Meet the new defenders of this...

The new Iraqi homeland defenders
Soldiers help Iraqi Commandos hit the streets with Marines
Camp Pendleton Scout - Jun. 24, 2004

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq -— Newly minted Iraqi Commandos are ready to work with Marines in Iraqi against enemy forces, with a little help from soldiers.

Army Staff Sgts. Richard A. Dycus and Jack C. Harlan spent the better part of the military careers transforming "18-year-old American kids" into disciplined fighters.

Now they are in Iraq helping to improve the country's fledgling Iraqi Civil Defense Corps. [...]

Dycus and Harlan, who have almost 20 years of Army experience between them, began the 24-day training cycle with 114 ICDC soldiers but only graduated 41 men.

"We had to drop a lot of the guys during the assessment phase of the course," explained Dycus, of Nashville, Tenn. "They just couldn't handle the mental and physical challenges we placed on them."

The course was broken up into several phases. The first four days were designed to weed out those who wouldn't be able to live up to Commando expectations.

"The students were working on about four hours of interrupted sleep per night," said Harlan, a 27-year-old from Abingdon, Ill. "We tested them mentally and physically."

During the next phases, the remaining 41 ICDC soldiers, ranging from 16 to 60 years old, were taught first aid, individual movement techniques, hand-to-hand combat, squad level tactics, advanced rifle marksmanship and platoon movement tactics.

Following the 24-day training course, the ICDC soldiers were dubbed Commandos and given maroon berets to signify their elite status.

Maroon berets indicated Iraqi Republican Guard soldiers during Hussein's rule.

Unlike Republican Guard soldiers, the Commandos are interested in protecting a democratic Iraq.

"Many of the guys who join the ICDC are interested in the paycheck," Dycus explained. "The Commandos are very disciplined and want to fight insurgents who are against democracy. These guys are the best of the ICDC." [...]