Photo By Capt. Monika Comeaux | Iraqi soldiers attending the combat medic course at the Iraqi Army Supply Services...... read more read more
The Iraqi Army Supply Services Institute has doubled the amount of students attending the school. The numbers jumped from approximately 350 students to 700 students, starting in November.
"The school is intended to provide support for the Iraqi army by training their logistics supervisors, both officers and NCOs," said Maj. Edward F. Lindey III., the senior instructor and executive officer of the military transition team (MiTT) assigned to the school. Lindey is in the Army Reserve and has been advising the school since August.
The IASSI is currently run by about 150 instructors and a little less than 50 members of the MiTT team. It offers training in four major areas: maintenance, supply, transportation and medical both for officers and NCOs.
The expansion was a total package, Lindey said. The school assessed the available facilities and borrowed every available nearby building from the Iraqi air force, so they could house their students. They also had to rearrange their existing space. Some offices were turned into classrooms.
The school and the MiTT team heard about the proposed expansion a couple of months ago through the rumor mills, but the official word only came down three weeks before the numbers doubled, said Capt. Robert M. Parvin, a Reserve transportation officer who is now the S4, or the logistician, of the MiTT team.
"We don't really have a lot of room for students, some of them are sitting on the floors until we get desks and chairs through the S4," said Sgt. Valerie Wilkerson, the operations NCO of the MiTT team.
The school was able to receive what they call "Quick Reactions Funds" and was able to purchase some beds and wall lockers. The furniture and supplies have been ordered on time, however vendors are not always able to deliver when promised.
"A good example is that we were supposed to have a shipment of desks come in yesterday. The line coming in through the gate was so long, that the contractor's truck never made it in," Lindey said.
The school is mandated to spend a certain part of its budget on the local economy. As Parvin explained, they are fortunate at Taji, since they are able to place orders through the vendors in the Bazaar.
This keeps Soldiers from having to go off post and making local purchases, but at the same time still puts money in the local economy.
"That is actually helping Iraq in an indirect way. It is helping the Iraqis by having money that is there to take care of their families, give jobs to other personnel and that just stimulates the economy and that is great," Parvin said.
The doubling of the numbers is only one step in the upcoming changes and expansions.
"Starting next month we have an administrative course that will be starting," Wilkerson said. The S1 shop has been working on the curriculum. It will be a couple of weeks long, training administrative transactions, mostly on the computer, she said.
A larger area is also under renovations, and the school is supposed to move over there in the near future, Lindey said.
Members of the MiTT team sound very motivated about working at the school.
"Quite frankly I wish I could have been here at the IASSI school for the duration of my deployment, because it is a very satisfying, fulfilling thing that I am actually directly involved in the rebuilding of Iraq by supporting the school and the soldiers," Parvin said.
Lindey said that he sees the light at the end of the tunnel, where a couple of years down the road, the school will be able to compete with any similar institution in the world.
| Date Taken: | 11.25.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 11.25.2005 06:36 |
| Story ID: | 3851 |
| Location: | IQ |
| Web Views: | 140 |
| Downloads: | 37 |
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