Subscribe
4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division
FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH, Iraq — Since arriving in eastern Baghdad in December, Combined Functional Team Wild Boar, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, has been aggressively patrolling the streets.
This would normally be a tremendous undertaking to an American unit new to Iraq, but CFT Wild Boar's new partners, the Iraqi national police, have ensured the task hasn't been so difficult, said Maj. Nelson Kraft, Toledo, Ohio, executive officer, 2nd Bn., 30th Inf. Regt.
NPs are just one part of a triad of Iraqi security forces. The other two organizations are the Iraqi police and the Iraqi army. All three forces operate in eastern Baghdad, but it is NPs who walk hand in hand with the Wild Boars, said Kraft. NPs are a professional organization modeled more from the Army than the police, and they have proven to be an effective national police force that is much like our National Guard, he said.
There are three significant reasons for the success of the NP in eastern Baghdad, the first is motivated Iraqis, said Lt. Col. Greg Baine, Beaumont, Texas, commander, 2nd Bn., 30th Inf. Each NP Soldier is a volunteer who wants nothing more than a safe, secure and stable Iraq, Baine exclaimed. Their thirst for safety is further quenched by the superior leaders the Iraqi government has assigned to command the NP, he stated.
The second ingredient is NP Training Teams, which consist of active-duty Army officers and non-commissioned officers who were trained in the United States to coach, teach and mentor NPs, explained Kraft. Truly, the Army has put its best foot forward with this initiative, he said.
The third ingredient is the Wild Boars themselves. The Soldiers of CFT Wild Boar are as motivated as ever to help the NP become the fighting and defensive force the people of Iraq deserve, said Baine. Every day, combined patrols of NP and Wild Boars conduct operations to protect the population of Iraq and ultimately transition the country's security completely over to ISF, he stated.
Having replaced an armored/mechanized force, NPs conducting operations on foot with the Wild Boars, as opposed to tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles, have pleased the people of eastern Baghdad and has made them very happy, said Baine. One friendly Iraqi woman mentioned to the Team Spartacus commander, Capt. Frank Adkinson, Lynn Haven, Fla., there were so many troops on the streets - more than she had ever seen before – that she felt very safe, he said.
As the Wild Boars move throughout their operating environment, their Soldiers are often met with thumbs up or cheers from the local children, said Kraft.
Overall, CFT Wild Boar's reception into Iraq has been very favorable, he boasted. In addition to working together with the NP, Wild Boar leaders at all levels are engaging Iraqi leadership, both formally and informally, and encouraging them to make the right decisions that will benefit the population, said Baine.
Although CFT Wild Boar Soldiers and leaders miss their families back at Fort Polk, they are honored and privileged to be a part of this incredible transformation to Iraqi control, said Baine. Not only do Iraqis want the Wild Boars here to lend a helping hand, the Wild Boars are eager to oblige, he said.
| Date Taken: | 01.23.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 01.23.2008 14:59 |
| Story ID: | 15715 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 428 |
| Downloads: | 385 |
This work, Iraqis take the lead: CFT Wild Boar lends a helping hand in the background, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
