Currently (2003) TF 1/61, commanded by LTC Yackley, is conducting a special training program at Camp Freedom located on Taszar Air Base in Hungary. Along with soldiers fron Ft Benning and Ft Polk, TF 1/61 is part of TF Warrior with the mission of training Iraq volunteers. Volunteers selected from Iraqi opposition groups are learning to act as liaisons with U.S. military units, translating for them and guiding them in patrols, combat missions and the task of administering and rebuilding Iraq after a possible invasion.
The Iraqis, from a wide range of ages and backgrounds, are also being taught survival on a battlefield, Army communication skills, map reading and how to fire a 9-millimeter pistol.
Maj. Gen. David W. Barno, in command of TF Warrior, said recently that the Iraqis might also serve as a local police force in areas captured by the Americans. Hungarian Defense Minister Ferenc Juhasz said that his government has given permission for up to 3,000 Iraqi volunteers and 1,500 US trainers to use Taszar military base in southern Hungary,
Upon their arrival in early January 2003 TF 1/61 began the training cycle which includes classroom instruction and "hands-on" practical exercises. Pictures from this deployment are shown in the Ft. Jackson picture section and are linked here.
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