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Training Iraqis to Do Their Job

By Sgt. Tony White

Prior to their August deployment the Soldiers of 4th Platoon, C Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), days were filled with continual training centered on finding the enemy. And even now in a combat zone these Soldiers find their days still filled with training.

First Lt. John Daniel Johnson, platoon leader, speaks through an interpreter a member of the Iraqi National Police before a joint patrol in Samarra Monday.

Conducting combat operations in Samarra, these Soldiers are accompanied by either the Iraqi Police or National Police three to four times a week. Working side-by-side with the security forces allows the Soldiers to show them the proper techniques while conducting operations.

"We have worked with the (Iraqi Police) a lot and we have started working more with the (National Police) to get them in the groove of how things are working," said 1st Lt. John Daniel Johnson, platoon leader. "They still need some work, but they are getting better. I think by using our tactics and our buddy team systems, I think they can learn a lot of how we do things, why we do it and why it is so important."

"Yesterday, one of their lieutenants was actually telling them to pull security here and the guy bounds up and gets there," said Sgt. 1st Class Christian Requejo, platoon sergeant. "He has worked with the United States for a while. He is used to our tactics and doctrine and he is trying to implement that into his guys. But the more we work with them and the more they are willing to work with us, the faster they will come along like the (Iraqi Police) did."

When the Soldiers first arrived in theater there was an uncertainty and a hesitancy about working with Iraqis, several Soldiers said.

"When we first got to country we didn't know what to expect, as far as the civilians, the enemy or Iraqi and Coalition Forces," said Spc. Wes Ducheney, a native of Greenville, S.C. "I don't think we knew we were going to be working with them as much as we are. It took a little bit of getting used to them in our formations, in our patrols and involving them with everything. They really have become an asset to us now."

First Lt. John Daniel Johnson, platoon leader, examines the location of a target during a joint patrol Monday in Samarra

The reluctance has to a certain degree dissipated over the rotation as the Soldiers and Iraqis have been able to move past appearances and the communication barriers to see the improvement.

"In the four months we have been working here with the National Police, you can tell there has been a lot of improvement in the police officers and their leadership," Ducheney said. "We showed them how to patrol, scan and pull proper security. Now when we go out with them they are almost like one of guys up there. We didn't even have to tell them what to do anymore. If they don't know, they just look at what we are doing. It has gotten to the point that I can trust them."

As the Soldiers have learned to trust the Iraqis, they have come to realize the constant danger the Iraqis and their families face from insurgents, who harass and threaten them for working with Americans.

"They actually put more on the line than we do," Requejo said. "We are in somewhat of a safe environment when we are back at our patrol base, but they live in the area. We hear constantly that an IP was murdered or his family was harassed. When you hear about that and they still come to work, you understand they have just as much if not more because their families are here."

"They do get scared sometimes and it is certainly understandable," Ducheney added. "So many of them get killed and it's not just them that get killed, it's their whole family but these guys really go above and beyond."

The Soldier's compassion for their Iraqi counterparts and their hardships is reciprocated through the Iraqis admiration for the U.S. Soldier.

"Its funny they kind of look at us like super heroes or something like that," Ducheney said. "I don't know maybe because we have the big guns. Most of them really like us and we have a good relationship. It's good to know that we inspire them. Hopefully they can keep doing everything we have established once we are gone."