FR WAR NEWS!WAR News at Home and Abroad You'll Hear Nowhere Else!
All the News the MSM refuses to use!
Or if they do report it, without the anti-War Agenda Spin!
Posted on 06/02/2007 1:30:05 PM PDT by SandRat
BAGHDAD — Noncommissioned officers are known as the backbone of the U.S. Army. They train their Soldiers, care for their needs, and ensure they have and know everything necessary to be successful on the battlefield.
NCOs were once an important factor in the Iraqi army as well, but under the Baath Party regime, their importance dwindled as officers took on all aspects of leadership. For years, the Iraqi NCO Corps weakened. Now, with the help of U.S. and coalition forces, that corps is being rebuilt into an important force in the modern Iraqi Army, starting with the most senior Iraqi NCOs.
Iraqi Army and Coalition senior NCOs from throughout Iraq gathered at Al Faw Palace for the Iraqi army Command Sergeants Major Conference May 19-20 at Camp Victory.
About 98 percent of the sergeants major in the Iraqi army were present.
“The purpose of this conference was to empower (the Iraqi command sergeants major),” said Command Sgt. Maj. Robert Moore, Iraqi Assistance Group. “We wanted to allow them to share ideas, and we allowed the commanding general and the command sergeant major of the Iraqi Ground Forces Command to address all the senior NCO leadership in Iraq.”
The goal of the conference was to empower and instill a tradition of leadership and responsibility to Iraqi NCOs and define the role of the NCO in the Iraqi army. Several topics, ranging from operations and logistics to pay and personnel issues, were discussed by both IGFC and coalition officials during the conference.
Lt. Gen. Ali, Iraqi Ground Forces commander, opened the conference by telling his senior NCOs that it was a chance to rebuild their corps to its former heights. The Iraqi army had a strong NCO Corps before Saddam Hussein came to power, but it was diminished during his regime.
“You are the core and foundation of the establishment of the Iraqi army,” Ali told the assembled NCOs. “We had NCOs in the old army, but they weren’t as active as they should have been. We have our mission to be like other armies. I would like for all of you to put this on yourselves regardless of anything else.”
Moore said bringing the Iraqi sergeants major together with their coalition counterparts was not done to force them to shape their corps one way or another, but to share ideas, examples and knowledge that would help them build a strong NCO Corps with an Iraqi flavor.
“We want to help them facilitate their army and corps into something that works, sharing ideas from history and knowledge on what is working,” he said. “The bottom line is there’s no one way to have an army, but the best armies in the world have strong NCO corps.”
Discussions among the Iraqi NCOs during the various sessions were lively, and even got heated at times as the sergeants major stood up for what they thought was right for their soldiers. Pay and personnel issues were of particular interest to the senior NCOs.
Maj. Gen. James Simmons, Multi-National Corps-Iraq deputy commanding general, told the sergeants major they were doing right by their subordinates during his closing remarks.
“What does a good sergeant do?” he asked the crowd. “I just saw it in this room. He stands up for his Soldiers. He ensures they’re paid the right amount each month. He ensures they’re promoted. He ensures that when they exhibit valor, they are recognized.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola, MNC-I, spoke to the group, emphasizing the NCO’s role in keeping his soldiers going on the battlefield day in and day out.
“We affect a great deal of what must be done by virtue of just being there,” he said. “All (Soldiers) know is what they see down their rifle. If they’re having a bad day, all they see is crap. Who gives them perspective? We do!”
Ciotola also said discipline was one of an NCO’s largest responsibilities, emphasizing that being tough on discipline keeps soldiers alive.
“Whose trust is more important?” he asked. “The trust your soldiers have in you or the trust Iraq’s mothers and fathers have in you to bring their soldiers home?”
Sgt. 1st Class Mark Bailey, IGFC NCOIC, said the event was a large step in building a better Iraqi army, because it would allow the sergeants major, and larger NCO Corps, to “get on the same sheet of music.”
“We wanted to bring the senior NCOs together and let them express their issues amongst each other,” he said. “There’s brotherhood, bonding and networking. We all want the NCO Corps talking in one voice. We want them to get in sync.”
The conference could be crucial in accomplishing these goals, Bailey said.
“I call this the Valley Forge event,” he said, referring to a crucial winter during George Washington’s campaign in the American Revolution. “We’re starting the NCO Corps all over again. There are still senior NCOs in the Iraqi army. They need to feed, pay and train soldiers. It will make them a better army and take pressure off their officers and keep them out of NCO business.”
Command Sgt. Maj. Kasim, IGFC, said he felt the conference would be a turning point for the Iraqi army.
“This is a historic day because these NCOs are the backbone of the Iraqi army,” he said through an interpreter. “This conference has strengthened the respect between our officers and our NCOs. These NCOs will go back with information to help lift the morale and education of their soldiers. This conference taught us to be a team.”
The conference will become a recurring one for Iraq’s NCO leadership, Kasim said.
“I wish for this to continue,” he said. “If there is only one, we will have no result. We need to see the fruit of what we did here this weekend.”
FR WAR NEWS!I’ve said it before too!
I think that a functioning and fully trained NCO corps is the ONLY benchmark for our eventual draw-down. If they have that they can and will have what they need to go on.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.