Guest Column
Hundreds line up to join Iraqi Army
By Cpl. Antonio Rosas, combat correspondent
- CAMP AL QA’IM, Iraq -- They came from far and near and waited
hours in long lines under a hot Iraqi sun in hopes of joining the Army.
Nearly 400 Iraqi males – some as young as 15 – showed up for an Iraqi Army recruiting drive held at the Marines’ battle position in this region along the Euphrates River in western Al Anbar Province.
Of the 400 men who showed up to enlist, 179 were accepted – a substantial number, according to Coalition and Iraqi Army officials.
The drive, conducted by Iraqi soldiers and Coalition Forces, was an attempt to bolster numbers in one of several Brigades within the Iraqi Army’s 10 divisions, according to Army Capt. Jack S. Rebolledo, one of the Military Transition Team training advisors for the Iraqi Army unit here.
The recruitment drive was part of an Iraqi Army recruiting campaign aimed at incorporating more Sunnis into Iraqi Security Forces, according to Coalition officials. - To read the rest of the story and access high resolution photos, please click or copy and paste the below link to your internet browser:
- http://www.marines.mil/marinelink/mcn2000.nsf/main5/A0BAB460DE5D234785257141005E0714?opendocument
Respectfully,
Staff Sgt. J.M. Goodwin
Public Affairs Chief
Regimental Combat Team 7
1st Marine Division
Al Asad, Iraq
3613-843
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