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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Old soldier in a new army |
| 2004-05-10 |
| EFL. Iraqi talking with his brother, a soldier in the new Iraqi army. One of the most hopeful things Iâve read to date. "The most important thing is that this army has no retards or illiterate in it like the old one. Now education is an essential requirement when applying to serve in the new army and anyone who hasnât finished high school at least has no place there. In fact most of the volunteers are college and technical institutes graduates." âI feel Iâm somebody now. Iâm respected and get all what most people get. Do you believe that they threw one of the Iraqi officers out of the army because he used us to do him personal services, like carrying his bags, and when we complained about his behavior, they told him â Do you see any of us, American officers use our soldiers? You can go home. You still have the mentality of the old regime and you canât fit in this new army!â imagine that! They listen to our complains, we the soldiers, and bring us justice even if it involved the higher ranked officers. This had never happened in the old army." "Of course I thought about it!â He sighed as he continued, âDangers were there since I was born; wars, MP chasing me for years, chaosâŠetc. These will not stop me from going on with my life, and I have a feeling that those thugs are the same people who oppressed me along with all the poor Iraqi soldiers. No, Iâm not afraid of them and Iâll do my job. At least this time I know Iâm doing the right thing and that my services will be appreciated." When I left, I felt real hope in the new Iraqi army. Despite its terrible performance till now, one cannot be pessimistic after hearing the way this army is being formed and the way the soldiers look at it. Iâm sure itâll take time, but Iâm also sure that weâll definitely have an exceptionally efficient, small army with great morals and respect for the law and the institution they represent. An army that can preserve peace and order, and protect the constitution once the Iraqi people agree on one |
| Posted by:Random thoughts |
| #2 Clearly the main error the admin made in Iraq was overestimating how fast we could stand up an Iraqi military and police force worthy of the name. The woeful performance of these units in April (I recall some battalions refused to fight Iraqis, others had 50% desertion) is a reminder of just how badly we underestimated the difficulty training up post Saddam Iraqis. However, this posting shows that progress has been made. The 50% who did not quit are the cream that is rising to the top. |
| Posted by: JAB 2004-05-10 6:39:30 PM |
| #1 Given the radically different concepts of what a soldier is and does represented by the new Iraqi Army, it is not surprising that they are not yet ready for prime time. However, I have to believe that the final product will be worth the wait and that properly motivated, armed, and trained, these guys will be able to take the measure of anyone in the region (coalition troops excepted). |
| Posted by: RWV 2004-05-10 6:10:32 PM |