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Dear Interested Reader,
Sgt. 1st Class Gabriel Ramirez voluntarily teaches IA English. Defense Dept. Foreign Military Sales Program to rebuild and strengthen Iraqi SF. Iraqis celebrate 1st Mortar Class graduation. Tarmiyah detainee release offers fresh start. Two soldiers from Sudan express their love and pride in becoming Americans. Joint Expeditionary Tasking Airmen support the Central Criminal Court. In Afghanistan, combined forces raided a compound known to house Taliban bomb makers. Insight into life of a combat medic.
Joanna
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March 20, 2009

Multi-National Corps – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342

Volunteer Teaches English to Iraqis

Sgt. 1st Class Gabriel Ramirez gives a basic English class to Iraqi Soldiers at Muthana Army Base.
(Photo and story by Sgt. Joshua Risner)

BAGHDAD — At 9 p.m. on Muthana Army Base, home to the 6th IA Div, the work day ended hours ago, but one small classroom is still lit up where a multitude of voices breaks the relative silence that has overtaken the rest of the post.
“Everybody together now: ‘I, we, you, they, he, she, it.’” A group of Iraqi Soldiers are learning basic English skills, thanks to Sgt. 1st Class Gabriel Ramirez, logistics NCO in charge with the 6th IA Div. MiTT. Using an interpreter to communicate the meaning of words into Iraqi Arabic, Ramirez’s class becomes a 2-way street of learning. “I teach you English; you teach me Arabic,” said Ramirez, with an animated grin.
While English classes are not a normal part of the mission for a MiTT, Ramirez took it upon himself to go the extra mile. “We are here to assist the Iraqis any way we can, and this is something that I can do,” he said. Ramirez had plenty of experience teaching English as a second language (ESL). “I taught ESL for adults at a post secondary school for 7 years. “It started out to be a part-time job and later became a full-time job. After that, the economy went bad in California, so here I am, 13 years later.”
According to Ramirez, classes last about 4 months and cover 3 books of basic English with about 15 chapters each.
“I try teaching 3 days a week, 2 hours a night,” he said. “I try to do 2 chapters a day, but if not, I go as fast as they can consume the info. I see how much they grasp and go from there.”
“We start out with the fundamentals: ask your name, basic pronouns, the verb ‘to be’ and we gradually progress from there,” he said. “The majority of them have already had English, so they grasp it pretty quickly.” The class has been met with enthusiasm by the Iraqi Soldiers who come to learn, according to Ramirez. “We’ve had a lot of support from their officers. They give them time to attend, and the Iraqis see this as an advantage to them,” he said.
“These guys are here because they want to learn,” he said. “They come in with a lot of energy, so I show them that same energy and it helps things, I think.” For the Iraqis, the knowledge is invaluable, though learning it may be difficult. “Beginning is hard, especially for those who can’t read or write, but Ramirez is a good teacher,” said Iraqi Pvt. Bassem Daygan. He added that being able to speak English will help him in his duties. “I want to learn pronunciation, so the Americans can understand me,” he said.

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Iraq Uses Foreign Military Sales to Rebuild, Strengthen Security Forces

By Navy Lt. Jennifer Cragg
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON — The GoI is using the Defense Dept’s Foreign Military Sales Program to rebuild and strengthen Iraqi SF, a colonel involved in the effort said.
U.S. AF Col. Lawrence Avery Jr., dep. dir. of the security assistance office for Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq (MNSTC-I), described the fielding to bloggers and online journalists during a “DoD Live” bloggers roundtable, March 16.
“First, we concentrated on equipping what I would call a very light inf, … basically a Soldier with body armor, helmet, weapon, Humvee and a radio,” Avery said. “On the Navy side, they bought a few small boats for … protection of their sea lines of communication. On the AF side, they actually have some small aircraft that do intel, surveillance, and recon-type missions.” Avery added that in addition to strengthening the Iraqi SF, the program has been used to train and equip Iraqi Defense and Interior Forces.
Avery, who has been working on the Iraqi Military Sales Program since it was started in 2005, said MNSTC-I has been helping Iraq build its counterinsurgency forces. “It wasn’t until recently that they started looking at modernizing those forces into more of a strategic defense/defense-of-the-homeland kind of forces,” he said. “And these first 3 modernization cases -- for the M-1A1 Abrams tanks, the armed scout helicopters and the C-130J’s -- is really their first move in that direction toward strategic defense.” The command’s efforts in supporting the Iraqi Defense Ministry and Army represent a vital step toward ensuring Iraq’s self-sufficiency for the future, he added.
Foreign Military Sales is the govt-to-govt method for selling U.S. defense equipment, services, and training. It's part of a normal security cooperation relationship between the U.S. and many other countries, he said. Iraq is serious about the FMS program, because officials view it as an anti-corruption mechanism to build and equip their SF, he added. “Nobody can get their hands on the money; nobody decides who the contracts go to,” Avery said. All of the contracting for the FMS program goes through the Defense Dept acquisition system. FMS has been in use in Iraq since 2005, Avery said, and Iraq has spent $4.5 billion in the program so far.

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Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Phoenix Base
APO AE 09348

Iraqi Mortar Class Graduation

HABBANIYAH – Iraqi Staff Col. Menshed, cmdr, Habbaniyah Regional Training Center, and CF attended first graduating class of the 60 mm Mortar Course, March 15. 95 Iraqi soldiers completed the training and received their certificates.
A combined team, including U.S. 60mm mortar certified instructors, and Iraqi trainers taught the students introduction of the mortar system. Courses included the implementation and use of the mortars system at company level. U.S. Army Major Sean Fenton, Senior Advisor to the cmdr Regional Training Center said, “Performance from the students was exceptional. The highly motivated students demonstrated the willingness, and ability to accept and understand all of the course material presented to them in a 2-week period.”
SCOL Menshed spoke to the graduating class stating “The implementation of the mortar systems is a critical part for the IA, and is yet another great step towards the professionalization of the Iraqi fighting force.” The graduation ceremony was then closed out by the students reciting the soldiers creed led by Iraqi Weapons Wing Sgt Maj Mohammed.

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Tarmiyah detainee release offers fresh start

By Ken Griffin

Sheik Sa’ed Jassim (left), a tribal and political leader in Tarmiyah, and Judge Nassir, the Tarmiyah Qada judge, speak with detainees in Tarmiyah, March 16 during a detainee release. In conjunction with the Security Agreement, detainees without warrants are reconnected with their friends and families, March 18.

TARMIYAH — A big, blue bus rolled to a stop here, and Shaman Hadi stepped off with 15 other men. Hadi, who hadn’t been to Tarmiyah or seen his family for 17 months, was ready for a fresh start. The group returned home thanks to a detainee release facilitated by the 1st Bn, 111th Inf Regt, 56th Stryker “Independence” BCT. As CF implement the Security Agreement, Hadi and many others are getting another chance to rejoin their communities.
“I’m now home with my family, and looking forward to seeing my 4 children,” Hadi said, after greeting his father and a group of friends. “I plan to do factory work. Everything is set up.”
The men were vetted through a rigorous process to ensure there were no warrants for their arrest or grievances for any crimes they may have committed. Their local sheiks and families also vouched for the men, and upon their return here, they received a welcoming but stern speech from Sheik Sa’ed Jassim, a key tribal leader in the Tarmiyah area.
“God willing, these men will have a good life now. We talked to them, and advised them to work hard for their families,” Jassim said. “I know many of their parents, and most come from good families.” After the men signed sworn oaths bearing allegiance to the GoI, they rejoined their friends and families – many of them smiling and laughing for the first time that day, and possibly for the first time in a very long time.
Although it’s impossible to know if each individual will stay out of trouble, Jassim and the other sheiks involved were happy to see the men return home and seemed confident. Capt. Peter Muller, cmdr, Co C, 1-111th, shared that confidence and said the timing is right. “With the transition to rule of law, it’s important that we support the Iraqi judicial process,” Muller explained. “If someone doesn’t have a warrant, we are returning them to society. They’ve paid their debt to society, and I think most of them will listen to the sheik.”
Before the men departed to be with their loved ones, Jassim was careful to explain to each one they’d be held accountable for their actions. Muller said Iraqi SF and SoI in the area would be watching, and his unit would be ready to assist them with whatever they needed to ensure security for the Iraqi people. As Muller was leaving the hall with his men, he paused for a minute and reflected on what he perceived as a successful mission. “Today’s a good day. I’m glad these men are home. It makes me happy to see them smiling with their families.”

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Soldiers travel from Sudan to citizenship

By SSgt. Tim Meyer

Army Spc. Magdi Ahmed, second from right, and Army Spc. Marlesh Mbory, far right, become naturalized U.S. citizens along with other members of the 25th ID’s 3rd IBCT in a ceremony, March 3 at Al Faw Palace in Baghdad.

COB SPEICHER – The 2 Soldiers, one a Christian from the south, the other a Muslim from the north, have nothing against each other, despite the past which tore their homeland of Sudan apart in more than 20 years of civil war.
Today, they are deployed together in Iraq with the U.S. Army, where they work with the same unit as interpreters. Despite Sudan’s violent past, the 2 men share a bright future. Both became naturalized U.S. citizens.
“I love my job, and I love my new country,” said Army Spc. Marlesh Mbory. “I’m grateful to be American.” Now married with two children, Mbory moved to the U.S. in 2003 and settled in Lincoln, Nebraska, where thousands of former southern Sudanese citizens call home. However, his path there was far from easy. At the age of 18, Mbory’s stepbrother and uncle were killed in the second Sudanese civil war. He fled from Sudan to the Congo where he lived for several months, and then to the Central African Republic for 5 years before immigrating to the U.S. Mbory learned the French, Swahili, Arabic, Nigala, Sango and Moro languages in Africa. Upon arrival in the U.S., Mbory’s 8-year-old daughter, Lidia, helped him learn English in Nebraska. He hesitated joining the Army because he didn’t want to leave Grace, his then-pregnant wife, alone at home. She persuaded him to go, and Munyo, their son, was born while Mbory was in initial entry training. “I want to see the world peaceful in the future; that's my hope,” he said.
Mbory’s father, 4 brothers and 2 sisters are still in Sudan; he is thinking of returning to visit them one day. After this deployment, he plans to work as a recruiter in Lincoln, to tell other Sudanese there of the positive advantages of joining the Army.
Army Spc. Magdi Ahmed, assigned to the same unit, said he also has found a brighter future in the U.S. “I moved to the U.S. for freedom, for better opportunities, for a better life,” he said. “Joining the Army gave me the opportunity to fix things that I saw with my eyes, but I couldn’t do anything about.” Ahmed’s parents were from Sudan, but he was born in Saudi Arabia. After working at a railway station for nearly 20 years, Ahmed’s father was forcibly retired by the govt, and replaced by an employee who received less pay. The family moved to Dongla, the capital of northern Sudan, where they lived for 6 years during the war. Although his parents were Sudanese, they were considered foreigners because they had lived in Saudi Arabia. “I didn’t feel like an equal in Saudi Arabia or in Sudan,” Ahmed said. Even though he had Sudanese citizenship and was a resident there, he had to pay more for college, according to Ahmed, because he was born in Saudi Arabia, a rich country. The college faculty intentionally gave him failing grades, because he didn’t agree with the govt, Ahmed said. In Sudan he suffered negative experiences — unfairness, discrimination and corruption — but views those experiences as positives now, because they prepared him for moving to the U.S. “The U.S. was the only place you could go for justice. I couldn’t get justice from my own country. The struggle I felt in Saudi Arabia and in Sudan made me feel like the U.S. would be a better place to live,” Ahmed said. Ahmed moved back to Saudi Arabia in 2005, and emigrated to the U.S, a year later. In Wisconsin, a friend of his uncle’s helped Ahmed start a new life. After a month, he had his own apartment and job. Ahmed’s parents, 5 brothers and sister live in Saudi Arabia, and his other relatives still live in Sudan, where his uncle died during the war. Southern Sudan will have the chance to vote for full independence in 2011, and Mbory adds, “God is watching.”

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JET Airmen support the Central Criminal Court of Iraq

By Tech. Sgt. Craig Lifton

BAGHDAD -- Capt. Karen Jordan, lawyer for the 732nd Central Criminal Court of Iraq, and Athra'a, an Iraqi investigator, look over legal files, March 3 in Baghdad. The investigators collect evidence and witnesses for trials. Jordan is deployed from Langley Air Force Base Va.
(AF photo/Senior Airman Tiffany Trojca)

BAGHDAD INT'L ZONE -- Iraqi judges, lawyers and investigators walk through the hallowed halls of the Central Criminal Court (CCC-I) of Iraq. Along these corridors of marble, wood, steel and glass, a small group of U.S. military lawyers move about from office to courtroom.
In accordance with the new security agreement signed between the U.S. and the GoI, all Iraqi detainees are required to be released in a safe and orderly manner, or transferred to Iraqi custody pursuant to a judicial order. On Feb. 27, MNF-Iraq and the GOI announced that the total number of detainees in Coalition custody dropped below 14,000 with an average of 50 detainees being released a day.
A key part to this legal process is a collection of Joint Expeditionary Tasking (JET) Airmen with the 732nd Expeditionary Support Sqdrn who work in the CCC-I liaison office. The lawyers and paralegals work side-by-side with Coalition servicemembers. "We get the statements from the servicemember involved," said Capt. Dave Illingworth, a lawyer deployed from Kadena Air Base, Japan. "From there we build a criminal case and refer them for an investigative hearing." Illingworth serves as a liaison officer to the CCC-I. He and the other lawyers act as facilitators by bringing together the defendants, witnesses, evidence and experts to court for all cases involving CF. "We bring anyone detained by CF in Iraq to this court," said Illingworth. "Here, the judges are the fact-finders and hand down the sentencing."
In one room of the courthouse, an AF lawyer sits and takes extensive notes during an investigative hearing. With the help of translators, she monitors as an Iraqi investigator and judge question a detainee in a yellow jump suit about a crime he had witnessed while in custody; meanwhile, a U.S. Soldier stands at the ready. "We make sure things flow smoothly so charges can be ascertained in the hearings, including asking questions necessary to allow our CF soldiers and local nationals to completely paint the picture of the complaint against the detainee," said Capt. Karen Jordan, a lawyer deployed from Langley Air Force Base, Va.," so the investigative judge and his investigators have the ability to do further fact finding necessary to send the case to trial. "We're working together with the Iraqis with no problems. The best part is defeating the terrorists."
Supporting the lawyers on the team are enlisted paralegals. "The best part about this is the camaraderie with the different services," said SSgt. Adam McConnaughy. "We all have the same one goal to achieve on this mission.
"There's a wide variety of cases that come through here," the sgt added, who is deployed from MacDill AFB, Fla. "Murder, IEDs and illegal weapons, for example."
An Iraqi judge sits at his desk in the courthouse, which is covered with casework and a Quran. A bed takes up a corner of the office, which the judge uses during the week instead of going home, out of fear for his and his family's safety. He looks around the room and smiles. "I'm happy that with the help of the Americans we can do this," said the judge, who requested to remain unnamed for security purposes. "Things are getting better for us every day."

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Comm Transport

U.S. Marines haul a crate of communications gear onto an aircraft waiting to transport them from Camp Korean Village to Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, March 10, 2009. The Marines are assigned to HQ and Service Co, 2nd Bn, 25th Marine Regt. U.S.
(Marine Corps photo by Capt. Paul L. Greenberg)

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Office of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs RSS

Coalition, Afghan Forces Kill Seven in Bomb-making Bust

KABUL - March 17, in the province's Khakriz District, north of Kandahar, a combined force raided a compound known to house Taliban bomb makers. Two armed militants engaged the force with grenades, and both were killed in the firefight.
The assault force pursued several militants who fled the compound. Five militants armed with grenades and assault rifles were killed when they maneuvered on the forces. The forces detained 3 suspects near the compound.
Forces found multiple RPGs and about 500 pounds of potentially explosive material. They destroyed the building housing the explosive material, along with the RPGs. Forces protected 4 women and 18 children during the op.

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Combined Joint Task Force 101 RSS

Combat Medic Strengthens Skills Under Rigors of War

Story by Sgt. Amber Robinson

BAGRAM AIR FIELD - As Soldiers train for combat, many first-time deployers are unaware of the stress and responsibility they will face once they assume their position in-country. But for one combat medic, this deployment has helped establish a strong sense of pride in himself, and in what he does for his fellow Soldiers. “As a medic you are not only responsible for yourself like most Soldiers, but you are also responsible for a platoon,” said Army Spc. Timothy Currie, combat medic with 4th Bn, 25th FAR. “If you are part of a platoon that goes outside the wire on a regular basis there is a great deal of responsibility.”
Currie, who is on his first deployment, has been outside of his FOB in the Wardak province, more than 40 times. His job as a combat medic is to accompany the bn cmdr’s staff on all missions. “Usually in a plt each Soldier has a certain responsibility. “A medic is responsible for the medical gear carried on every soldier, in every truck, and in their own personal aid bag. When Soldiers are tired, overworked, and hungry there is a medic there to make sure they continue to take care of themselves, and trust me it is probably the last thing on their mind.”
Respect is a large aspect of a medic’s existence. They must have the respect of the team and that is hard earned. “Until there is a need for a medic on missions, I am basically a rifleman,” said Currie. “In order to gain the respect of your Soldiers, you must help do their job along side them, and still find time to take care of your responsibilities as a medic.”
The double duty is a bit taxing, but Currie said he enjoys his job. “When I joined the Army I wanted to be a line medic,” said Currie. “So right now I am living the dream, no matter how hard it may be.” Although Currie enjoys the fact he has maintained 100% of his Soldier’s well being during his numerous missions, he always keeps the brutal possibilities of war in his mind. “My biggest fear is losing a patient,” said Currie. “No matter what I would do as a combat medic in a situation like that, I know that I’d always ask myself what I could have done better. I know it would be difficult to fathom because these are my guys. I spend all my time with them. It’s not like in a hospital setting where I’m treating someone off the street. These are my comrades, my fellow Soldiers.”

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Combined Joint Task Force 101 RSS

Spartan Non-Commissioned Officers React Under Fire

Photos by Rob Frazier

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF

Army SSgt. John Rankin peers through the scope of his M-4 rifle at a potential target while on patrol with Alpha Co, 3rd Bde Special Troops Bn, 10th Mtn Div, TF Spartan.