GHUZLANI WARRIOR TRAINING CENTER, Iraq – Beyond the combat skills Iraqi soldiers learn at Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center, troops of 2nd Battalion, 11th Brigade, 3rd Iraqi Army Division, now know how to keep their vehicles, and consequently their missions, running smoothly.
U.S. soldiers of 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, hosted a class on preventive maintenance, checks and services for their Iraqi partners at GWTC, near Mosul, Iraq, Feb. 3.
U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Pearman, an instructor from the Combat Ready Team, 1st Sqdn., 9th Cav. Regt., walked Iraqi vehicle crews through the step-by-step process of checking their Humvees for daily mission readiness.
“We’re teaching them how to do ‘before, during, and after checks’ on their Humvees,” said Pearman, a native of Bristol, Tenn.
Checking even the simplest components and keeping the vehicle clean helps prevent most of the problems that crews may encounter, he said.
Following a day of classroom instruction covering manuals and instructions, the students got their hands dirty with a practical exercise, performing maintenance on Iraqi army service vehicles.
“The class had good benefits for us, and I learned a lot of things, especially when we got our hands on the vehicles,” said Sgt. Dafer Hussain, 2nd Bn., 11th Bde.
Pearman led Hussain and his crewmembers through the methodical process of checking fluids, belts, tires, seatbelts, and other parts as the Iraqi soldiers took notes, jotting down deficiencies.
“We’re teaching them how to keep the problems small instead of letting them get bigger,” said Pearman, noting how even minor faults can place a mission in jeopardy. “It keeps the crew rolling; it keeps the mission going safely.”
U.S. soldiers of 4th AAB, 1st Cav. Div. are leading Iraqi units of 2nd Bn., 11th Bde., through a 25-day training cycle at GWTC as part of Tadreeb al Shamil, Arabic for All Inclusive Training, an Iraqi-led initiative to train IA battalions on collective unit skills as they shift to national defense operations.
“It means a lot to me, because it’s very good skills and experience,” Dafer said. “It’s also very useful for civilian life if I get out of the Army.”
Dafer said that he expects to eventually become a trainer himself, sharing the knowledge learned at GWTC to fellow Iraqi soldiers after U.S. forces transition out of Iraq.
As other Iraqi units of 2nd Bn., 11th Bde. participated in squad battle drills throughout GWTC, the maintenance crews learned the skills necessary to keep their combat arms personnel on the move.