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In Iraq's Army, Winds of Change
posted Friday, 5 May 2006
Originally published by the New York Times on March 23rd, 2006
The winds are high today. They’re coming in from the west, perhaps originating over the Mediterranean or the Red Sea, kicking up the detritus from ages of warfare and history across this desert landscape, then gaining momentum until they reach me and swirl the dust around my feet.
I get the impression many Americans back home wonder just how much their soldiers are actually working with Iraqi soldiers. After all, the sooner Iraqi forces are able to handle the security of their own country without our help, the sooner we come home, right? You might hear about the number of Iraqis we’re training, but the news is so muddled you’re not sure what to believe. Let me tell you what I’ve seen, which is a pretty good barometer of the rest of the country. In fact, the closer you get to the “nucleus” of coalition forces, Baghdad, the more integration you find.
When I arrived in Ramadi last July, I didn’t notice many Iraqi soldiers around, but already there was a lot of talk about it. Apparently there were a few battalions of Iraqi army (I.A.) on a nearby base.
There has been incredible progress since then. In the last six months alone, the Army and Marine leadership in this area have worked extremely hard to make sure we are sharing the battle space with Iraqi forces. Now there are at least two Iraqi army brigades in our area of operations.
When I went down to the factory where we did the Iraqi police recruiting for a while, there were of course soldiers and marines all over, working side by side. And there were Iraqi army and security forces right there as well. The suicide bomber I discussed in a previous post took the lives of two Americans, two Iraqi army soldiers, and over thirty Iraqi civilians, because they were working side by side with the locals. By late this summer there will be over 2000 Iraqi police officers in the Al Anbar province, walking the streets looking for “bad guys.”
We now have a full battalion of I.A. living and working on our F.O.B., right along with us. You pass them on the roads. You sit next to them in the chow hall. You see them in the PX. Often, when we find out the location of a wanted bad guy, coalition forces will go down and provide security while I.A. forces actually go in and get him. I exchange greetings and smiles with Iraqis virtually every day right here on my own F.O.B.
They are part of our mission planning process. We’re not just out here fighting for our lives every day with no end in sight. We’re executing our missions, constantly working with and training Iraqi army and security forces. My battalion had to give up soldiers to go and work with a team that does nothing but train Iraqis. One night ast week I watched a large convoy of Iraqi soldiers leaving the F.O.B. on a mission. And just this morning I saw four HMMV’s driving around the base that were painted in Iraqi camouflage, and filled with professional looking Iraqi soldiers. They’re working and training very hard.
When I recently went on a mission down to the Ramadi Government Center, there were five of us in the HMMV. We had four passengers and a gunner in the turret. The person sitting to my right was an Iraqi army soldier. We went into the streets of Ramadi as a unified front. A rocket propelled grenade (R.P.G.) was fired at our convoy during that trip. We faced that danger together. After the mission, we had lunch together. As I looked around the chow hall, I saw Army, Marine, Air Force, Navy, and Iraqi army uniforms.
A two-star Marine general gave us a briefing a while back. He discussed, among other things, all the battle space that had been turned over to the Iraqi army. He showed us maps of areas that only a year or two ago had no permanent Iraqi army presence, but now have full complements. He was very optimistic, but reminded us that we must treat them with as much dignity and respect as we do our fellow American soldiers.
The general told us a story about some soldiers he heard making negative comments about Iraqis. They didn’t appreciate the differences in their cultures or hygiene habits compared to their own. “You don’t like hanging around with Iraqis?” the general had said, “Well then you’re really going to hate O.I.F. VII and O.I.F. VIII.”
What I think he meant is that if we don’t accept the Iraqi soldiers as peers and integrate them into the battle, then we’re going to be here that much longer. Here was a high-ranking military leader telling his subordinates how vital it is to integrate the Iraqi military. He left us no doubt as to how important this was to our higher headquarters.
I am a first lieutenant who will become a captain in two months. I am certainly not high enough in the food chain to give you the overarching look at integration of Iraqi forces. I can only tell you what I have seen with my own eyes. In my experience over the course of the last nine months, the spirit of integration and cooperation has been evident, and the presence of Iraqi forces in Al Anbar has steadily increased. I personally think the winds of change foreshadow a positive future for the country of Iraq. But hey, what do I know? I’m not looking at this from afar as a military analyst might. I’m right in the middle of it. I have my opinion, you have yours, and the mainstream media has theirs.
I say we give it twenty years, and then we can have a beer together and truly look at this whole thing with the luxury of historical hindsight.
Leave comments for Captain K here: (4)
1. ETP USN 71-78 left...
Tuesday, 9 May 2006 9:33 am
Thank you for posting this on your own website. I am very glad you get to
publish/post with the NYT, but I do not and will not subscribe or register
with them and therefor have not been able to enjoy some of your writings
until now.
2. Janet left...
Tuesday, 9 May 2006 6:39 pm
Your views on this matter are quite enough for me. You are an intelligent
eye witness with only a desire to tell the truth. I'll buy that; I do buy
that!! Many thanks, once again, for a first hand report from the war zone.
3. Carole left...
Wednesday, 10 May 2006 8:02 pm
Just wanted to say Great post and thank you for your service.
4. Sherri left...
Thursday, 11 May 2006 2:02 pm
Hey Lt K! Thank you for another terrific article/post and Congrats on your
upcoming promotion!! I have no doubt you deserve it. Take care.