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thedrifter
02-04-09, 06:42 AM
Iraqi general presents award to U.S. troops

2/2/2009 By Cpl. M. Bravo , 2nd MLG Headquarters and Service Battalion (FWD)

CAMP AL TAQADDUM, Iraq —Brig. Staff Gen. Ali Haider Abdulhameed, Habbaniyah’s location commander for the Iraqi Army, presented 13 U.S. service members from the Camp Al Taqaddum Surgical Team and Coalition Army Acquisition Team with Certificates of Appreciation here, Jan. 29.

Ali presented the awards to show his appreciation for the time and effort the service members put into teaching the Combat Lifesavers Course to 32 Iraqi Army medics at the East Habbaniyah Iraqi Army Camp, Nov. 24-25.

“It’s an honor for me to be here with everybody and to thank everyone for the help and support you provided to my guys at the clinic in Habbaniyah,” Gen. Ali explained. “This was the least we could do to you, you deserve a lot more.”

The Iraqi soldiers were instructed by TQ Surgical Company doctors, nurses, physician assistants, corpsmen and Marines stationed here, said Navy Cmdr. Eric Hofmeister, 1st Maintenance Battalion Surgical Company orthopedic surgeon, who organized the event.

“Our number one goal is to build your knowledge in treating war injuries,” the San Diego native said at the opening of the class. “Over the next two days, you will be challenged, rewarded and continue the building of Iraq.”

The two-day, 16-hour course was taught by classroom lecture and realistic practical application on the topics of immediate first aid, casualty movement and triage, and included a final exercise where the medics treated moulaged victims.

Spc. Gregory E. Woods, an Elkins, W.V. native said the biggest struggle was matching Iraqis with particular specialties.

“If someone has a major in Biology, we might put him in the lab because that’s something he’s familiar with,” the 21-year old said. “But they didn’t all match up easily.”

Although setting up the program wasn’t easy, Woods said he is proud of what it’s done, and that everyone should try to work with the Iraqi Army.

“If anyone gets a chance to work with the [Iraqi Army] definitely take it,” he said. “It helps you with your views and makes you appreciate things. I’m very thankful I had the chance.”

Ali said the coalition forces have greatly helped support the Iraqi Army in medical as well as other aspects.

“We received extensive medical training from your staff that was really needed by my guys because we didn’t have this experience. [They] didn’t have the knowledge that your [people] provided. Obviously this will help my guys to train other people in the future.”

Several weeks after the first class, the coalition troops returned to mentor the medics as 14 of them taught CLS to fellow Iraqi soldiers.

Ali also spoke of the relationship that the U.S. has with Iraqi troops and how he hopes to see that improve.

“This shows the good relationship we have between the [Iraqi Army] and U.S military,” he said. “I hope that this relationship will stay better and we can do a lot more together.”

For more information on the ongoing mission in Iraq’s Al Anbar province, visit http://www.mnfwest.usmc.mil.

Ellie