Georgian Infantry Battalion finds pride in working with coalition forces

Photo By Spc. Cal Turner | The Georgian Army's 1st Infantry Battalion's top noncommissioned officer, Sgt. Maj. Alexander Gorgadze, hands out juice to Iraqi children during a stop at one of the many checkpoints the Georgians man alongside Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. The Georgians have been in Baghdad for more than four months monitoring the entry points and checkpoints to the International Zone in the city's center.  

02.14.2007

Courtesy Story

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

By Spc. Alexis Harrison
2nd BCT,1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs

FORWARD OPERATING BASE UNION 1, Iraq – A little more than two years ago, the 1st Infantry (Light) Battalion of the Georgian army didn't exist. A decade before that, the army itself didn't even exist.

Now, the Georgians have joined thousands of other coalition force elements to take the job of manning checkpoints surrounding the heavily fortified International Zone. Although they may be new to the game of war, the soldiers find similarities between themselves and the Iraqis.

The Georgians understand what Iraq is experiencing. In 1991, just a few years after the fall of the Soviet Union, Georgia declared its independence and began standing up its own army.

Now, the Georgians are trying to help Iraqis do the same for their country. They protect the heart of the capital where Iraqi lawmakers are busy governing the still unstable country.

The battalion's chief of staff, Capt. Merabi Tabidze said it's an all too familiar feeling to him and his troops.

"We have a mission to keep Iraqis free just as we did more than 10 years ago," Tabidze said. "We are proud of this opportunity to help the coalition and the Iraqis."

Although the Georgian army isn't large in comparison to the American force, they didn't hesitate when they were given the opportunity to prove their worth in a combat environment.

"We are one of the largest contributors to the coalition effort," said the battalion commander, Maj. Besik Jajanidze. "We are a very small country, but we wanted to help rebuild the walls of Iraq alongside American and other coalition forces to show our support."

Along one of the outer walls of the battalion's barracks, the words "Remember, you are Georgian" are painted in Georgian handwriting. One of the liaison officers, Georgian Air Force Lt. Col. Kakhaber Kharshiladze, said it's a reminder to all the soldiers living and working in Iraq to remember the struggles their country had to overcome and to always take pride and be professional while serving as the "face of Georgia" in Iraq.

Last September, the battalion arrived in country and immediately began working with the 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. The Georgian troops manned several checkpoints and entry points in the International Zone.

Today, they still man those checkpoints. However, the battalion's mission is almost complete. They only have six-month rotations into the country.

Like American troops, many of the Georgian fighters left behind family and friends to fulfill a duty they were once bound to, but in recent years military service has changed to a voluntary status.

For Cpl. George Chitanava, it's his first time away from home. He'd only been out of school a few weeks when he made the decision to enlist.

"When I was young, all I wanted to do was make a difference in my country," he said. "Now I can help work with coalition forces to help make a difference here."

Chitanava enjoys competing in traditional sports like soccer and also Georgian favorites like wrestling.

Just because the Georgians are in Iraq, it doesn't mean they can't enjoy things like they did at home. Last November, they celebrated one of their holidays, King George's Day, with a feast of traditional home-cooked meals and several strength competitions like wrestling, armwrestling and even a pull-a-humvee-with-your-teeth demonstration in front of several coalition leaders including Col. Bryan Roberts, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and the brigade's top noncommissioned officer, Command Sgt. Maj. James Lee.

One of the Black Jack Brigade's units has been working very closely with the "Batoomi" Battalion from Georgia. The 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment has a very similar task in watching over the International Zone and assorted checkpoints.

"We like to think we are much like the 'cowboys' from Texas ... the Black Jack Brigade," said Kharshiladze.

• Date Taken: 02.14.2007
• Date Posted: 02.14.2007 13:05
• Story ID: 9138