Posted on 10/25/2005 4:39:10 PM PDT by SandRat
HIT, Iraq (Oct. 25, 2005) -- The yellow footprints at Marine Corps Recruit Depots are the beginning of a new chapter for every Marine and are never forgotten. For a new battalion of Iraqi Soldiers, their different life began with the faces of 11 Marines and one Sailor from the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.
The 2nd MAW (Forward) Military Transition Team met their new recruits June 9, and spent the next few months training them to become the 1st Battalion, 2nd Brigade of the 7th Iraqi Army Division.
The team assembled during May and after receiving a close quarters combat package traveled to An Numaniyah, Iraq, where they processed 795 recruits, who would later become 666 Iraqi Soldiers.
The process of forming the new team was surprisingly smooth, said 1st Lt. Alden Hingle III, an intelligence officer and MITT member.
“Once we had a few days together, it was as if we had been working together long before the assignment,” said the Fredericksburg, Va., native. “Everyone worked well together. All members were very excited about their chance to contribute something with lasting effects to the country.”
The Marines and corpsman trained the Iraqi Soldiers during the next four months utilizing the crawl, walk, run method, said Maj. Keith Chirico, an AV-8B Harrier pilot and MITT leader. Most had been trained as Iraqi Soldiers during Saddam Hussein’s reign and just needed to be brushed up on discipline and military protocol.
“I clearly knew what the end state needed to be,” said Chirico. “They needed discipline and that is what we focused on.”
The Marines on the team had to overcome some small problems training the new Iraqis, said Hingle.
“There were many (problems), but nothing the Marines on the team couldn’t handle,” he said. “I’d say the cultural barrier was the most difficult. We respected the differences and we had to adjust how we did business in order to reach desired end states. In some cases, just by making the effort helped out. Everyone even learned a little Arabic, which also increased the Soldiers comfort level.”
The team included Chirico, Hingle, Capt. Dan Colvin, aircraft maintenance officer; 1st. Lt. Mike Berger, combat engineer officer; Gunnery Sgt. Karl Garrett, communications repairman; Staff Sgt. Joaquin Alvarado, artillery support coordinator; Sgt. George Carter, communications chief; Petty Officer 2nd Class Jarrett Garland, corpsman; Sgt. Jacob Laskowski, intelligence chief; Sgt. Charles Evanson, motor transportation mechanic; and Cpl. John Perkins, artillery support coordinator.
The members had been assembled for this mission and had not previously worked together. They instantly bonded and most extended to accomplish the mission, said Master Gunnery Sgt. William H. Butler, Marine Wing Headquarters Squadron 2’s acting sergeant major.
“I am very proud of them because they came from (military occupational fields) that are not groundside related and given a syllabus, they had the best out of three battalions, hands down,” said Butler. “Because they came from active and reserve components added to their overall success.”
For the Iraqi battalion’s culminating training event, they picked the best platoon within their companies and received an unknown mission. During the exercise, the Iraqi Soldiers had to clear a booby-trapped building and secure it.
“They found all the booby traps,” said Chirico. “On top of that, they showed us they could communicate well.
The true test of how the Wing MITT compared to others was proven during Operation Liberty Express. The Iraqi Soldiers were sent into Hit, Iraq, where they had to secure a bridge, which had just been blown up by a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. While awaiting repair by Navy Seabees, insurgents used the bridge to attack coalition forces and scuttle back to the other side, said Garland. After repairs were complete, the new Iraqi Soldiers secured the bridge and defended it against insurgents the night before the National Referendum, resulting in their first casualties.
“They experienced the ‘fog of war’ for the first time,” said Garland. “But, an Iraqi lieutenant went on the bridge during the attack and got his wounded off while his Soldiers provided suppressive fire. That was a source of pride.”
The Soldiers also secured a stadium, train station and warehouse and maintained a perimeter defense on each to ensure secure polling sites for the citizens of Hit. Patrols even canvassed the area with minimal supervision to sweep for IEDs and hand out toys to local Iraqi children and information to potential voters.
“I was extremely hesitant to patrol with them at first,” said Army Staff Sgt. Darryl Surrette, a Mississippi National Guardsman stationed in Hit. “But, they did a great job. They knew what they were supposed to do and did it.”
Their first test as Soldiers gave the MITT a positive feeling as the voter turnout increased significantly from the Jan. 15 elections, said Garland.
After elections and the removal of all poll workers, each of the election sites became a hot bed of activity. Yet, the new Soldiers eagerly and willingly stepped up to the plate and defended their positions against the enemy, said Hingle.
First Battalion is still in Hit, dug in for the long haul. Though they will be working with the Mississippi National Guard, the goal is for them to completely police the city, said Chirico.
Throughout the training, the Iraqis and the Marines formed bonds the MITT hopes will keep them focused.
“There were some very personal relationships made with the Iraqis we worked with, both civilian and military,” said Hingle. “We shared stories of families, hometowns and experiences. Nicknames were assigned on both sides. Our translators begged to deploy with us. The ones who didn’t, requested we make sure they could at least only work with Marines for the new cycle. We will definitely keep in contact with some.”
Although every Marine is known to be a rifleman, the Wing MITT showed they are capable of developing a battalion of Iraqis as well trained, if not better, than an infantry unit’s MITT, said Butler.
Chirico credits this to his noncommissioned officers.
“Everyone on the team believed in it one way, shape or form,” said Chirico. “The NCOs were key and the most consistent. They were the backbone and always showed an incredible amount of teamwork, no matter what was on their collars.”
The Wing Marines will now return to their daily jobs of supporting boots on the ground by ensuring aircraft are overhead. But, in their wake, they can sleep easy knowing they played a part in the democracy of Iraq.
“When it came down to it, the Iraqis got it,” said Chirico. “That means we did our job. The bottom line is that this is their version of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
More good news you probably haven't heard about from the alphabet media.
Once again SandRat comes through with some great info about our USMC.....Thank you
Great post.
Great post. What more can one say that has not been echoed many times on this board. We are preparing them to take over.
BTTT
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