Sgt. James Quatro -left-, a military policeman assigned to 105th Military Police Company, guides Cpl. Patrick West during a demonstration of proper stance for firing an AK-47 rifle during training at the Provincial Directorate of Police Headquarters in Mosul, Iraq, June 29, 2011.

Sgt. James Quatro enlisted in the 105th Military Police Company, New York Army National Guard, to be a part of something greater than himself.

Answering the call of duty, the military policeman recently deployed to Iraq, attached to Task Force Shield, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, in support of Operation New Dawn.

His mission involves advising and training Iraqi Security Forces in U.S. Division – North, helping to make the ISF a sustainable force for their country.

“Since I was little, I always wanted to be a soldier,” said Quatro, a native of Rochester, N.Y. “My grandfather served in Korea, and I wanted to honor him.”

Quatro trains his Iraqi counterparts on tactics to increase their overall proficiency as policemen, including counter-improvised explosive device procedures and rifle fundamentals.

“Weapons have always been my strong point, and I enjoy teaching,” said Quatro, who said he is knowledgeable on a wide variety of weapon systems.

Sgt. James Quatro -right-, a military policeman assigned to 105th Military Police Company, Task Force Shield, 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, instructs Iraqi Police assigned to the 2nd and 4th Emergency Response Battalions, how to stand properly when firing their AK-47 rifles. Quatro, a native of Rochester, N.Y., also trained the policemen on how to assemble and disassemble the weapon, and basic rifle marksmanship. Photo by Spc. Angel Turner

Since arriving in Iraq, Quatro conducted two iterations of AK-47 training to help Iraqi emergency response battalions become proficient on their rifles.

“We build our relationship with ISF through this training,” said 1st Lt. Joshua Bode, a platoon leader assigned to 105th MP Company.

Serving as a team leader, Quatro is the primary instructor in his squad and is an asset to the squad and company, Bode added.

“Sgt. Quatro is an outstanding soldier and a well-disciplined [non-commissioned officer],” said Bode, a native of Buffalo, N.Y. “It’s great to be able to watch how well [Iraqi policemen] respond to his training, and you can see how well they implement what he trains when they conduct their range.”

DVIDS

At the end of March, a group of us were fortunate to be able to interview Brig. Gen. Ralph O. Baker, United States Division – Center Deputy Commanding General East, for a Bloggers’ Roundtable. He was able to provide an update on the current and future force status for U.S. troops in Iraq.

The current goal in Iraq is to have only 50,000 troops in country by September 1, 2010. Baker told us that we presently have 11 brigade combat teams in the country and about 97,000 troops. The goal for September 1 is six, configured as the new “advise and assist“ brigades.

I asked about the personnel for these new AAB’s. The General said that they would be a typical BCT, but with and additional 40-50 field grade officers. These officers are intended to bolster support activities in the areas of planning, synchronization and coordination where the Iraqis need additional assistance. The AAB’s also bring additional intelligence and logistics experts to strengthen the support in those areas, as well.

General Baker emphasized that the main difference with the new AAB’s is their training before deployment. Emphasis is placed on combat training but added training on civil affairs and the higher level military staff activities is also included.

The transcript of this interview can be found here.

Staff Sgt. Rebecca Smith, Spc Robert Bronte, and Spc. Barron Handy, communications paratroopers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 307th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist Brigade), enter the water of an indoor pool to begin water survival training, Nov. 28, at Al Asad Airbase, Iraq. The training emphasized three key concepts: waterproofing, survival swimming, and confidence-building in a water environment.

A company of Paratroopers at Al Asad Airbase, Iraq, learned to keep themselves alive during an emergency water submersion through water survival training, Nov. 28, at the airbase’s indoor swimming center.

Advise and assist paratroopers with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 307th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist Brigade), successfully completed all requirements for basic swimmer certification as taught by fellow paratrooper, Sgt. David Westfall.

Pvt. Samantha Johnson, a paratrooper with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 307th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division (Advise and Assist Brigade), demonstrates the ability of her rucksack and body armor to float during water survival training, Nov. 28, at Al Asad Airbase, Iraq.

“While no one wants them to have to use what they learned, they have the skills to save themselves and their fellow paratroopers in a water emergency,” said Westfall.

Westfall emphasized three key concepts: waterproofing, survival swimming, and confidence-building in a water environment, he said.

Paratroopers learned to pack a dry change of clothes inside their rucksacks and to keep them dry through the training.Trainees learned the “travel stroke,” a swimming technique in which the individual uses one arm to stay afloat and the other to move forward. Although slow, the travel stroke requires little energy, an ideal style when sustainability is critical and the swimmer is carrying a heavy load, he said.

Once the trainees mastered the skills in the shallow end, they moved to the deep end to further build confidence to reduce the likelihood of panicking.

Although deserts dominate the Iraqi landscape, several prominent features, including the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and several large lakes makes water survival training a useful skill for soldiers traveling around western Iraq.

DVIDS
By 1st Sgt. James Gillem