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| U.S. soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, supervise Iraqi police officers as they plot grid coordinates on a map at the Mussayyib Iraqi police headquarters, June 12, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Edgar Reyes |
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| U.S. Troops Help Iraqi Police Improve Map Skills |
The block of instruction was used as refresher training to supplement the map
reading course taken by the Iraqi police during their initial training at the Iraqi police Academy. |
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By U.S. Army Spc. Edgar Reyes
2nd Brigade Combat Team
4th Infantry Division |
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq, June 16, 2006 — U.S. soldiers from Company D, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, conducted map reading and land navigation training with eight Iraqi police officers at the Mussayyib Iraqi police headquarters June 12.
"Learning map reading is a good thing. It will help us send back-up to the right place if we ever get outnumbered by the terrorists. It will also help us to tell the [coalition forces] exactly where roadside bombs are found, allowing them to keep a safe distance from the coordinates we give them."
Mohammed Aalahid Mujad, Iraqi police officer |
The block of instruction was used as refresher training to supplement the map reading course taken by the Iraqi police during their initial training at the Iraqi police Academy.
The map reading training consisted of learning color codes on maps, measuring scales, plotting grid coordinates and measuring distances between straight lines and curved routes.
The land navigation portion of the training dealt with the numerous types of terrain features such as cliffs, plateaus and valleys to familiarize the Iraqi police with rough terrain. This also gives them the capability to find and identify routespreviously not accessible, which would enable them to provide a quicker reaction-force when called upon. |
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| U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Andre Christian and Sgt. Jahmali Samuel, assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, teach Iraqi police officers how to read maps during training at the Mussayyib Iraqi police headquarters, June 12, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Edgar Reyes |
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| U.S. Army Sgt. Jahmali Samuel, from Company D, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, teaches an Iraqi police officer how to read maps during training at the Mussayyib Iraqi police headquarters, June 12, 2006. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Edgar Reyes |
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Coalition forces soldiers took turns giving instruction on a dry-erase-board while interpreters explained the lessons to the Iraqi police.
After the block of instruction, the Iraqi police took a certified test to show their proficiency in map reading and land navigation. All eight Iraqi police officers passed the certification and received certificates allowing them to teach other Iraqi police officers the training.
“We taught the [Iraqi police] the basics slowly at first,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Jahmali Samuel, tanker, Company D, 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment. “They probably learned more about map reading and land navigation in the two-hour class than they have in their lifetime, so we do not want to overload them with too much information in one day.”
Enlisted members and officers alike receive this training to ensure everyone in the station has a basic understanding of land navigation. The course was designed as a “train the trainer” block of instruction, enabling the Iraqi police officers to teach the course themselves to fellow police officers in their native language.
“Learning map reading is a good thing,” said Mohammed Aalahid Mujad, Iraqi police officer, Mussayyib Iraqi police headquarters. “It will help us send back-up to the right place if we ever get outnumbered by the terrorists. It will also help us to tell the [coalition forces] exactly where roadside bombs are found, allowing them to keep a safe distance from the coordinates we give them.” |
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