Photo By Sgt. Spencer Case | Soldiers at the Iraqi Special Warfare Center Commando Course prove they're tough...... read more read more
What does it take to be a commando in the Iraqi army?
As the troops who recently braved 'stress phase" of the Iraqi Special Warfare Center and School Commando Course discovered, part of the answer is motivation.
For three days and two nights in mid-February, more than 100 volunteers endured sleep deprivation and physical exhaustion at a compound in Baghdad.
All came to join the same elite group of Iraqi troops who, under the supervision of U.S. Special Operations Forces, detained three people suspected of making vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices near Baghdad.
"I came on this course so I can be stronger and learn how to fight the terrorists," said one of the soldiers through an interpreter.
The Stress phase, is the first obstacle students must overcome in a 21-day course designed by U.S. Special Forces and taught by a battle-seasoned cadre of Iraqi instructors.
About 90 percent of the soldiers who complete the course will become part of the commando battalion, an elite group of troops that is the rough Iraqi equivalent of a U.S. Ranger battalion.
The rest will return to their regular units, said a U.S. Special Forces captain who advises the Iraqi instructors.
Though some may take the course out of sheer patriotism, there are more practical reasons for wanting to join the commando battalion, said the adviser, whose identity is confidential.
Troops are likely to have better equipment and work with better trained individuals in an elite battalion than in a conventional military unit, so some troops might view the commando course as a way out of conventional military units they are unhappy with.
At first glance, the stress phase exercises seem harsh and pointless. One of the most difficult events takes place on the second night, in which the troops are drenched in cold water and made to carry logs in groups of five for two miles.
"We want them to be uncomfortable, that's why we put the water on them "water is the greatest de-motivator there is," said a U.S. Special Forces sergeant first class who advises the instructors.
As cruel as the exercises may seem, U.S. advisers insist that each one is necessary to prepare students for the battlefield.
For instance, "flash-bang" grenades and smoke simulators force students to stick close together to communicate as a team, a skill that could make or break a squad-level room clearing mission.
Forcing trainees to carry litters filled with water cans helps students strengthen muscles needed to evacuate casualties.
Running through obstacle courses readies students to chase down suspected terrorists who may well crawl under fences and jump over disabled vehicles to evade them.
The current class is the largest ever to attend the course and drop outs have been few " about 10 percent " due mainly to medical problems.
However, one Special Forces team sergeant credited the emphasis on team exercises as the reason for the low attrition rate.
"You will push yourself harder for your teammate than for just yourself, that's why we have such a low attrition rate compared to other classes," he said.
One student said that although the course was more difficult than he expected, he had no intention of quitting.
| Date Taken: | 03.02.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 03.02.2006 09:05 |
| Story ID: | 5566 |
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| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 16 |
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