Posted on 09/26/2005 1:45:45 PM PDT by lizol
Three Cheers for the Coalition
September 25, 2005 12:00 AM EST
by Allan Wall
Operation Iraqi Freedom is an international coalition. In the mainstream media, though , you don’t hear much about that.
When a country pulls out of Iraq, or if there’s controversy about Iraq in a coalition country, that’s reported. Surprising little, however, has been reported about the military contributions of our coalition allies. But our coalition partners should be recognized. We’re not the only ones over here.
Despite international opposition, President Bush was able to assemble a diverse coalition of partners for Operation Iraqi Freedom. True, the size of the coalition is smaller than it was in 2003, and Iraqi policy remains as matter of controversy in coalition countries (as in our own). But the coalition is still a military reality on the ground here in Iraq.
The U.S. still has 26 coalition partners here in Iraq, with a total of over 23,000 troops which are neither American nor Iraqi.
Here is a list of our 26 partners, in descending order of troop strength: the UK, South Korea, Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Georgia, Romania, Japan, Australia, Denmark, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Azerbaijan, Latvia, Mongolia, Lithuania, Albania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Norway and the Netherlands.
For an up-to-date catalog of coalition military forces, click here http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq_orbat_coalition.htm .
Assembling an effective military coalition is more than a matter of inviting varioius countries to send their armies and park them in Iraq . It involves careful planning and consideration.
Coalition armies arrive here as part of their own units. They wear their own uniforms, bring their own equipment and weapons, fly their own national and unit flag, and operate under their own chain of command. But they are part of a larger whole.
Iraq ’s territory is divided into more manageable sectors known as "divisions". Each nation’s military is assigned an area of responsibility, and chains of command are established. This is to avoid duplication, confusion and “ friendly fire” incidents.
The coalition is an integrated military effort. Military elements from various countries will work together and support each other on specific operations.
When my National Guard unit flew into Iraq from Kuwait, we didn’t fly in an American plane. We arrived in a South Korean Air Force C-130.
On the ground, joint patrols unite elements from different militaries in a combined endeavour.
Our troops run across some unexploded ordnance, and the EOD team from another country’s army disposes of it.
One night, my unit, carrying out a ground operation, requested and received air support from an allied military.
On another occasion I personally witnessed a disabled American vehicle being towed to a more convenient location by a recovery vehicle belonging to a coalition partner.
Then there’s the time a coalition military donated a wheelchair so an American patrol could give it to a Bedouin girl who can’t walk.
On another occasion, we received a call for help from an American unit in another province, in another country’s sector. I contacted a representative from that country so he could contact his men on the ground, where the help was needed.
Some American soldiers even get assigned to liaison duty and work with another country’s army on a regular basis.
Coalition operations sometimes afford the opportunity for our soldiers to socialize with soldiers from allied armies . They can trade unit patches and other uniform paraphernelia. They try another army's rations. They swap stories about their respective militaries. They get a taste of how another nation’s army operates, how they are different, how they are the same.
Soldiers of any country, after all, share the same profession. So there´s a lot of common ground.
Such interactions, both professional and social, help American soldiers to respect other mlitary traditions and realize we are not the only ones involved. Many allied soldiers now serving in Iraq have already deployed as our allies in other places, such as Afghanistan, the Balkans and Somalia.
Here in Iraq, I have personally encountered military personnel from Italy, Britain, Poland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Japan, Mongolia, El Salvador, Romania, Lithuania, Ukraine, Australia, Latvia and one soldier from Slovakia. I saw an aircraft belonging to the nation of Georgia. And I've had the privilege of working together with foreign troops on a mutual assignment.
It’s noteworthy also to point out that our coalition includes former enemies who are now allies.
Sixty-plus years ago we were in a fight to the death with the Japanese. Now they’re with us in Iraq.
In the Cold War the Warsaw Pact was NATO’s enemy. Now, former Warsaw Pact nations such as Romania and Bulgaria are here with us.
Even some former republics of the U.S.S.R. such as Ukraine and Georgia are serving here as our allies.
As a matter of fact, if you look at the list above, of our 26 current coalition partners, notice that 17 of these are former communist nations !
Here in Iraq, we have allies with worthy traditions, distinguished units, good equipment and dedicated soldiers. They deserve our respect and appreciation, and we can learn from them.
No matter what the future of Operation Iraqi Freedom holds , we should not forget the contributions of our coalition allies .
Allan Wall (allan.wall@us.army.mil ) is presently stationed somewhere in Iraq with his Army National Guard unit.
http://goodnewsfromthefront.com/
"In the Cold War the Warsaw Pact was NATO’s enemy. Now, former Warsaw Pact nations such as Romania and Bulgaria are here with us."
These nations know firsthand the damage that brutal dictatorships can do to the human spirit. They understand why they must fight and so they fight alongside us. But God bless the people of Great Britain and the USA who have not known such dictatorship for centuries and still they fight.
Kinda makes you proud of our allies.
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