U.S. Cavalry Trains Iraq�s �Defenders of the Green Zone�

(I-Newswire) April 23, 2005 - The unit's mission is to train the Iraqi Army's 1st and 3rd battalions, and Headquarters Company of the 5th Brigade, 6th Division. The U.S. Soldiers will give the Iraqi leaders the skills and leadership attributes required to train competent and successful Soldiers.

When all is said and done, 5th Bde., 6th Div. will be capable of protecting the Green Zone and its surrounding areas without assistance from the U.S. military.

During the first day of training at Muthana Airfield, located just north of the International Zone, Lt. Col. Michael Harris, 6th Bn., 8th Cav. Reg. commander, led the way as his cavalrymen were introduced to the Iraqi Soldiers they will work with for the next eight weeks. Although the link-up seemed awkward at first, due to the language barrier, both sides appeared eager to train and were ready to learn from one another.

Most of the tasks the 1,000-plus Iraqi Soldiers will learn consist of basic Soldier skills such as rifle marksmanship, battle drills, traffic control points and first aid, said Maj. Chris Worrill, 6/8 Cav.'s operations officer.

"Our goal here is not to turn the Iraqi Army into an American Army, but rather show the Iraqi leaders how we conduct business and let them make decisions on what tactics, techniques and procedures will work best for them," Worrill said.

Text for release and opsec review provided by the 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office. For more information, please contact 3 ID PAO at CLIFFORD.KENT@ID3.army.mil







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