‘before Thanksgiving. LEVY COUNTY JOURNAL Milraq know the customs,” said Cpl. Joshua Tavener, a 23-year-old Marine squad leader from Aurora, Colo. “A lot of them are good translators, and they can get a better feel of the mood in the area.” Moreover, more Iraqi soldiers are staying on the job, thanks to an improved administrative’system that ensures that sol- diers are being paid on time, and in full, according to U.S. military leaders here. In the past, Iraqi soldiers were paid sporadically, even go- ing several months with no pay. U.S. commanders believe pay problems to be one of the top reasons for desertion in the ranks earlier this year. 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade lost upwards of 200 soldiers due to desertions and other reasons before Bastian’s team arrived this past summer, said Bastian. “We had some higher-ranking officers being paid lower than enlisted soldiers and some soldiers not getting paid at all,” said Bastian. Now, an improved administrative system and more fre- quent — and consistent — pay, as well as regular leave, is keep- ing Iraqi soldiers on the job, according to Marines who work daily with Iraqi soldiers here. , The increasing stability of the Iraqi Army’s leave system should not only help retain forces, but.increase them, Marines here say. Iraqi Government support crucial to development While dozens of U.S. transition teams like Bastian’s work daily to develop Iraqi soldiers’ professional military skills through Iraq, it’s ultimately the support of the Iraqi Govern- ment that will keep Iraq’s police and military forces success- ful, according to outgoing U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. “The Iraqi Government has to take charge of their own country...and they’re working on it,” said Rumsfeld during an address to U.S. troops at Al Asad airbase, Iraq, Dec. 9. “We simply have to prepare the Iraqi Government to have the capacity to govern and take care of themselves.” Out of 112 Iraqi Army battalions, 90 have taken the lead in military operations in their areas, according to Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., commander for Multi-National Forces-Iraq. “We’ve said all along that we wanted to give the Iraqis the capability to conduct independent counterinsurgency opera- tions, and that is the program that we are currently on,” said Casey during a Department of Defense news briefing last month. Coalition Forces’ goal is to eventually turn over control of a safe and secure region to fully capable Iraqi Security Forces. In support of this plan, Iraqi soldiers partner with U.S. military forces to combat insurgents and provide security. In Rawah, Iraqi soldiers accompany Marines from 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion during patrols, at vehicle. checkpoints and provide a presence in the local communities in this region of Anbar Province. The Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based battalion of Marines ar- rived just more than two months ago, relieving a California- AROUND LEWY COUNTY based Marine unit. Murder and intimidation Iraqi soldiers and Marines provide security in Rawah and Anah — two Euphrates River cities located 10 miles apart and 150 miles northwest of Baghdad. Insurgents find the area to be a convenient place to set up operations and “pipeline” weapons and terrorists, Marines here say. Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces are tasked with disrupting insurgents’ activity, and maintaining security con- ditions that will allow for local governance and economy to flourish. “The local people are scared of the insurgents and they’re scared of us,” explained Ist Lt. Dillon Taylor, a 27-year-old Marine platoon commander from Lewistown, Mont. “They’re scared of us because they think that by helping us, they will get caught in the middle and they or their families will get hurt.” By killing local Iraqi police and civilians, insurgents used a “murder and intimidation” campaign to not only help disband the majority of police in the area this past summer, but to also scare citizens from trying to rise against the insurrection. While some police officers remained on the job, they were nowhere near the numbers needed to be'an effective force when the 2nd LAR Battalion arrived three months ago, Ma- rines here say. Today, Iraqi police number about 90 now in Rawah. When the Marine battalion arrived here. several months ago, the number of Iraqi police on the job was in the teens, according to Lt. Col. David Little, officer-in-charge of the police transi- tion team for Regimental Combat Team 7. But as security conditions improve, the Marines are count- ing on recruiting to continue to bolster the police force’s num- bers. More Iraqi police needed, Iraqi soldiers fill in void In the meantime, Iraqi soldiers must fill the void left by Iraqi police forces. The Iraqi soldiers’ jobs are more vital, as they now hold more responsibility to show local people that Iraqi Security Forces will be able to keep them safe, said Bas- tian. “The leadership of the (Iraqi) battalion has really stepped up since our move to Rawah,” said Bastian. “They always seem to be a part of the solution.” According to Bastian, although the Marines here still have a lot of,influence over operations the Iraqi soldiers conduct, the leadership of the Iraqi battalion is responding well to the increased responsibilities with a “can-do attitude.” “They’re hard workers, they do everything that we do,” said Cpl. David Mann, a 23-year-old squad leader from Aik- en, S.C. Mann, an infantryman, works side-by- side with Iraqi soldiers here. “We include them in every aspect, including our patrolling briefs, in order to give them a better feel for what’s going on and how we work,” said Mann. Though problems, progress is steady That exporieuee) with the Mantes) thas paidioff, as the: ea OMTDEY 82007 HOUISIO QMPMATST aaWw for trys THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2006 Page 11 Continued from page 6 soldiers now conduct some patrols without being accompa- nied by Coalition Forces. They are also getting better at com- municating — using their chain-of-command — to accomplish missions. more quickly and effectively, at the “lowest level possible.” “Their chain of command has progressed immensely, es- pecially with their small unit leadership,” said Taylor. “Their sergeants have begun taking responsibility and control of the soldiers under them.” Now, Iraqi soldiers are beginning to adopt the Marines’ methods on utilizing small-unit leadership — relying more on junior personnel to accomplish the missions. Since the MTT here began working with Iraqi soldiers al- most six months ago, the battalion’s administrative organiza- tion has continued to improve steadily, which in turn helped alleviate past pay problems, said Bastian. “Because of the pay problems, the retention rate was ter-. rible,” said Bastian. While the Iraqi battalion’s progress leaves Marines here op- timistic about the region’s future, there are still challenges to over come, such as the current vacation system used by the Iraqi Army to grant its soldiers monthly leave. After serving 20 days on the job, Iraqi soldiers here get 10 days off, or “leave.” The result is their battalion is never staffed at 100-percent. Ten days off means Iraqi soldiers need to learn everything about what happened while they were gone before they can become fully effective again, some Marines say. The leave has positive and negative impacts on the Iraqi battalion’s progress, said Bastian. Culturally, the Iraqis have close family and tribal ties, so the time spent home acts as a rejuvenator — they come back charged up and ready to get back to work, he said. But time away from the unit is time that could be spent training and developing the soldiers, said Bastian. “There’s a certain way to work with the Iraqis. When it’s done right, everything goes smoothly,” said Bastian. “That’s what we’re working on now — understanding each ether; s cul- ture so we.can find solutions.” ~oerrt were : aaa Watton rerey ptt Avs Toys for Tots Ride 2006 BIKERS OF all ages—from those attending middle school to those old enough to be their |grandparents—turned out for last month’s second annual Nature Coast Toys for Tots Run. More than $3,600 cash and $2,500 in toys were collected by uniformed Marines at the Dixie County end of the motorcycle route. Nearly 130 bikes were entered. The group plans on holding a run again in 2007. Be looking for the event to occur on the Saturday Photos by Cassie Journigan AE Br a @ Cassie project I’ve already started. I will not resolve to lose weight. I instead resolve to add more exercise to my day. Now an afternoon walk will enhance my morning regime ‘of yoga. I will replace my meal skipping and junk food ‘snacking with a resolve to eat five vegetables and fruits each day. Much as I would love to win the lottery, I know that is highly unlikely to happen. Florida’s lottery website says the likelihood of hitting all six numbers on the weekly jackpot is 1 out of 22,957,480. I don’t know much about math but that doesn’t look too promising. So I resolve to set aside an Andrew Jackson from my paycheck each week. Finally, I resolve to spend one day a week working on Continued from page 4 my own writing—that long- unfinished novel may or may not be a bestseller. But I'll never know till I try. And at my age, I can’t count on being around till doomsday to write it. There. I’ve written them down. I’ve told someone else. I’ve made my resolutions specific, time bound, and achievable. I think that’s pretty much the requirements all those positive-thinking gurus say we must make in order to achieve our goals. So next year at this time maybe my only resolutions will be to continue on the path I began in 2007. Who knows. Anybody ready to race with me to see who gets to goal first? On your mark; get set— GO!