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Iraqi Mechanics reveal perspective of Americans during training

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Darrell Habisch
  • 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
CAMP UR, Iraq --  

The Allison transmission with a broken bell housing came from a parts dump. It lay on the concrete floor of the open vehicle repair bay. Half a dozen tools, wrenches, a couple screwdrivers and a makeshift pulling bar were thrown on a bench ready to begin the dissection.

Three Airmen from the 407th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron began inspecting the transmission. "They don't throw anything away," said Staff Sgt. Raul Diaz-Funes, a vehicle maintenance craftsman deployed from Eglin AFB, Fla.

He was referring to Iraqi Army vehicle mechanics.

Sergeant Diaz-Funes was part of a three-person team from Ali Base assigned to teach Iraqi Army mechanics the intricacies of repairing truck transmissions at Camp Ur, Iraq, March 22. The five-day mission covered the basics, from how a transmission operates to disassembly and reassembly.

The seven Iraqi students' backgrounds and subject familiarity were varied. One Iraqi mechanic, Sergeant Maqdad Ahmed, just reported for duty at Camp Ur from a vehicle depot in Basra, Iraq. "Some of the material I am familiar with," he said. "But some I didn't know before."

Sergeant Ahmed has been a mechanic for three years and wants to share this new knowledge with other mechanics. "I will be happy to teach this to others," Sergeant Ahmed explained, "We all need to know this."
Today's lead instructor, Staff Sgt. Larshenrik Christensen, deployed from the 62nd Logistics Readiness Squadron at McChord AFB, Wash., talks to his students slowly, allowing the interpreter to translate his explanations. Everyone seems resigned to the language barrier and takes it in stride.

"There is no way to teach them how we learned," Sergeant Christensen commented. "This is only a five-day class, not a six-week course."

Sergeant Christensen removed the first piece of the transmission and lifted it from the ground to the bench. He was explaining to the students the gear's function when a couple eager learners began to pull the transmission apart. "Not yet," he said. "We do it in stages and they want to tear it apart."

As the class progresses and the transmission is slowly disassembled, each part discussed and placed in a specific order on the bench, the students nod their heads in understanding after each explanation.

Few questions are asked during the class but many greasy hands begin turning the gears and following the logic of a transmission's transfer of energy.

Staff Sgt. Michael Root, deployed from the 19th Logistics Readiness Squadron at Little Rock AFB, Ark., said the students are a little behind in their knowledge about trucks built today. The students, most of whom have never owned a car or truck, were busy discussing what the interpreter said. Sergeant Root said "This is their tech school. Once they figure out how to do it, they teach everyone else."

As the afternoon wears on, the transmission resembles a picked over Thanksgiving turkey, and serves a purpose much larger than a teaching tool. It is bridging a gap between two cultures.

Iraqi First Sergeant Ali Kareem said he is happy the class is building trust between Iraqi and American service members. "At first, we were afraid to talk," he explained. "We didn't know what to think of the Americans. But they are human just like everyone."

This new understanding filters back to the Iraqi mechanics' friends and families at home. Sergeant Hazam Mohammed, a two-year Iraqi Army vehicle mechanic from An Nazareah, agreed. "We discuss the Americans in my neighborhood all the time," he said. "After some of the headlines in the past few years, we thought you didn't respect any nation. Now that view has changed for the better."

Sergeant Hazam added that the transmission class was not long, but "it is a peace-maker. And we are becoming better mechanics."

Tomorrow's class will tackle transmission reassembly. Sergeant Christensen surveyed the small bench covered with gears, grease and gaskets and jokingly addressed the Iraqi's, "Anyone remember where all these parts go? I'm losing track."