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Old 03-23-2003, 08:32 AM
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Default Expatriates thank Fort Jackson trainers

http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/5461572.htm

Posted on Sun, Mar. 23, 2003

Expatriates thank Fort Jackson trainers
By CHUCK CRUMBO
Staff Writer

"Thank you" is about the last thing an Army drill sergeant expects to hear from a trainee.

But at an aging Soviet bloc airfield in Hungary, 150 trainers from Fort Jackson not only hear expressions of gratitude from their charges but also "Thank God for the United States."

It's enough to moisten the eyes of usually stone-faced drill sergeants.

"They act like we're doing them a favor," said Staff Sgt. Kevin Elliott, 37.

The trainees are Iraqi expatriates, volunteers who hope to help U.S.-led forces free their homeland from dictator Saddam Hussein.

The Fort Jackson contingent, led by Maj. Gen. David Barno, is teaching the Iraqis many of the same skills that they seek to impart on the 42,000 soldiers that train every year at Fort Jackson.

The first class of expatriates, referred to as the Free Iraq Forces, graduated a couple of weeks ago and has been deployed to the Persian Gulf region to serve as liaisons between U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians.

"They will be ready to do their job helping to ensure that Iraqi citizens who need help get help," Barno said.

A second wave of Iraqi volunteers is undergoing training now and arrangements are being made to train a third group, said Barno, who heads up "Task Force Warrior" at the air base in Taszar, Hungary.

Under guidelines set by the Hungarian government, up to 3,000 Iraqi volunteers could be trained in a year, Barno said.

The Iraqis' work ethic and determination to master their tasks have impressed and inspired the Fort Jackson contingent.

"They are highly motivated," said Drill Sgt. Edward Dossett, 36. "Their heart is so strong in what they're doing."

The Iraqis come from various walks of life. They range in age from 18 to 55 and have been living for years in the United States, Canada and Europe. They're businessmen, teachers, students and doctors.

"They've given up quite a bit to do this," said Lt. Col. Steve Yackley, 47, commander of the 1st Battalion, 61st Infantry Regiment.

"But as one of them told me, 'Freedom is like oxygen. Once you've had it you can't live without it.'?"

STRICTLY DEFENSE

The training unit, known as "Task Force Warrior," was assembled in secrecy last November at Fort Jackson, which trains more than half of the Army's soldiers.

Trainers came from within the fort's ranks, plus 31 other Army units, Barno said. In addition, the Defense Department hired 65 interpreters to work with the drill sergeants.

The Fort Jackson staff took the Army's nine-week basic training program and cut it to four weeks, eliminating basic combat training, Yackley said.

During the first two weeks of the course, the Iraqis are trained in map-reading, basic first aid, how to detect land mines and what to do when they see a hand grenade, the rules of armed conflict and ethical decision-making, Yackley said.

The second two weeks covers civil affairs, such as how to deal with refugees, and how to work with coalition forces and international relief groups like the Red Cross.

About two-thirds of the expatriates had some training in the Iraqi army, Yackley said. "So they have a basic understanding of what we're trying to do."

The only firearms training they receive is how to use 9 mm pistols, Yackley said. The handgun is considered a self-defense weapon.

Also, part of the U.S. agreement with Hungary for the use of Taszar included a provision that the Iraqis would not be trained to join in any attack.

SAME BASIC ROUTINE

The use of interpreters is the only major difference in how the Iraqis are trained compared to Army recruits at Fort Jackson, Yackley said.

Everyone's up at 5:30 for a morning run and it's lights out at 10 p.m. The trainers have accommodated Muslim religious practices by having prayer breaks five times daily.

Trainers also adapted their techniques to accommodate the age of the volunteers --the average is 36 years old -- and cultural backgrounds, Barno said.

Although the training has been rigorous and intense, Barno said only three volunteers left the first class. Those departures were for medical or personal reasons.

"I view (that) as a remarkably low number," Barno said.

The Iraqis receive a stipend of $1,500 a month, about the same pay as a private training at Fort Jackson.

While working with the Iraqis has validated the Army's basic training course, Yackley said trainers have picked a few ideas they might incorporate when they return to Fort Jackson.

For example, a course in "Law of Land Warfare" is a lecture. But to bridge the language barrier, the trainers decided to make the class a practical, hands-on exercise. The trainers may incorporate the technique when they return to Fort Jackson.

GRATITUDE

The air base, located about 125 miles southwest of Budapest, is a forbidding installation. It's ringed with a high wall of concrete slats and barbed wire. Many of the buildings -- built by the Soviets more than 50 years ago when they occupied Hungary -- are worn.

Army tents are pitched on the rolling fields, which now are turning to mud as the winter snow melts. There's only a half-dozen bars and restaurants in the town of 3,000 people next to the base for soldiers to enjoy a little rest and relaxation.

The Iraqi training mission marks the fifth time that Staff Sgt. Kevin Elliott, 37, has been deployed to Europe, including a previous stint at Taszar.

Because of his familiarity with the area, Elliott often shows fellow trainers a few of the local sights.

Like his comrades, Elliott has been impressed with the Iraqis.

"They're always eager to learn whatever we teach them," Elliott said. "They put forth as much effort if not more than the privates we train back at Fort Jackson."

Trainers like Capt. Chuck Chalfont, 31, commander of Echo Company, consider it an honor to work with the Iraqis.

"This is the first time in history of the Army that a basic training battalion has been deployed outside the country," Chalfont said.

Chalfont said he has listened in to news interviews with the Iraqis and has been impressed with their patriotism and dreams of someday freeing their homeland.

What's more compelling, Chalfont said, is to hear the Iraqis' praise for the United States.

"It just about brought me to tears when I heard them say, 'Thank God for the United States.'"
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