| Wolfhound Soldier Makes Difference Training Iraqi Army |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | |
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CAMP TAJI — Working together with the Iraqi Army (IA) is an important step in the success of this war – and an important step toward Iraqis taking charge of their nation. A fire team showing a unified Coalition front line force at a Joint Security Station near Camp Taji, northwest of Baghdad, is a model for a successful transition from a dependent Iraq to a sovereign nation that can secure its people. The fire team consists of both Multi-National Division – Baghdad and IA Soldiers from the 36th Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division. Sgt. Michael Rios, a native of Sebastian, Texas, serves as the team chief. He is assigned to 2nd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment “Wolfhounds,” 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team “Warriors,” 25th Infantry Division. The formation of the combined group initially came together out of sheer necessity when Rios’ Soldiers were reassigned to other duties or left the area for morale leave. The sudden moves forced the U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers to learn to work together and overcome linguistic barriers. Overcoming those barriers was a challenge, said Rios, but they were eased through the use of interpreters and hand signals. |
“The most amazing aspect of the fire team is that we speak so little to each other,” Rios said. “We work mostly by hand signals and knowing glances.”
Acknowledgement, he added, is made by a simple nod.
“They work like any other fire team in a modern army,” he said. “They know their jobs, take directions from their leader and execute. They are well rehearsed and work flawlessly together.”
Rios said he believes in their ability to work as members of a team.
In fact, he added, they train together every chance they get. During their available free time, they come together to work on close-quarters combat drills, practice search techniques for vehicles and buildings, and constantly refine their battle-drill skills. All team members know what they are expected to do when hostile contact is made.
“He is a good leader,” stated Hamed, an IA Soldier from the 36th Bde. Hamed has been on Rios’ team since the beginning. “(He’s) patient and decisive – and very funny too.”
Even with a language barrier, Rios is passing on his knowledge and preparing the IA Soldiers to be future leaders. He said his vision is to be a force multiplier by being an example so that these Soldiers can one day show their future Soldiers how to be proficient warriors.
Rios said he demands excellence from his team and doesn’t allow them to give less than their best.
“I want 100 percent from them, their undivided attention. If they work hard now and train properly, when it comes to firefights and real-life matters, they won’t have to think about it,” he said. “I want them to identify what they must to do and execute.”
The tough training and expectations have brought the Soldiers of these two diverse cultures together to form a close-knit team, becoming brothers in arms.
(Story by Spc. John Ahn, 2nd Stryker Brigade 25th Infantry Division)
| Iraqi Freedom Minute, May 28 |
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• Soldier's Living ConditionsFeature Stories
| Iraqi Soldiers Bring Humanitarian Assistance to Sadr City |
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The 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, commandeered the abandoned school for the day to conduct a humanitarian aid food drop and a combined medical engagement for the people of this northeastern Baghdad neighborhood. |
| General Notes Role of Iraqi Forces, U.S. Agencies in Iraq Upswing |
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WASHINGTON — Increasingly capable Iraqi security forces and increased participation by nonmilitary U.S. agencies have been instrumental in improving conditions in Iraq, a top Coalition commander there said in a “CNN Late Edition” interview with Wolf Blitzer. In the interview, taped May 23 and aired Sunday, Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, commander of Multi-National Division - North, acknowledged that in the summer of 2007 he believed the U.S. military was “carrying the burden of this conflict on our shoulders.” |
| Government Agencies View Progress in Haditha |
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Members of the embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team (ePRT) and US Agency for International Development (USAID) viewed the heart of Haditha’s market place May 19 for signs of progress. |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | IA Soldiers in Sadr City find weapons caches |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Iraqi Soldiers find large explosives cache (Tikrit) |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | VBIED attack kills 4, wounds 43 (Tikrit) |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | IPs, SOIs detain 41 locals (Tikrit) |
Step by Step
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | ISF, SOIs, MND-B Soldiers seize weapons in separate events throughout Baghdad |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | IA finds large cache in Ta’mim province |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | IA, MND-B Soldiers discover weapons caches (Baghdad) |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Blast kills 1, wounds 6 (Tikrit) |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | IA Soldiers take weapons off streets of Sadr City (Baghdad) |
Green Belt
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | ‘Knights’ in armor help orphaned children (Baghdad) |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Iraqi girl travels to U.S. in effort to see for first time |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Honoring the memory of fallen Soldiers |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Regimental Support Squadron earns distinguished honors |
In Focus
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Sons of Iraq tips MND-B Soldiers to weapons cache (Baghdad) |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Alleged car bombing facilitator, 20 other suspected terrorists detained |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Coalition forces capture suspected Special Groups criminal |
Brick in the Wall
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | Iraqi Special Operations Forces detain Special Groups leader (Baghdad) |
| Tuesday, 27 May 2008 | ISF learn combat camera skills, document missions |
Stumble It!
