Photo By 1st Lt. Janeene Yarber | Lt. Col. Ali, Iraqi army's Explosive Ordnance Company, 6th Engineer Battalion, along...... read more read more
Spc. Anthony Hutchins and 2nd Lt. Janeene Yarber
926th Engineer Brigade
BAGHDAD – Soldiers from the 926th Engineer Brigade, the 890th Engineer Battalion and the 46th Engineer Combat Battalion, rode out to Muthada, Aug. 4, 2008, to visit with Col. Saddam Khalifa Ahmed of the Iraqi army's 6th Engineer Battalion.
The purpose of the visit was to discuss training options for present and future engineer soldiers for the Iraqi army.
The Multi-National Division-Baghdad leaders making the trek for the visit were Lt. Col. Alberto Rosende, 926th Eng. Bde.; Lt. Col. Joe Hargett, commander of the 890th Eng. Bn.; and Lt. Col. Matthew Zajac, commander of the 46th Eng. Combat Bn.
During the visit, Ahmed introduced his staff officers to their MND-B counterparts.
One of the key events Ahmed briefed the engineer leaders on was the establishment of the Iraqi army's Explosive Ordinance Disposal Company, 6th Eng. Bn. His EOD company has received new equipment and is currently training new non-commissioned officers and soldiers.
"The coalition forces have helped so much," said Ahmed, in discussing the progress being made for his engineer troops.
He said the new IA recruits join the Iraqi army for a variety of reasons.
"Those that are here because they love their country, we try to keep," he said, "The rest, we try to get rid of."
He said he is very adamant about building a professional and proficient military and is thankful for the assistance that the U.S. military provides in helping to create a professional army.
After introductions, the group split into two for further discussions of future operations. While Ahmed stayed in his office with the executive officers of the MND-B engineer units, Maj. Doyle Fontenot, the executive officer of the 46th ECB and Cmd. Sgt. Major Francis Thibodeau, the unit's senior enlisted leader, were escorted for a tour of the Iraqi compound by Iraqi army officers and a translator.
Lt. Col. Ali, the EOD commander, introduced his Soldiers to the 46th ECB leaders and showed his visitors the equipment he's used for the past four months. He joked that he has the nickname of "Crazy Ali" because of his unusual way of disposing of improvised explosive devices with his hands.
Ali said the first few times his team found IEDs he called in the American Forces to help dispose of the threat. After a while, he added, his MND-B counterparts indicated they felt he and his team had demonstrated their proficiency and were properly trained to handle the situations.
"My team found 15 IEDs in March and a total of 42 as of today," adds Ali.
Next, Maj. Hamza, the maintenance officer for EOD Co., showed the 46th ECB leaders their engineer equipment, which included excavators, bulldozers and a heavy equipment crane. He indicated that he and his team are having some issues with repairing the equipment because they can't readily find parts. Although the equipment is fairly new, it has been purchased from various suppliers from all over the world.
"The Iraqis need a way to get in contact with all of the dealers to order spare parts," said Fontenot, indicated the MND-B leaders, who have experience with overcoming issues such as this, can help provide guidance in resolving the issue.
The combined team agreed that joint training could prove to be a huge benefit in enhancing the combat effectiveness of the Iraqi army's vehicles. A challenge identified was that Iraqi army mechanics needed to work on preventive maintenance since the normal procedure was to only service vehicles after they broke down.
"We might not be able to provide the Iraqis with a $3,000 engine, but we can train them how to fix cylinders, wheels seals and hoses," said Zajac, adding that the engineers could also provide support in training mechanics and welders.
"They can bring broken equipment with them, and they will train on how to assess and fix the equipment," added Zajac.
With the help of their MND-B counterparts, the IA engineers have added and improved 125 check points on vehicle maintenance.
Ahmed indicated most of the Iraqi army engineers are getting their on-the-job training when they go out and perform missions for the Government of Iraq, adding that they are learning and doing something worthwhile all at once.
In the next month, Ahmed said he expects to receive 400 new soldiers and intends on providing at least one-half of his new troops on-the-job training.
The 926th Eng. Bde. Leaders also offered their assistance in training the officer corps as well.
"We can teach them mission planning and execution of a mission from an officer's perspective," said Lt. Col. Rosende, the operations officer for the 926th Eng. Bde. "By having joint missions and joint planning, we can give them on-the-job training."
At the conclusion of the visit, Ahmed treated the MND-B officers and NCOs to lunch in the Iraqi Officer's Mess. The soldiers from both Armies sat and enjoyed each other's company over local dishes and chai.
The IA and MND-B Soldiers indicated they enjoyed the camaraderie and felt it was an excellent opportunity for Soldiers from both armies to come together and discuss engineer issues and what assistance could be provided in enhancing the IA engineer capabilities.
Rosende said he felt the meeting with Ahmed and his team was a complete success.
"We developed relationships and clearly defined integration on specific projects with specific dates," said Rosende. "We further understood his [Col. Ahmed's] issues, particularly from a route-clearance view.
"With understanding," he concluded, "comes mission success – and with mission success comes victory.
| Date Taken: | 08.04.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 08.09.2008 08:29 |
| Story ID: | 22307 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 343 |
| Downloads: | 225 |
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