Iraqi tankers take on their first mounted patrol outside the wire

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Jon Cupp | Omro, Wis. native Staff Sgt. Craig Towne, a squad leader for Company C, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment gives hand signals to an Iraqi Army tanker from the 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division (Mech.) who sits atop a T-55 tank April 12 on Camp Taji, Iraq.  

TAJI, IRAQ

04.12.2007

Story by Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp 

1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

By Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp
1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs

CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Iraqi Army tankers from the newly-formed 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division (Mechanized) took the lead on their first real-world mission performing a mounted patrol in their T-55 tanks on a major highway near Kem, Iraq April 12.

The patrol, which they conducted with Soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment gave the Iraqi army troopers the opportunity to actively search for insurgents who might be emplacing improvised explosive devices on the roads or performing other terrorist acts that endanger the lives of innocent Iraqi civilians.

Leading up to this first patrol, the Iraqi army tankers received training from Soldiers from the Company C "Cobras' of 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment for more than three months.

The training included maintenance on T-55 tanks; instruction on how to drive the tanks; gunnery on all the various tank weapons systems; and how to set up and break down traffic control points among many other blocks of instruction concerning combat operations.

"They've really come a long way," said Capt. Nels Hanson, commander of Cobra Company. "We're hoping to empower them more and more each day and this week we'll continue taking them on more patrols. We'll do this for several days as we want them to gain confidence as they continue becoming more competent at doing this."

Hanson said he sees this first patrol as a small step toward opening the doors of self-reliance for the Iraqi army as they continue to take over responsibility for their area of operations which aids in the other transition efforts currently underway in Iraq.

"Eventually, they will be able to fully take over in their areas of responsibility and it's a good opportunity to get more IA troops into the fight and less U.S. Soldiers into the fight," Hanson said, explaining the goal of eventually turning over the security of Iraq to Iraqis which will allow U.S. forces to eventually withdraw from Iraq.

Hanson said one of the keys to the success were Iraqi platoon leaders who assisted his Soldiers with training the Iraqi tankers.

"Many of them had served in the army under the previous regime," said Hanson. "We explained to them how we wanted to see the training conducted and they did an excellent job in executing the training and being involved in the day to day activities."

Although, the day's mission was a short one and no insurgent activity took place, Soldiers who shared in this first mission for the Iraqi tank battalion said they could tell the Iraqi troops were on their game.

"It feels good to share in this milestone," said Omaha, Neb. native Spc. Jason Aschenbrenner, a Humvee gunner and infantryman with Cobra Company, who pulled security during the patrol. "The Iraqi troops just keep getting better at their jobs and they show that they really do care about the security of their people."

A former drill sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Byer, now a platoon sergeant for Co. C, oversaw much of the training for the Iraqi soldiers.

"We did plenty of training, but the key to being successful is showing heart in your training and that you genuinely care about the Iraqis and the training you're doing," said Beyer, who hails from Freeport, Ill. "I was really excited to see them in action for the first time, and I know they're going to be successful."

Greensboro, N.C. native Capt. Wes Durham, who works with the military transition team for 2-8 Cavalry, tracked the progress of the mission from the 3rd Bde., 9th IA Div. (Mech.) headquarters and echoed many of Beyer's sentiments.

"We're very proud of them, they're very motivated and we were happy to see them out there," said Durham. "Cobra Company did a great job training them and it went very well. The next step will be integrating them into more complex missions."

• Date Taken: 04.12.2007
• Date Posted: 04.16.2007 17:29
• Story ID: 9955
• Location: TAJI, IQ