Photo By Spc. Alexis Harrison | Members of the 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment's Military Training Team (MiTT)...... read more read more
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By Spc. Alexis Harrison
2nd BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs
FORWARD OPERATING BASE PROSPERITY, Iraq –The Military Training Team (MiTT) of the "First Team's" 2nd Brigade Combat Team has been working a seemingly endless schedule to make sure parts of the 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division are running the way they should be. Not only is the team teaching the Iraqis, they're learning as they go.
Headquarters Troop, 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment's top noncommissioned officer, 1st Sergeant Joseph McFarlane, said though it's a relatively new team, they seem to do well. The Traverse City, Mich., native has several members of his troop comprising the team in charge training and observing the Iraqi trops.
McFarlane said that immediately following the left-seat/ right-seat ride with his counterparts from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th ID, he and his team were out on the streets of Baghdad with the Iraqi Army.
Early into a patrol Dec. 7, the team went onto Haifa Street in city's center. The team hadn't even dismounted for more than a few minutes before the action began.
The IA saw a vehicle that had been reported as suspicious. They stopped the car and found two AK-47 rifles and two pistols. All four weapons were being illegally transported by the occupants of the vehicle.
As the drama unfolded, the team observed how the IA was handling the situation. Before any kudos could be awarded, shots rang out, one narrowly missing the team's officer in charge, Maj. Chris Norrie.
The Barton, Vt., native hastily took cover as did the rest of his team.
"A sniper round hit a stone pillar about 20 feet behind me," Norrie said. "I was thinking ... we just got here!"
The team and their Iraqi counterparts completed the seizure of the weapons and the men. No one on the team acted too surprised about the sniper fire. McFarlane said they'd been shot at the last four times they'd been out on the streets.
The team from the "Darkhorse" Battalion kept moving with the IA. They then drove to a trailer under a bridge where an Iraqi intelligence officer reported the location of a weapons cache.
The team members kept an eye on their surroundings while the IA went to work. They'd already been shot at once, but this time they came away unscathed. Sgt. Jay Mayhle said sometimes it's good to get shot at.
"It's gotta be scary out here or you lose your edge," said the Pittsburgh native. "Sometimes it bothers you, but you have to get out and get the blood pumping and get the adrenaline rush. It helps you focus."
It wasn't long and the team was on the move again. They patrolled the area for a little while longer when the report came in that there was a dead body found on one of the main streets of the sector. This was the last task the team would complete for the day.
McFarlane remarked about the tenacity of his team. He spoke highly of their abilities to stay focused and not let things bother them.
"When we get back, the guys take off their gear and their boots and just decompress. You kinda have to, in order to keep it together. We see a lot more than most of the people in the brigade," he said.
Pfc. Matthew Snyder from Smithfield, N.C., uses his down time to just forget about everything that happens on missions. He stays in touch with his girlfriend back home and goes to the gym to blow off steam. He believes that once he's off the mission, it's necessary to keep in touch with the person that matters the most. Himself.
The team wasn't exactly done for the day after they got back to home base. The troops needed to get chow and the vehicles needed maintenance. The team works on into the evening making sure everything is set to go for the next mission. It was only about 12 hours away.
"We're constantly transitioning from one task to another," McFarlane said.
He added that although the team has many tasks to accomplish as the MiTT, they still have normal company duties as well.
"We've had a sharp learning curve to battle, but it's been a constant effort from everyone on the team," McFarlane remarked about the challenge of juggling so many duties at once. "It's a marathon. We still have a lot to learn."
| Date Taken: | 12.07.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 12.17.2006 15:38 |
| Story ID: | 8597 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 177 |
| Downloads: | 37 |
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