Posted on 01/11/2007 8:22:30 PM PST by SandRat
FORWARD OPERATING BASE RUSTAMIYAH, BAGHDAD, Jan. 11, 2007 — Soldiers in Company A, 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, are doing their part to help the Iraqi national police eventually take over security operations in eastern Baghdad. Sgt. Jack G. Schnackenberg, a Cavalry team leader, said his platoon’s mission is to patrol with the Iraqi police and conduct searches.
“We’re more like advisors to them,” he said. “We offer general and fire support for their mission.”
Schnackenberg, of Arkansas City, Kan., said it’s been a challenge working with the national police. During the training, interpreters are used in order to help ease the language barrier.
“When searching houses we don’t have enough interpreters to go around so we point and do a lot ourselves,” he said.
The difference in culture has also proved to be a challenge, Schnackenberg said, as the Iraqis don’t like being corrected. Still, he said he’s seen improvements.
“I don’t know if it was us or they just didn’t want to go out (at first),” he said of the national police’s hesitance to leave the wire. “They’re more willing to go out now.”
New soldiers have adapted well to working with the Iraqi policmen, Schnackenberg said, as they overcome constant obstacles stemming from a language barrier and cultural differences.
“I would have to say they are as well-enlightened about the culture as I am,” he said.
Staff Sgt. Phillip B. Kendzior, the company’s master gunner, said he was in charge of running the ranges where the
national police zeroed their weapons. Kendzior, of Rochester, N.Y., said the first day of the zeroing range didn’t go very well but they came back the next day and stayed until they were all zeroed.
One of the positive aspects of training the national police, Kendzior said, is that it gives his troops a chance to get familiarized with the weapons Iraqis are using.
It’s really good because a lot of times if you go on patrols and find guys with AK-47s. You have to be able to clear them,” he said. “It’s a safety issue.”
Kendzior said most of the Iraqi national police are fun to be with as they laugh and enjoy themselves. Communication, over time, has become less of a problem. Interpreters are used and both the Americans and Iraqis know a few words of the other’s language.
Pfc. Jeromy Markin, a rifleman with the company’s 3rd Platoon, said this is his first deployment and working with the iraqi national police has been interesting.
“They were really curious,” said the Phillipsburg, Kan., native. Markin added that the iraqi national police are pretty friendly and about 95 percent come up and talk to soldiers.
Pfc. Philip L. McMillan, an infantryman with 1st Platoon, said he hasn’t gotten a chance to work with the police outside the wire yet, but he has ridden around with them.
“The language barrier is not bad because enough of them speak English,” he said.
McMillan is on his first deployment and said the cultural differences aren’t hard to overcome.
“You just have to remember the small key points,” he said. “That’s all that matters.”
"the Iraqis don’t like being corrected."
An unfortunate trait of Arab culture. You're never going to get better without being corrected and trying to learn from your mistakes.
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