunsight, necessary for long-range accuracy. They built from scratch their own ghillie suits, or cloaks snipers wear, to break up their silhouette for concealment, using strips of burlap sandbags. They even dedicated their rare free time to improving their camouflage.
“I was impressed when I saw that they had used their own time to improve the ghillie suits without being told,” said Malinverni. “You can’t teach them to want it, and they did.”
The scout/sniper program began several months ago with two basic courses. These two courses were focused more on teaching precision firing than on good scouting techniques. Significantly, the basic courses generated enough interest in sniper capabilities that the 17th IA Division put aside resources for an advanced course and identified the five best-qualified graduates of the basic courses to attend it.
“I was willing to do whatever it took to earn one of the Golden Talons,” said 1st Lt. Muhannad Saadi Tayeh, an officer with the 17th IA commandos and one of the course’s graduates.
Doing “whatever it took” meant a performing a tactical insertion, a 290-meter concealed low-crawl across the baked Iraqi desert sands, accurately shoot 400-meter targets in a 15 mph crosswind, and a rapid extraction from the objective while giving accurate cover fire, and concealing the movement with smoke.
“It was all difficult, and the wind made the shooting very tough, but the hardest part was the crawl,” said Saadi.
Earning the Golden Talon means more to the soldiers than bragging rights and flashy badge. Their new skill set will be used in practical application across the 17th Iraq army’s area of operations, and also to train other soldiers to be able to function in a scout/sniper capacity.
“Creating an enduring capability was really the whole point,” said Malinverni. “When I was planning the training, my first question was, ‘how can I teach them to fish instead of just feeding them for a few days?’”
Creating the capacity for the 17th Iraq army commandos to conduct sniper operations was only the first half of the project for Malinverni. He and Saadi Tayeh must still pitch a plan to the 17th IA Division’s leaders to make the most of their abilities. That said, Malinverni is optimistic that the utility of the Golden Talons will be easy to see.
“The guys did great, [and] based on the level of enthusiasm I’ve seen generated by this program, this is only the first of many groups of Iraqi snipers that will earn this [Golden Talon] badge,” said Malinverni.
| Date Taken: | 08.04.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 08.15.2011 04:16 |
| Story ID: | 75351 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 72 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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