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NCOA Instructors

Courtesy Photo | Iraqi soldiers practice the prone unsupported firing position during the Q-West Base...... read more read more

QAYYARAH, IRAQ

01.23.2006

Courtesy Story

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SGT RACHEL BRUNE
101ST SUSTAINMENT BDE
23 JANUARY 2006

Q-WEST BASE COMPLEX, Iraq " The light rain that began as a drizzle in the early morning turned into a downpour, covering Perimeter Street in a thick coat of mud.

Down the long, gray road, the first three runners drew nearer, pelting as quickly as they could in their desert combat boots. Sgt. 1st Class Wesley E. Derrick, a senior instructor at the NCO Academy here, looked down at his watch and began counting time out loud.

Breathing hard, the soldiers in their distinctive "chocolate chip"-patterned fatigues crossed the finish line and stood, single file, to catch their breath. Jan. 23 marked the third day of training at Q-West Base Complex for Iraqi NCOs, beginning at 6 a.m. with a physical training, or PT, test.

The test, a modified version of the U.S. Army test, consisted of three events. The soldiers had one minute each to do as many sit ups and push ups as possible, then completed a one-mile, timed run.

As Staff Sgt. Edwin R. Sanchez, an infantryman from 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, read the instructions, he paused frequently to allow interpreters to translate his words into Arabic and Kurdish. Fellow instructor Staff Sgt. Willie Signil, also of 1-17th Infantry, demonstrated the proper way to complete each exercise.

The Iraqi soldiers have never taken this kind of a PT test and most do not perform group PT on a regular basis, said Sanchez.

"They're a little rough right now," said Sanchez, in between test-takers. "In a few days, they'll be rolling."

Alongside the American instructors, Iraqi army instructors Sgt. 1st Class Neshwan and Sgt. 1st Class Mohammed pushed the soldiers to pound out more push ups or exert themselves for one last sit up. Neshwan got down on the floor and did push ups along with the soldiers to keep them from giving up.

"Once they start the cycle here, we challenge them every day," said Mohammed through an interpreter. He added, the point of the course is to push the soldiers.

"If the training is too easy, after graduation they will know nothing," said Mohammed. "Then they will go out, and the terrorists will be able to kill them."

This is the challenge the instructors face. This NCO course is not just for promotion points - these Iraqi NCOS and their soldiers will go back to facing terrorists shortly after they receive their graduation certificates.

"The day after graduation, these guys can be on a mission," said Signil, who is originally from Philadelphia, Pa.

For the first three days, the training takes place mostly in the classroom. Each instructor teaches blocks of information such as the "Iraqi Army Values" or "Law of Land Warfare."

"The most important instruction is the Iraqi army values, because if they learn these, they will do everything the right way," said Mohammed.

The instructors teach the values with a presentation that includes the definition of each value in English and Arabic. They use hypothetical scenarios to get the trainees to think about using the values in their daily lives as soldiers, said Sanchez, who is from San Luis, Colo.

"We tell them, for example, you can't be late for a mission," said Sanchez. If they are professional at their job, people will see they want to do good things for their country.

The instructors have varying levels of experience training soldiers. The Americans are all noncommissioned officers, the Army's first-line leaders, although here they face not one, but two language barriers.

"You learn that if you can teach these guys, you can teach [anyone]," said Sanchez.

Unlike American recruits, the Iraqi soldiers and NCOs who attend both the NCOA basic combat training course and the NCO course are not fresh from civilian life. The different Iraqi army battalions hand pick soldiers to attend the training, many of whom may have already served for about a year or more, said Derrick, who is from Van Alstyne, Texas.

Under these circumstances, part of training is to break bad habits by showing the soldiers the correct way of performing missions such as manning traffic control points or by teaching them the IA values or the "Warrior Ethos."

Derrick admits he had some misconceptions before beginning as an instructor at the Academy, which is the main training facility for northern Iraq right now.

For some people, the perception exists that the IA soldiers may be terrorists in fatigues who join to get the training and then desert. Several recent articles in prominent magazines, such as the Atlantic Monthly, have called into question the quality of the IA recruits and the training they receive.

"I was skeptical," said Derrick. "I changed my perspective."

For example, one of the Iraqi trainees was a first sergeant with 18 years of experience.

"He assisted us through the NCO course," said Derrick.

Standing in the rain, the new batch of NCOs shivered as Staff Sgt. Alvin J. Cates, an instructor from Livingston, Tenn., listed their student identification numbers next to their run times. Cates primarily teaches combatives, or self-defense.

"I think they like [the combatives] a lot," said Cates. When asked why the recruits enjoyed his class so much, he shrugged and smiled.
"They're guys," said Cates. "They like to fight. People like to know how to defend themselves."

At the end of the pack of runners, Sanchez, Mohammed and Neshwan brought up the rear. As they neared the finish, Neshwan jokingly grabbed Sanchez by the arm to "help" him over the line.

The Americans unanimously speak of their Iraqi colleagues with respect.

"If all Iraqi soldiers were like [Mohammed and Neshwan], we'd be out of here tomorrow," said Signil.

"They are the two best Iraqi soldiers I've ever met," said Derrick.

The coming days at the Academy's 21-day course will bring many more classes on subjects such as drill and ceremony, urban operations and professional development as a soldier.

"If the training is like this all the time, all the areas [in Iraq] will be safe, and all the U.S. soldiers will be able to go home," said Mohammed.