1ST ARMORED DIVISION SOLDIERS GET UP-CLOSE TRAINING AS They PREPARE IN KUWAIT FOR MOVE INTO IRAQ

CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait -- Most Soldiers deploying to Iraq are accustomed to a

stay in Kuwait, completing additional training before heading north, and the recently

deployed Soldiers of U.S. Army, Europe's 1st Armored Division headquarters are no

exception.

While division officials say

they expect to have a

majority of their "Iron

Soldiers" in Iraq over the

next few weeks, they are

staying busy here making

sure the troops are fully

equipped with all the tools

necessary for success in

their 15-month mission in

support of Operation Iraqi

Freedom.

Just miles south of the Iraqi

border, division Soldiers

are participating in training

designed to simulate the

conditions frequently

encountered in Iraq.

One such recent training session, in temperature well over 100 degrees, schooled the

Soldiers in close-quarters marksmanship, designed to provide them with the skills

necessary to accurately acquire, identify and engage targets closer than 25 meters.

Wayne Thompson, a contract instructor for MPRI, retired from the Army last year, after

last serving with the 10th Mountain Division. Not able to fully shake the camaraderie the

military provides, Thompson says, he jumped at the chance to continue to train Soldiers.

"I have a passion for this stuff," explained Thomas. "It's my way of supporting troops."

MPRI, formerly known as Military Professional Resource Inc., decided to be known as

simply MPRI after they were signed on to train military, law enforcement and security

personnel worldwide, explained CQM instructor Dale Ellsworth.

The training began with a classroom lecture followed by an opportunity for the Soldiers

to apply what they learned on a live-fire range.

Thompson shouted commands to the Soldiers as they fired at a sandy berm, relying on

each other as a team as they combined verbal instructions with live shooting. Thompson

later said the troops followed his direction flawlessly.

"I think they understand the next time they raise that weapon, it may be for real," he said.

Spc. Cyd Moreira, a food service specialist with the division's Company B, Special

Troops Battalion, thought the training was a great chance to prove that cooks are

Soldiers, too, and can fight alongside their comrades.

"I feel safe if I have to go 'outside the wire' and support the troops," Moreira said.

"It was hot out there, but it was good training," added Sgt. Jamaal Smith, another

Company B food service specialist.

Bravo Detachment, 146th Signal Company 1st Sgt. Matthew Shea said he thought the

training was a great experience for his signal Soldiers.

"It is something that is unique to (the OIF) theater, and we really enjoyed it," he said.