Posted by
Dawnsblood on Saturday, January 20, 2007 6:50:47 PM
Bill Roggio
went on a night patrol with the Iraqi Army's 3/3-1 and pronounced them proficient. If logistics are their only hang up, they have come a long way.
The Snake Eaters of the 3/3-1 are held in high esteem by the Marine and
Army trainers at ASP Outpost. As with the the 3rd Battalion, 2nd
Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division in Fallujah, the logistics and pay
issues, along with a lack of heavy weapons, are what is holding the
battalion back from operating without Coalition support. "This
battalion can be independent if not for logistics," said Major Owen
West, the commanding officer of the 3/3-1 Military Transition Team (or
MTT). "We've pushed these guys as far as we can in the 7 months I've
been here," said Army Sergent First Class Andrew Himes, a senior NCO on
the MTT. “They're ready.”