JOINT SECURITY STATION INDIA, Iraq- After training for nearly a week, noncommissioned officers assigned to 2nd Iraqi Army Division got tested on the first set of skills necessary to certify them as trainers.
Soldiers assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, tested their Iraqi counterparts on basic combat skills Dec. 6.
Soldiers of 2-7 Cav., evaluated their Iraqi counterparts in seven different areas: evaluating a casualty, hand and arm signals, squad movement, how to react to contact, how to react to an ambush, emplacement of a machine gun, and individual movement through an urban area.
To gain certification as trainer, IA NCO's needed to pass each individual area and demonstrate they could coach and teach subordinates.
"We're testing them to ensure they understand what we have taught them so they can go back to their units and train their fellow Soldiers," said Sgt. First Class Michael Tucker, a B Co., platoon sergeant. "A lot of the Soldiers in the Iraqi Army units don't have the opportunity to train with us, so if we teach some of them, it will follow through to the soldiers that couldn't be here," said the Washing County, Md., native.
The Iraqi NCO's went through their various stations, some expressing some difficulties in remembering what they were taught, but as a whole, more soldiers came out qualified as trainers.
The noncommissioned officers that passed the various areas of evaluation gazed at their papers that showed a circled "Go." They then showed their fellow NCO's smiling and saying thank you to their American counterparts that gave them the training.
"The things that they are training on will make them better as soldiers and help in their missions and help save a life if needed," said Pfc. Brian Harvey, an infantryman from Oklahoma City, Okla. "I feel privileged, especially being a private, that they picked me to help train our Iraqi counterparts. They have caught on quite well."
This individual training is part one of a four phase class to ready Iraqi noncommissioned officers as trainers. Future classes will include basic rifle marksmanship, short range marksmanship, advanced patrolling, and team live fire.
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