Boot camp begins for Iraqi recruits, Marine-style

CAMP INDIA, Iraq(June 20, 2004) -- There aren't any of the famed yellow footprints, but Iraqis are learning the basics of soldiering, courtesy of the U.S. Marines.

More than 30 Iraqi men, 18-to-37-years-old from the city of Zadan, got their first taste of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps boot camp. The seven-day basic training package is taught by Marines.

The first day of boot camp began with a speech from the commanding officer before the recruits are introduced to their drill instructors - Marines ranging in rank from privates first class to sergeants.

"I respect you for what you're doing for your country," said Maj. Kevin P. Collins, officer-in-charge of the training camp. "By doing this, you are making Iraq a stronger place with your presence."

After the speech, the recruits were introduced to their drill instructors and the training began.

"About ninety percent of the guys we see come through here have prior military experience in the old Iraqi army," said Sgt. Rick A. Wiggins, a 26-year-old from Wiggins, N.Y., who serves as the training noncommissioned officer. "We're not teaching them a lot of stuff they don't already know. We're just tightening up what they do know to make them a better unit."

Tightening up what they know is a difficult process for the Marines in charge of training the future ICDC soldiers. They have to overcome a language barrier and teach military skills from an Iraqi perspective instead of an American one.

"All the commands we give are in Arabic," Wiggins explained. "Everything from simple drill commands to firing their weapons. The drill instructors have to learn them in Arabic so they can be better teachers."

The first days of training involve the same things Marine Corps recruits go through - mostly a lot of stress. Marines abide by the same code as do drill instructors at the Corps' two depots. That doesn't mean stress can't be applied, though.

"It takes a lot of work to bring these guys up the standard we want them at," said Sgt. Brandon G. Guthrie, a 27-year-old senior drill instructor for the platoon, from Riverside, Calif. "When we get done with them, they'll be acting and thinking like a team. That's what they'll need when they get out on the streets."

The use of stress and military training forms the men into a cohesive unit. Most of the Iraqi recruits haven't participated in organized physical training, so the incentive training is effective. By the end of the seven-day period, the Iraqis feel like they have overcome an obstacle and accomplished something for which they can be proud.

"Going through this training makes them credible on the streets and binds them as a team," explained Collins, a 40-year-old from Gainesville, Fla. "The first class we trained here felt like they were such a good team they didn't want to be separated for their assignments. That's what we're looking to do with the boot camp here."

There are hurdles the Marines find tough too. Marines work through differences in techniques, such as movements during drill practice, which are much different and more exaggerated than the drill the Marines know by heart.

"Even though they do things differently than us, we still try to teach them everything they'll need," Guthrie said.

He added that training package was all-inclusive - from how to shoot weapons to brushing teeth. That way, Marines brought all the Iraqis up to same training standards.

"The whole boot camp is a really big shock to their systems," Guthrie said. "Getting these guys to work together as a team is hard to do sometimes, because they've never had to work together with a large group of people in this kind of environment before."

After the seven days of basic training, a graduation ceremony is held for the troops. They are then sent to two weeks infantry training where they learn about tactics, squad and individual movements. After they graduate from their infantry training, they are put on the street as Iraq's first line of defense - Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers.

All photo have been cleared for release.

Lance Cpl. Rob A. Noceda, from Chicago and mortarman with 2nd battalion 1st Marine Regiment, corrects a new Iraqi recruit. The Iraqi Civil Defense Corps troops are trained by their own leaders and Marines during a seven-day evolution. It uses stress to help train the troops, just like Marine Corps boot camp. (USMC photo by Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes) Photo by: Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes

An Iraqi man looks to his Marine drill instructors as they tell his platoon about properly wearing their newly-issued flak jackets. More than 30 men from the Zadan, Iraq began their seven-day boot camp recently. The basic training period is modeled after Marine Corps boot camp and taught by Marines. (USMC photo by Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes) Photo by: Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes

More than 30 Zadan citizens spent their first day in Iraqi Civil Defense Corps basic training recently. They held up their newly-issued clothing and hygeine items, which will serve them during the seven-day training cycle. (USMC photo by Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes) Photo by: Cpl. Shawn C. Rhodes

Iraqi Civil Defense Corps Grows in Numbers and Role
By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2003 - Sgt. Amin Aanan, who served more than 10 years in Saddam Hussein's army, calls it a way to help reverse the horrendous damages of the old regime while serving the city and country he loves. Capt. Musab Joseph was attracted by the opportunity to protect his family while launching what most of his friends and neighbors consider a prestigious career.

Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz discusses progress and needs of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps with U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Russell, battalion commander for Task Force 1-22 Infantry in Tikrit, Iraq, Oct. 25. Photo by Donna Miles
(Click photo for screen-resolution image); high-resolution image available.

Both men told Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz during his visit to Tikrit, Iraq, Oct. 25 that they're proud to be members of the new Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, serving with 60 other Iraqis in Task Force 1-22 Infantry Tikrit.

Lt. Col. Steve Russell from the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division, battalion commander for the unit, said plans call for increasing Task Force 1-22's strength to as many as 200 soldiers within the next three months.

Nationwide, Iraq's Civil Defense Corps stands at about 4,700 trained soldiers. Wolfowitz told the House Armed Services Committee in late September that plans call for expanding the force to 15,000 by January.

The deputy secretary called this standing up of the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps "a wonderful success story" that represents a major step toward Iraq's ability to assume full responsibility for its own security. "These are young Iraqis stepping forward to fight for their country alongside our people," he said.

Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers are Iraqi citizens who remain in their communities and are integrated into the coalition military units.

U.S. Army Capt. Jason Deel explained that Task Force 1-22's mission is to gather intelligence, run combat patrols in the city, establish fixed-site security positions, and conduct raids and cordon search operations alongside 4th Infantry Division soldiers.

The support they provide is "very substantial," Wolfowitz said -- particularly in areas like Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. Joe Fillmore, a U.S. contractor who serves as a translator for the task force, told Wolfowitz during his visit that "99 percent of the town has resigned itself to the future, some willingly, some not, but it's the other 1 percent we need to focus on."

In focusing on that threat, Wolfowitz told reporters Iraqi Civil Defense Corps soldiers "can do things we can't.

"They can communicate with people with the speed that our people can't do working through translators. They can 'read' the local situation (and) the population in ways we can't," he said. "Iraqis come forward to them with information much more readily than they do with us."

Deel said the 4th Infantry Division's program to recruit and train new Task Force 1-22 soldiers "has become a model for Iraq, promoting increased dialog with government, police, sheiks, imams and locals."

Task Force 1-22's recruits, he explained, are referred by local sheiks who attest to their loyalty. "It becomes an honor issue for them," Deel said, "and we need men who are trustworthy."

Russell said there's no shortage of recruits. For the current training class, the 4th Infantry Division had hoped to attract 60 trainees, he said. Seventy-five volunteered, about one-third of them from Tikrit and the rest from the surrounding farm area.

Trainees in the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps in Tikrit, Iraq, demonstrate their training during Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz's visit Oct. 25. Photo by Donna Miles
(Click photo for screen-resolution image); high-resolution image available.

"We need to keep working to get word out to the sheiks and tribal leaders about what the ICDC is all about," Russell said. "We need to be sure they all understand that this is for the good of Tikrit."

New recruits receive three weeks of intensive combat training. They first learn basic commands in English, the rules of engagement, and how to set up a control point. From there, they practice troop-leading procedures, crowd and riot control, and squad movements. During the final training week, trainees qualify on their AK-47 rifles.

"We put our hearts and souls into training them," Deel told Wolfowitz. "After all, we're the ones who go out on the streets with them."

Aanan said the training -- as well as the task force's mission -- is far more intensive than anything he experienced in Saddam's army. "It's more physical, and there are different and more challenging missions," he said.

Joseph said he felt "very proud" when he and his fellow trainees completed the training, to become the first Iraqi Civil Defense Corps graduates in Tikrit.

"They feel really good about it," said Russell of new graduates, who become full-fledged members of Task Force 1-22. "It's not something that's been just handed to them. They have truly earned it."

But despite the successes of the program, Deel told Wolfowitz the task force has weapons shortages and needs rain gear, cold-weather gear and vehicles.

And although on the surface it may seem inconsequential, Deel said the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps needs new uniforms. Trainees wear uniforms of the old Iraqi army -- something they hate and are anxious to disassociate themselves from, he told Wolfowitz.

The deputy secretary acknowledged that providing for some of these shortages may not be possible under current U.S. law. He vowed to push to change laws that stand in the way of properly training and equipping the Iraqi Civil Defense Force or other indigenous forces that operate in the United States' best interest and help relieve the burden on U.S. troops.

"We're seeing that there are plenty of Iraqis -- many, many more -- who are willing to step up to defend their country," he said. "And we need to help them get on with that."

Joseph said he's committed to helping make the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps a success, for the good of his family, his hometown and his country as a whole. "This job is to protect my family," he said. "American forces can't stay here forever. We need to look out for our own security."

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