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Military

4th ID trains Iraqi soldiers on GPS, combat lifesaving

By Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski

BAQUBAH, Iraq (Army News Service, April 10, 2006) – Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division are helping train Iraqi soldiers on how to use the Global Positioning System and how to save the lives of wounded buddies.

Global positioning system

The 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, is training the 2nd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division, on how to use the GPS. Through GPS technology, Soldiers use satellites to locate and navigate to predetermined positions.

Sgt. Justin Buck of the 3rd BCT, 4th ID, is in charge of the GPS training, which he does with the help of an interpreter.

“We drive out to a location and have the Iraqi army soldiers plot the position of our location. They then call the coordinates up to their higher headquarters,” said Buck, a Wilson, Okla., native.

“It’s good for us to be training on this. It will help us in the future,” said one Iraqi soldier.

Combat lifesaving skills

Combat lifesaving skills are also being shared with the Iraqi soldiers by members of the 3rd BCT, 4th ID, 1-68 Combined Arms Battalion.

“The whole point of this training is for their infantry soldiers to be able to keep their buddies alive long enough for the medics to arrive,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Briscoe, a medic with the 1-68 CAB.

“It’s almost like our [U.S. Army] combat lifesaving training, but they are not using some of the advanced techniques,” said Briscoe, of Las Vegas, Nev.

With the Iraqi Army becoming more independent and conducting daily operations, U.S. Soldiers are providing the training so Iraqi soldiers have the knowledge and skill to be successful in security operations.

(Editor's note: Staff Sgt. Mark Wojciechowski writes for the 4th Infantry Division Public Affairs Office.)



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