FID Iraq

Crue · 04-28-2006, 18:31

I would like to start a discussion about FID. I don't really know where to start. I guess I will just start off the top of my head with some of the things that are bothering me. I am 3 months into a year long deployment working with the Iraqi Army and it just seems to be one step forward two steps back everyday. Its not as if they are not retaining what we are teaching (though I have to say there is not a lot of training it is mostly OJT with most of the learining going on planning missions and debriefs from actual engagements) they just dont seem to care. For example we just got hit by 120 mortars the other day had 1 IA KIA , 13 IA WIA, and 2 US WIA yet two hours later you still got guys walking around without thier weapons or flaks on ("Insh-Allah"). It just gets frusrating. When the shooting starts its just always seems to degenerate into the two US advisors that are with the IA company taking over and making things happen. Don't get me wrong there are some Warriors among the IA Bn but they are definitely few and far between. Does this sound familiar to others that have done FID in the Middle East? I would like to think we are doing a good job(there are eleven of us) None of us have any frame of refrence for this mission( I was here last year with an Infantry Bn with very little contact with the IA). I guess I am just looking for other experiences doing this kind of thing and seeing how we are stacking up.

**Jack Moroney (RIP)** · 04-28-2006, 19:06

I have participated in a lot of FID missions but I really cannot relate to what you are writing because I am not there nor do I know what mission you have been given and what the desired outcome is for your task. I can provide some comments that may or may not be of any value. First how is your team doing with the cultural aspect of the folks you are advising, how are your language skills or are you working through interpreters? Are you training them in accordance with what the IA will eventually become or are you training them as adjuncts to the US Army? Do the IA leaders of this group understand what is expected from their own chain of command and are they effective? If they are not effective have you been able to identify those that would be more effective and can you channel your efforts through them to get them to do what is needed? How much interaction do you have with them when you are not out beating the bushes and are you truly embedded with them or do you all break off into you own compounds after each mission? Are you equipped the same as they are and how much latitude are you giving them to make the decisions that are necessary to make them complete stakeholders in the outcome? Do you know any of these troops as people or do you just know them as troops that you are advising?

Crue · 04-28-2006, 19:57

I think we are about as embedded as you can be. Our COP is actually a bunch of Iraqi houses with a HESCO perimeter. I live in a house that has a joint US/IA COC. Some of the other team members live in houses with the jundies. At first I was a big advocate of having our own team house but it just did not work out that way, so we live/eat/ socialize among the troops 24/7. Its actually pretty funny when a non team member comes around we all sit around and talk thier ear off because we are all happy to see a new face around. A lot of the soldiers I know just about as well as I knew some of my Marines. We thought the whole culture issue would be a huge thing but it has really turned into a non-issue (save the social class issue).There are some religious ones but soldiers are soldiers the world over and a lot of the bull sessions I have with them just degenerate into the same type of conversations soldiers have been having since the time of the Romans, ie booze, women, and stupid officers.
Some of us have picked up a passable amount of Arabic, that gets us through basic planning/patrolling though a lot of the more in depth things require the use of terps.
The Bn I am with actually has thier own battle space, actually thier whole Brigade does. So to me it is not as if we are using them to further any policy of our own. Everyone on the team has been here at least twice and dont look forward to comming back so it is in our self intrest to get these guys to fight this insurgency on thier own. They do all the planning, they work thier own intell, mission planning, etc. We work the fire support, urgent medevacs, and step in when things look like they are going get friendlies killed. Basically we just push them to gain and maintain contact with the enemy. My main focus right now is trying to empower the NCOs, once we crack that nut I really things will drastically improve.

Sorry if this post was disjointed probably filled with bad grammer and spelling. I am on radio watch right now and it is late, and I just had to get a few things out there before I hit the rack. I will try to fill out some more details and sitreps (if anyone is intrested) as I get more time.

Q · 04-28-2006, 21:01

Be patient. Do the best damn job you can. It may take quiet a bit longer to get these guys to come around than you think. It may not happen on your tour, the next tour or your son's. They are in no hurry because Allah is running the show. In my time it was Buddah. Both of these guys don't give a damn about time. Keep you head down Marine and..........

**The Reaper** · 04-29-2006, 00:05

Crue:

To add to what the Colonel said, what is your background in FID? Where else have you done it and how long? What is your exposure to the indig in your AO? Have you worked with them before? Do you see them as some sort of untermensch, or have you built relationships with them and see them as people too (probably not "jundies")?

TR

Crue · 04-29-2006, 04:30

Maybe I was unclear but I have never done a FID mission, that is pretty much why I was writing I am just looking for some other outlooks on this type of mission.
I would say that I got a pretty good exposure to the actual people living in the AO. I know quite a few of the people, ie thier kids names, what they do for a livining etc. Also quite a few of the people in the AO know my name.
Also, I personally do not see them as some kind of lower life form. Jundie just means soldier/private its not derogatory, its like Haji we were told that "oh thats bad never use that word" when it actually means respectful old man. I never will trust these guys totally (there is no vetting) but for the most part we treat these guys as equals. I mean we were doing Triage the other day on a mass casualty we had after a mortar attack and IA were getting on birds before US.