CAMP MEJID, Iraq – It was the product of an old relationship, and the start of a new one.
Forty-four Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 7th IA Division graduated from a two-day Marine weapons maintenance and armory course, which included lessons on the M-16 series service rifle, here Aug. 7.
“This is a beautiful step between us and our friends, the Coalition Forces,” said General Sabah Mutab Helhel, deputy general, 7th IA Div. Helhel noted the long standing relationship between Coalition Forces and the fledgling IA, and that classes and training like this course were a product of that relationship.
“We will all benefit from what the friendly forces are teaching us, and hopefully we will have more (classes) down the road,” HelHel said.
With the 7th IA Div., slated to field the M-16 series service rifle to its Soldiers in replacement of the AK-47 by February 2009, Marine weapons maintenance classes may increase in frequency.
“They really paid attention when (the instructor) broke down the M-16, so they know what to expect in February,” said Steve A. Jabero, an interpreter for Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 1st Marine Logistics Group.
Along with lessons on the M-16, students received helpful tips from the instructor about their own organic small arms.
“They have their own way of doing things, so I just shared my views of their weapons,” said Lance Cpl. Sterling N. Hagan, armorer, Headquarters Company, Regimental Combat Team 5, 1st Marine Division. Hagan, 21, Greenburgs, La., learned most of his knowledge about foreign weapon systems from confiscated items brought into the armory.
“I just showed them any defects that I saw, and how to deal with them. I showed them what to look for as far as misfires and possible defects,” Hagan said.
The Marines conducting the course also emphasized proper weapons storage and armory administration. Helhel’s words at the graduation mirrored the Corps’ sentiment toward its Marines and their rifles.
“Armorers should never accept weapons that are dirty,” Helhel said. “Maintaining our weapons is important. A bad weapon makes for a bad Soldier. With that weapon you defend your family and your nation.”
The two-day course was not a one-way street however, as the Marines who organized the course learned both about Iraqi maintenance methods and their culture.
“Our gracious host, the 7th IA Division allowed us to share the culture of their Iraqi Soldiers, while we were able to pass on the knowledge of our particular logistical field,” said Master Sgt. Gregory P. Zenoni, 41, Lexington, S.C., operations chief, CLB-6, 1st MLG.
With an M-16 in the hands of every IA Soldier by mid-2009, there’s one more field Iraqis can learn from any Marine: rifle maintenance and marksmanship.
COMBAT OUTPOST RIO LOBO, Iraq – The most important natural resource for Coalition Forces in Iraq is water.
Combat engineers with Engineer Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 6, 1st Marine Logistics Group, recently teamed up with the leaders of Regimental Combat Team 5’s 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and Iraq’s Ministry of Water to facilitate the building of a new combat outpost here, Aug. 10.
“Building this COP outside Rio Lobo frees up the structures for the Ministry of Water, facilitating the reopening of the water plant,” said 2nd Lt. James R. Armstrong, platoon commander, Company A, 2nd LAR, RCT-5, 1st Marine Division. When the Marines occupy the new outpost, Iraqi government workers will move in and begin operating the water pumps.
The plant supplied much of the surrounding area between Camp Korean Village and al-Asad with water, but had been closed for the past five years. A lack of water has driven many locals to relocate, and the land once used for farming has become desolate.
“Once the pump station opens, Iraqis can run it unaided, and we’re giving them space to do that,” said 1st Lt. Samuel D. Joiner, executive officer, Company A.
Joiner, 24, from Knoxville, Tenn., and Armstrong, 24, from Johnson City, Tenn., agreed that pumping water back into the surrounding area, into irrigation canals and homes alike, should result in a return of population and agricultural stability to the area.
“It’s the ideal partnership; we’ll have the civic side and the peacekeeping side all together,” Armstrong said.
The engineers are happy both to provide Marines with a new living space and to have a hand in the reopening of the water plant that once brought Earth’s most precious resource to many of Iraq’s more rural citizens.
“I think water could convey that message of peace and prosperity,” said Sgt. Steven J. Geiger, 25, Matamoras, Pa., squad leader, Engineer Company.
Geiger said that engineers take each job seriously, and their approach is all business. But, he said, it’s nice to know that their work is not only improving conditions for Marines spending seven months at a COP, but also for Iraqis spending their entire lives in the desert.
“Water is essential, it is the building block of life,” Geiger said.
The potential for the project was not immediately known by the company, until they conducted their site survey. The project, which is slated to begin sometime in the next month, can help Iraqis repopulate the area and turn brown desert into green farms.
“I think it’s exciting,” said Capt. Lauren S. Edwards, 32, from Smiths Grove, Ken., company commander, Engineer Company. “Whether (we’re helping) Marines or the Iraqi people, there’s a hope and promise, and a lot of forward moving instead of just treading water.”
Treading water would be nice, but first Marines plan to make sure the locals in Western Iraq have enough to drink.
