Photo By Creighton Holub | Staff Sgt. Brandon Dockery, personal security detachment noncommissioned...... read more read more
By Sgt. 1st Class Brian Sipp
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs
Q-WEST BASE COMPLEX, Iraq – Overcoming fatigue, a grueling physical fitness schedule, hours of intense close-quarters combat drills, and the ever-present language barrier, 20 non-commissioned officers from the Iraqi security forces took their skills to the next level by graduating from a joint Iraqi and 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division NCO Academy at Q-West Jan. 26.
Incorporating the best parts of the U.S. Army's NCO professional development schools system and elements of the Iraqi Army training doctrine, Soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment teamed with instructors from the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division to administer the 21-day course to eligible ISF NCOs.
"The primary focus is leadership," said Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Melton, commandant of the academy, 5-82 FA. "The NCOs are trained in over 30 areas to include hand-to-hand combat, marksmanship, physical fitness, and leadership principles, just to name a few," added Melton.
"We want the graduates to take everything they have learned back to their unit," said 1st Sgt. Hussein, deputy commandant, 2-3-2 IA. "These graduates will be the backbone of the new Iraqi Army [and security forces]," he added.
While the three-week course is a little bit shorter than the U.S. equivalent, the pace and tempo is accelerated to make-up for the difference. Essential tasks are all taught in a real-world environment and the chance for real-world practical exercises is, quite literally, just outside the gate and down the block.
Rounding out the graduation of Class 04-07 is the traditional choosing of the top achievers of the cycle; and this class was no different. Awards were presented to Muhand Aziz Jassim, as Distinguished Honor Graduate; Yousef Hussen Ali, as receiving the highest score on the Army Physical Fitness Test; Hussan Ismeal Bakur, voted by his peers as the Leadership Award Winner; Khalid Abdullah Sulyman, Combat Gladiator Award signifying the best in Hand-to-hand combat; and Fiesel Khuther Khudeda, Marksmanship Award, signifying the best score at the weapons range, according to Sgt. David Gilmore, academy administration specialist, 5-82 FA, and an Artesia, N.M. native.
"The NCO academy is a real beginning toward the establishment of a new Iraqi Army," said Command Sgt. Maj. Farhan, command sergeant major of 3rd Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division and the guest speaker at the graduation. "It is my hope that these graduates will use what they learned to protect their country."
As the graduation completed and the newly-trained NCOs accepted their certificates of completion, they joined together in reciting the Warrior Ethos of the Iraqi Soldier, a modified version of the U.S. Soldiers' Warrior Ethos that embodies the values of teamwork, mission-first mentality, and perseverance in the face of adversity.
"A course like this, that incorporates so much diversity, and tries to instill common themes of discipline and leadership, has lots of challenges to overcome and requires a lot of patience on the parts of both the Iraqi and Black Dragon instructors," said Sgt 1st Class Luis Perez, liaison officer, 5-82 FA. "It also gives everyone involved a tremendous optimism and sense of accomplishment when they succeed. These guys did an outstanding job and people of Iraq should be proud of the type of soldiers and leaders in the ISF."
| Date Taken: | 01.29.2002 |
| Date Posted: | 01.29.2007 11:43 |
| Story ID: | 8971 |
| Location: | QAYYARAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 322 |
| Downloads: | 98 |
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