United States Division – Center Thursday, March 18, 2010

Iraqi Soldiers, U.S. paratroopersrehearse mobile operations By 1st Lt. Edwin Pope

1st AAB, 82nd Abn. Div., USD-C

CAMP FALLUJAH, Iraq – Signal troops with a U.S. Army advise and assist brigade and the Iraqi Army rehearsed setting up mobile operations centers Feb. 10 as part of sus-tained training. Company C, 1st Bri-gade Special Troops Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, part-nered with 1st Iraqi Army Division Signal Company to review a mobile tactical operations center rehears-al, also known as a “jump TOC” at the 1st IA Divi-sion headquarters. The Iraqi troops beat their 90-minute standard by 50 minutes, impressing the Americans, said Capt. Jason Gardel, Co. C com-mander. “Your men used great safety precautions and teamwork,” Lt. Col. Douglas Stitt, commander of 1 BSTB, told Lt. Col. Fallah, commander of the Iraqi company. “The soldiers utilized the PACE communica-

tions plan in an effective manner to provide secure communications to your division.” PACE stands for prima-ry, alternate, contingency and emergency. The Iraqi signal com-pany conducted the re-hearsal at full speed with a realistic convoy rolling up to the rehearsal site with every piece of equipment normally needed in jump

operations. For the rehearsal, two jump sites were set up, each with a tent and two radios. In addition to establishing command posts in the tents, the Iraqis brought two modi-fied armored trucks that contained full-operations cells. Men jumped from their vehicles as they skidded to a halt and began moving

equipment at a break-neck pace. Forty minutes later, they were done. Gardel concluded the Iraqi signal Soldiers are fully capable of establish-ing remote command posts without any support from U.S. forces. He said the partnership between the Iraqis and U.S. forces will now shift to post-setup training and rehearsals for potential operations.

Soldiers of 1st Iraqi Army Division Signal Company erect a mobile tactical operations center during a partnered rehearsal with U.S. forces Feb. 10 at Camp Fallujah. The Iraqis erected the tent in 40 minutes, in substantially less time than their 90-minute standard.

Courtesy photo

PAGE 2 Thursday, March 18, 2010

Iraqi Air Force launches first advanced pilot training program By Staff

United States Forces-Iraq PAO

TIKRIT, Iraq – The first students have begun class-es at the Iraqi Air Force College, which opened its doors at the Tikrit Air Base March 11. Ten Iraqi Air Force pilots are going through the advanced pilot train-ing program on the T-6A to become instructors for other student pilots who will follow. This program marks the first time Iraqi Air Force pilots have trained on the T-6A, which is a single-engine, two-seat training aircraft designed

for providing instruction in advanced flying skills. Like U.S. military pi-lots, the Iraqis must master the T-6A before going on to fly more sophisticated multi-role fighter aircraft. “The pilots who have been selected to come here today and start training will be the initial cadre of in-structor pilots for the Iraqi Air Force T-6 program,” said Brig. Gen. Scott Han-son, director of the Iraqi Training and Advisory Mission. “It’s really excit-ing to be a part of this.” The pilots in training were handpicked by Iraqi Air Force Commander Staff Lt. Gen. Anwer Hamad Amen Ahmed,

who described them as his sons. “I look forward to the future of these pilots because they are the future of the Iraqi Air Force,” Anwer said. “I hope that one day, one of these pilots will return here to speak to a new class as the Iraqi Air Force commander.” The stringent selection process brings forward only the experienced candi-dates who are proficient in English as well as flying. “Their English lan-guage skills are a criti-cal part of the selection process because English is the international language of aviation,” said Hanson. “These candidates have all demonstrated that and they

will be put to the test.” When the students graduate from the course, they will become trainers of the same program they just completed. They are all experienced pilots on a variety of different aircraft, though none of them have flown the T-6A before this course. “I’ve always been ex-cited about flying the fast jet,” said Iraqi Air Force 1st Lt. Muslam Akeel Abdulrasaq, one of the new students. “Of course, it is going to be challenging because there is quite a lot of learn-ing to do and you have to be physically and mentally fit to do this job. I am re-ally looking forward to it.” The ITAM-AF instruc-tors displayed similar enthusiasm for the course. “I have never experienced more job satisfaction than I do with just teaching students,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Daniel Fiedler, an ITAM-AF instructor pilot at the Iraqi Air Force College. “To do that with these Iraqi pilots is cutting edge.” I get to be a part of the initial set of people teach-ing Iraqis how to do this and realize their dreams, Fiedler said. “For them it’s not just the dream of get-ting to fly an airplane, it’s the dream of building their country.”

The Iraqi Air Force has been training in T-6A aircraft similar to the one pictured above at the Iraqi Air Force College at Tikrit Air Base. The T-6A is commonly used to teach basic pi-lot skills and has been used by the U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Navy to train servicemembers.

Courtesy photo

Camp Liberty MWR CalendarCalendar events start at 2000, unless otherwise noted

PAGE 3 Thursday, March 18, 2010

Women’s History MonthMary Harris Jones

Thursday

18Salsa Night

Friday

19Dominoes

R&B

SaturdaySmooth Grooves

20Sunday

218-Ball Pool

Mary Harris Jones was born in 1830 in

County Cork, Ireland. Known widely as Mother Jones, she started out as a teacher and dressmaker and became a tireless fighter for the working class. In early years, she lived in To-ronto, Canada, Michigan, and Chicago.

Jones experienced many great personal tragedies in the first part of her life. Jones lived in Memphis for a time, marrying Robert Jones, an iron worker and strong union supporter, in 1861. They had several children together, but an out-break of yellow fever killed her husband and children in 1867. She returned to

Chicago and found work as a dressmaker. But then she lost her home in the great Chicago fire of 1871. After this latest loss, Jones began her work as a labor activist. She worked with the Knights of Labor, often giving speeches to inspire the workers during strikes. Around this time, she traveled to numerous strike sites, helping coal miners in Pennsylvania in 1873 and railroad workers in 1877. The way she cared for the workers inspired them to nickname her “Mother.” Known as the miner’s an-gel, Jones became an active campaigner for the United Mine Workers Union. A political progressive, she was a founder of the Social Democratic Party in 1898. Jones also helped estab-lish the Industrial Workers of the World in 1905. For all of her social reform and labor activities, she was consid-ered by the authorities to be

one of the most dangerous women in America. Nothing could dis-suade Jones from her work. At the age of 82, she was arrested for her part in a West Virginia strike that turned violent and was sentenced to 20 years. Her supporters rallied and convinced the governor to grant her a pardon. Jones, undeterred, returned to organizing workers. In honor of her alleg-edly hundredth birthday, Mother Jones was cel-ebrated across the country with special labor events in 1930. She died on Nov. 30 of that year. With the workers to the end, she asked to be buried in the Miners’ Cemetery in Mt. Olive, Ill.

Information found at http://www.biography.com/articles/Mary-Har-ris-Jones-9357488

MondayTexas Hold’em

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PAGE 4 Thursday, March 18, 2010

For more coverage of what USD–C Soldiers are doing, pick up a copy of the upcoming issue of The Iron Guardian, in publication March 29.

Quote of the Day

“I have noticed that nothing I never said ever did me any

harm.”

-Calvin Coolidge-

1AD Today is an autho-rized publication for members of the U.S. Army. Contents of 1AD Today are not necessar-ily official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S.

Government, Department of Defense, De-partment of the Army or the 1st Armored Division. All editorial content of 1AD Today is prepared, edited, provided and approved by the 1st Armored Division Public Affairs Office.

Commanding GeneralMaj. Gen. Terry Wolff Public Affairs OfficerLt. Col. Eric Bloom

Command Information Supervisor Master Sgt. Eric Pilgrim

Editor-in-Chief Sgt. 1st Class Kristina Scott

Layout & Design Editor Pfc. Debrah Sanders

Writers & PhotographersThe 366th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment/ 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Divi-sion Public Affairs Office/

16th Engineer Brigade Public Affairs Office/ 1st Brigade Combat Team-Augmented, 3rd Infantry Division Public

Affairs Office/ 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division Public Affairs Of-fice/ 1st Advise and Assist Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs Office

USD-C print and broadcast products can be found on the PAO Portal. All 1st Armored Division products can also be found at www.1ad.army.mil

Weather

USD-C pic of the day

BAGHDAD – Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Gibson (left) and Sgt. Maurice Atwood stretch on their stationary bike March 11 after an intense, hour-long spinning class at Camp Liberty’s Iron Gym. Atwood, an El Paso, Texas, native assigned to Company B, Division Special Troops Battalion, attends the spinning class regularly and said, “It’s a great core and leg workout.” Gibson is assigned to Company A, DSTB, 1st Armd. Div. and a native of Ocala, Fla., and said it’s a challenging class and that he gets a lot out of it.

Tomorrow

77° F | 53° F

Today

82° F | 60° F 75° F | 51° F 77° F | 52° F 79° F | 56° F

Saturday

Photo by Sgt. Samantha Beuterbaugh, 366th MPAD, USD-C

Sunday Monday