Marines from Iraq Military Transition Team 973 (Team Shogun) from III Marine Expeditionary Force on Marine Corps Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan patrolled through the sandy urban terrain of Marine Corps Training Area Bellows Friday for their pre-deployment evaluation and final training exercise.
Team Shogun is slated to replace another training team in Iraq later this year. They will build cooperation between U.S. and Iraqi Marines. Shogun is being evaluated and trained by the Special Operations Training Group from Okinawa and the Advisor Training Group from Twentynine Palms, Calif.
“Our purpose is to train these Marines to be trainers,” said Maj. Nathan Berryman, a plans officer for the Advisor Training Group. “They are deploying as a training team in support of developing the Iraqi Marines and this is their graduation assessment – a five-day immersive training package.”
They chose the training facilities at MCTAB for the exercise because it was the closest and best location they could use, Berryman said. Being on an island in another country sometimes limits what kind of training Marines can do. “We get a better training value here,” Berryman said. “There are better ranges, more role players and more realistic urban settings. We have the ability to emulate as closely as possible what [Marines] will see in country.”
One realistic training scenario was a mounted patrol integrated with Iraqi forces. Marines with two Humvees patrolled in front of and behind two Iraqi-driven, personal vehicles. When one of the Iraqi vehicles followed a Humvee around a corner, a simulated improvised explosive device exploded and killed two Iraqis and injured one.
The Marines had to find a way to get their counterparts to cooperate. When the Marines wanted to go back, the Iraqis wanted to push forward. The Marines negotiated using an interpreter and explained the consequence of moving forward while transporting injured men.
Finally, the Iraqis agreed to go back the way they came in order to get the injured medical treatment. They mounted up in the two Humvees and one intact Iraqi vehicle and cautiously but speedily patrolled back to the base to try and save the injured man.
Not only did the Marines have to get the Iraqis to base, they also had to deal with their reaction to the two dead and one injured Iraqi Marines. Marines had to reassure them that the cause is worth the sacrifice and keep morale high.
Scenarios like these improve Marines ability to complete the mission, said Lt. Col. Gus Kostas, the Team 973 leader.
“Our mission is to work closely, American Marines with Iraqi Marines, to present a joint face in front of the local population,” he said. “If we present an image of U.S. Marines working closely with Iraqis then recruiting will improve and Iraqis will feel confident in their Iraqi Marine Corps.”
“We’re starting with teaching basic Marine Corps skills like patrolling and security,” Kostas said. “We have been working on interaction and language rehearsals, building rapport, teaching proper handling of weapons, setting up and handling checkpoints and to move and communicate jointly.”
According to Gunnery Sgt. James Robertson, ATG operations chief, the team also focuses on learning their counterparts.
“We can’t just spend all of our time training them (Iraqi Marines),” he said. “We have to get to know them too. Someone told me once, ‘You will get more out of someone trying to get to know them for a week than you will trying to train them for a month.’”