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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
Nov 20, 2008 - 8:44:25 PM |
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Blackanthem Military News
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| Staff Sgt. Timothy Walker (center), a Franklin, Tenn., native, poses with his Iraqi Army mass casualty class students at Camp Taji in northwestern Baghdad August 2008. Walker serves as the Support Operations section medical NCOIC with the 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. 1st Class Dwain Johns, 64th BSB, 3rd BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B) |
CAMP TAJI, Iraq - For the last nine months the 64th Brigade Support Battalion's Support Operations Section has doubled as the Iraqi Security Forces logistics coordination team for the Striker Brigade.
It has been diligently working with all National Police and Military Transition Teams in the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad operational environment, trying to make a long-lasting partnership with the Iraqi National Police and Iraqi Army units in northern Baghdad.
This coordination started on a small scale and has quickly grown into a full-time job for the Soldiers involved. Staff Sgt. Timothy Walker, a combat medic, is the SPO Medical NCOIC and a native of Franklin, Tenn., and Sgt. 1st Class Dwain Johns, a supply sergeant, is the general supply officer for the Mountaineer Battalion and a native of Mercersburg, Pa. These two men are the main Soldiers from 64th BSB taking part in this operation.
Johns is the NCOIC of the ISF Team providing direct guidance on a daily basis to his small team of Soldiers; whereas Walker is the medical material coordinator for the ISF team, providing coordination and oversight.
This also involves shadowing orders through the Ministry of Health for pick-up at the Camp Taji depot for three different Iraqi Army brigades. Walker has also helped these units work through the troubles of receiving their medical supplies, which helps take the pressure off the MiTT teams for support.
"If this is our way of contributing to the overall success for the future in Iraq and this is what our team will continue to do," said Johns.
This assistance allows the Iraqi Army to take a giant step forward in supporting themselves. Additionally, Walker has arranged for the Iraqi Army brigades to send their soldiers to a medical supply class on Camp Taji, which provides each unit its own qualified and trained medical supply personnel able to track and receive their own medial material.
Along with the medical material tracking, Walker does training for the Iraqi Army and the Iraqi Police. Training provided by Coalition Forces is not new to these units; however, what is new is the "train the trainer" model of training.
Walker conducts train the trainer classes to the most proficient IA medics in mass casualty missions and combat lifesaver; then observes as they teach the class until they are fully competent in their tasks. These classes are smaller than a regular combat lifesaver class, allowing for more student-to-teacher interaction that ensures the Iraqi soldiers are ready to go back and teach their fellow countrymen.
"The Iraqi medics appreciate this type of instruction; the ‘train the trainer' concept allows them to learn, then teach one another, alleviating the requirement of Coalition medics to come in and train them in the future," Walker said. "In the end this will allow these medics to be more self-sufficient while gaining the respect of their peers in the Iraqi Army. We have also taken pressure off our NPTT/MiTT's allowing them to concentrate on other areas of instruction."
The overall goal that the ISF Team is trying to achieve is to ensure the Iraqi Army and the National Police are self sufficient, which will allow Iraqis the ability to maintain the training long after the Striker Brigade has redeployed.
ADDITIONAL PHOTO:
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| Sgt. 1st Class Dwain Johns (right), a Mercersburg, Pa., native, discusses techniques and procedures with Iraqi Army medics for their mass casualty plan during a training session at Camp Taji in northwestern Baghdad August 2008. Johns serves as the general supply officer for the 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Timothy Walker, 64th BSB, 3rd BCT, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B) |
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