Military Transition Team Marines Build Professionalism and Friendships
II Marine Expeditionary Force (Fwd)
Story by Lance Cpl. Jason Hernandez
Date: 06.28.2009
Posted: 06.28.2009 11:06


CAMP HAMZA, Iraq – It is not uncommon to watch Fox News, CNN or any number of news channels and be bombarded with stock footage from Iraq showing well-trained men: Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines kicking down doors, or patrolling sand-covered streets in once unheard-of towns like Ramadi, Fallujah or Mosul.

But there's another war they don't show. A war fought not with guns, bombs or bullets, but with handshakes and smiles. It's not fought house-to-house or street-to-street, but rather meal-to-meal, meeting-to-meeting. It's fought in small classrooms on large Iraqi army bases. It is the "war" fought by the military transition teams currently serving in Iraq.

Success in this conflict cannot be measured in enemy personnel captured or insurgent cells disbanded. It's measured in units created, and its success is seen in the snap-and-pop of Iraqi salutes. It's seen in the crisp uniforms of Iraqi soldiers.

"Our number one goal right now is the professionalization of the Iraqi armed forces," said Maj. Jacob Evans, the team chief of Military Transition Team 0228. "We're in the phase where the [Iraqi army] is in charge. Our role is to maintain that. We find out about operations and don't say 'well we can provide you with this. 'No, we say well maybe this can be done better if you do this.'"

Getting to a position where one can advise Iraqi troops with some degree of ease, or in some cases even be asked for advice, is no easy task.

"It takes hours and hours, day after day, to really be able to get the Iraqis to take you in," said 1st Lt. Gary Laughlin, the operations advisor with MiTT 0228. "They're good people, and their hospitality is something I will definitely take away from my experiences with them."

Carrying on an advisory role while maintaining trust and understanding is a delicate balance, one which men like Evans must weigh carefully when engaging the Iraqi commanding officers.

"It's a very different culture," said Evans. "It's important to understand that when interacting with men like the general, it's important to show respect, just like in our military, of course. But, it's also a matter of how you approach a subject and say things. There are certain ways that you approach certain subjects, and that's part of the territory out here. It's always a delicate dance."

Yet, direct conversation is only part of mentoring the men of the Iraqi military. According to Evans, there are some things that no number of translators can get across.

"The thing that I see, the thing that really tells me these guys are really trying to learn from us, is what they learn that we didn't tell them," said Evans. "We got a new Iraqi officer right out of school. He came in and saw us working and talking with our counterparts. He'd watch us train and operate. He just watched, and he was always taking notes. That's another side of mentoring that just can't be taught."

The team, which has gone through six months of training in order to do this assignment, works through what they call "counterparts," their Iraqi equivalent on the other side of the camp. By mentoring Iraqis in these specific positions they hope they can foster professional growth across the entire Iraqi chain-of-command.

"It's a culture of one-on-one dialogues, and communications are paramount," said Laughlin. "I touch base with my counterpart every day, even if I don't have to."

But no matter how much time these Marines have with their IA counterparts, and no matter how much training they receive before deploying to the harsh deserts of Iraq, all of their work is dependent upon one thing, which is almost completely out of their hands.

"The Iraqis have to want to improve," said Evans. "If they don't want to improve, then there's nothing we can do to help them. From what I'm seeing, they not only want to improve ... they have improved."

From the commanding general of the 28th Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division, to the operations chief, MiTT 0228 is seeing improvements in every aspect of the IA operational chain.

"When I went to visit my counterpart last night, a sergeant in charge of operations for the brigade, he showed me PowerPoint presentations he had arranged for the officers, operational orders for units taking part in this newest mission and he even showed me future plans," recalled Laughlin. "Now that is just a small example of the progress we're seeing out here day to day."

In a conflict where smiles and handshakes are weapons, and victories measured in professional growth, MiTT 0228 remains ever-determined in seeing victory one Iraqi soldier at a time.

Ellie