Photo By Sgt. Michael Tuttle | Pvt. Najah Hassan Kathim waits in the rain for the chance to qualify on his AK-47 at...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Michael Tuttle
5th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
KIRKUK, Iraq – Looking out the window of his family's single-story house in central Iraq, the lean and slightly mustachioed Iraqi soldier said he was surprised to see the American Apache helicopters flying overhead during the initial invasion in April 2003. Despite being a second-year soldier in the old Iraqi army, Pvt. Najah Hassan Kathim and his fellow troops had no idea that they may be attacked. He deserted the army during the invasion.
Nine weeks ago Kathim resumed his military career in the new Iraqi army, eager to fight for his country and his family. But this time he knew from the first day of basic training that he would be a part of a new brigade whose mission would be to protect the 60-mile stretch from Baghdad to Samarra.
The 1,895 soldiers of the 'Samarra brigade' trained together during basic training, graduating April 19, and will soon begin training with their brigade officers and noncommissioned officers before formally standing up as the 4th Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division in late May.
"These guys are close to my heart, more than my own brothers," Kathim said about his fellow basic trainees on the morning of their graduation ceremony. "We've had enough time to train together, we know each other and we'll go to battle together."
The jondis, or new Iraqi army soldiers, were informed at the start of their basic training in February that they were going to form the foundation of a new brigade in Samarra, according to Lt. Col. Gerald Snell, Coalition Military Assistance Transition Team officer in charge. Soldiers were given the choice to stay with the brigade or return later to begin basic training and be assigned to a different area.
The CMATT advises the Iraqi army leadership at the Regional Training Center in Kirkuk. They have helped to standardize the RTC's training curriculum and guide them during the transition from the old Iraqi army to the new Iraqi army.
The Samarra brigade marks the first time that Iraqi soldiers have completed basic training as a unit to then go on to train with their brigade leaders before officially standing up.
"Because of that, the soldiers' enthusiasm has been greater than normal and we've seen a lot better training evolve from this," Snell said. "By training the whole brigade together ... when they leave here they'll have developed friendships, developed bonds and they will fight that much better."
The Samarra brigade soldiers come from all over Iraq, including the officers and NCOs. Many spent time in the old army during Saddam Hussein's regime and will have to adjust to the ways of the new Iraqi army, said Iraqi Command Sgt. Maj. Mubrad Sarheed Abed, RTC command sergeant major.
"The old army was built on many bad things including torture and unfair treatment of soldiers," Abed said. "The food was bad and the training and equipment was poor. Now you can see a big difference because there is respect and we treat soldiers as human beings."
The Iraqi army that Kathim was in for two years is vastly different than the one he's in now.
"There was no training on weapons," Kathim said through an interpreter. "When we got to our units, they gave us AK-47s and just told us to shoot."
He also talked about traveling long distances in broken trucks and eating meals out of their helmets. He said he was afraid of his superiors and couldn't ask what was going on.
"The basic training here now is first class. The equipment is new and the training is new," Kathim said.
Basic training was extended from five to eight weeks for the Samarra brigade. The extra time afforded the jondis additional training including checkpoint, cordon and search, and convoy training.
Kathim was living in a small house with 15 family members, including his wife and two kids, his father and his brother's family, in al Qadisiyah, a province in the center of Iraq. He was considering joining the Iraqi army when he saw one of their commercials on television.
Having to find a way to support his family, the 24 year-old Kathim said the army was his best option.
"My family was living in harsh conditions and the army provides money," Kathim said.
His family supported his decision to join the army and Kathim traveled the 700 kilometers north to Kirkuk on his own, mostly by bus, to begin basic training at the RTC.
The difficulty of finding work to support their families is a large reason many soldiers join the Iraqi army. Still, a strong sense of service to their country pervades the ranks. Many soldiers don't distinguish between serving in the army to support their families and serving their country.
"My family and the people of Iraq don't need to see trucks blowing up and their countrymen being killed," said Pvt. Fadel Ali Kadem. Kadem is an infantryman and has a wife and two-month-old daughter in Baghdad. "Terrorists hurt students and people trying to work. We need to protect Iraq and stop people from doing these things."
Pvt. Muhamed Bakr Muhamed also had trouble finding a job but needed to support his family in Diwaniyah, including a sick relative. He said that he and his fellow brigade soldiers have come together during their eight weeks of basic training.
"We feel together and we look like one person," Muhamed said. "We are all just a bunch of soldiers. There is no Shia, no Sunni, no Kurd. All of us serve this country."
The nearly 2,000 new Iraqi army soldiers helping to form the Samarra brigade are seizing the responsibility for securing their country for their own families and their fellow Iraqis. They know where their mission will take them and that more training lies ahead with their unit and with a military transition team from the 82nd Airborne Division.
Kathim has endured life in the old Iraqi army. Life in the new army is his best chance to take care of his family and to help ensure a better future for Iraq.
"Serving his flag and his country is the best thing a man can do," Kathim said. "I will serve my country until my last breath."
| Date Taken: | 05.04.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 05.04.2007 11:02 |
| Story ID: | 10229 |
| Location: | KIRKUK, IQ |
| Web Views: | 510 |
| Downloads: | 474 |
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