Maj. Gen. William G. Webster Jr. listens as Maj. Gen. Mudhir Al Mawlla discusses the significance of the 41st Brigade during a ceremony honoring the activation of the unit March 3. Sgt. Andrew Miller
Iraqi Army 41st Brigade activates
By Sgt. Andrew Miller
BAGHDAD (Army News Service, March 7, 2005) – The 41st Brigade of the Iraqi Army was activated March 3 during a ceremony at an Iraqi Army training facility here.
More than 200 Iraqi Soldiers, who make up the headquarters element of the brigade, participated in the ceremony. Members of the brigade – who one U.S. officer called “the bravest Soldiers on the planet” -- have trained since November with U.S. Soldiers from the 98th, 1st Cavalry and 3rd Infantry divisions.
This month, the headquarters of the 41st Brigade will conduct a command post exercise, an evaluation that leaders from both forces will use to determine the overall readiness of the unit. If the unit is successful, it could be assigned to a sector of Baghdad in as few as six months, said the 98th Div.’s Lt. Col. Ed Tennent, the senior trainer of the headquarters element.
When ready, the 41st Brigade will assume responsibility of an area east of the Tigris River that includes Sadr City. The responsibility of that sector currently belongs to the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
The brigades stand-alone readiness is being evaluated, but Soldiers who have worked with the unit say its members are courageous.
“These are some of the bravest Soldiers on the planet,” said Tennent.
“They have been threatened, run off the road, and ambushed while commuting to the training facility, he said, but they continue to show up.”
“A lot of them want to do something with their country and they have a lot of passion for that,” said Capt. Victor Ingram, an embed trainer from the 98th.
Soldiers of the brigade have set aside long-held differences to become a team, said Tennent. Many were a part of the former Iraqi Army and are now working with the U.S. Army they once fought against.
Command Sgt. Maj. Abad al-Razaq, the 41st Brigade command sergeant major, fought against U.S. forces during Desert Storm.
“I must change my country for the best,” said al-Razaq, “I give it a better future. Not just me, I need help. Whose help? My friend: the American Army."
Up to this point, trainers have focused on administration, logistics and noncommissioned officer and officer leadership, according to Ingram. Future training will include combat-oriented exercises.
Currently, only the headquarters element is assigned to the newly activated brigade. Tennent said no less than five battalions, however, will be assigned between June and July. Some of those Soldiers are already operating alongside coalition forces in combat operations.