Long Hard Road: Volume II -- NCO Experiences in the Surge
Abstract
In 2007, the United States Army Sergeants Major Academy produced "Long Hard Road: NCO Experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq." That work centered on the actions of U.S. Army senior noncommissioned officers (NCOs) in the opening phases of Afghanistan and Iraq. Since that time, both wars have continued. In Iraq, the situation has been stabilized largely due to "the Surge" of January 2007. This work attempts to depict the importance of the role of the senior NCO in "the Surge" and to highlight a few of the elements that allowed that action to prove successful. The stories were provided by students of the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Course. During 2006, Iraq descended into chaos. Open insurrection flared in al-Anbar Province and IEDs killed numerous American Soldiers and Iraqi civilians. The Iraqi Security Forces, plagued by ethnic and religious divisions lacked the training and discipline to hold the country together. The stories in Section 1, The Situation 06-07, focus on the period prior to "the Surge," and emphasize the importance of training Soldiers to react during combat. Senior NCOs tell how they trained their troops to survive both IED and insurgent attacks. Section 2, Troop Support, presents stories that emphasize the importance of the support element found in the U.S. Army in Iraq. Support elements provide food, letters from home, medical care, and many other services that are important for Soldiers' well being, morale, and esprit de corps. Section 3, Changing the Tide, presents stories of how NCOs continued to lead their men in combat while at the same time assisting the Iraqi people in rebuilding the nation. They built buildings, drainage ditches, health care facilities, and improved the lives of Iraqi citizens. In the final section, Supporting Iraq, NCOs tell of their efforts to create professional Soldiers from the Iraqi Security Forces (both the Army and the police) and how they assisted in bettering the lives of the Iraqi people.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA520971
Entities
People
- David Crozier
- Jesse Mckinney
- L. R. Arms
Organizations
- United States Army Sergeants Major Academy