TIKRIT, Iraq, Sept. 17, 2004 — The Iraqi National Guard added 358 troops to their ranks Sept. 16 as a class of recruits from the 201st, 202nd, 203rd and 205th Iraqi National Guard battalions graduated from a three-week basic training course in Tikrit. The newest additions to the Iraqi National Guard cheered and waved their hats in the air after the ceremony, carrying their U.S. Army drill instructor on their shoulders and hugging each other in celebration.

The graduating soldiers completed a three-week basic training course designed by the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division that included rifle zeroing, rifle marksmanship, tactical checkpoints, squad drills, map reading, first aid, basic soldier skills and values training among other things.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. David Petraeus, commanding general of the Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq attended the ceremony along with Maj. Gen. John R.S. Batiste, commander of the 1st Infantry Division and Task Force Danger, Brig. Gen. Abdul Qadr, deputy chief of staff, operations, Iraqi Joint Headquarters, 30th Iraqi National Guard Brigade Commander Brig. Gen. Amid Ahmad Salman and local sheiks and officials.

Brig Gen. Abdul Qadr, the guest speaker for the graduation, congratulated the students on behalf of the Minister of Defense for being part of the rebuilding of the new Iraqi forces and said the graduation was a cornerstone in building the new Army that is going to continue to grow and expand.

“The best advice I can offer you,” Qadr said to the graduates, “Is to be disciplined and obey orders, for an army without discipline and obedience is not an army.” He added that he would not offer the advice of loving one’s country and loving

being a soldier, or being dedicated to both ideals, since those things live naturally in the blood of all Iraqis.

The second speaker at the graduation was Maj. Gen. Batiste. He thanked the American and Iraqi drill instructors for their work with the class, and said that the training they have provided will help to defeat the terrorists currently threatening the future of Iraq.

“Today Iraq’s national guard is making enormous contributions to security in Iraq. Every day, battalions such as the 201st [Iraqi National Guard] battalion here in Tikrit, the 203rd in Balad, the 209th in Kirkuk, and the 205th in Muqdadiyah assume more and more responsibility as we move closer to local control,” Batiste said. “Just 10 weeks ago, Iraqis celebrated new found sovereignty and freedom. After 35 years of cruel tyranny, Iraq is free at last. This freedom and Iraq’s sovereign status would not be possible without the contributions of brave soldiers such as yourselves. Freedom is not free and you are up to the challenge.”

Maj. Gen. Batiste concluded with the announcement that 198 of the graduating soldiers would join the ranks of the 202nd Iraqi National Guard battalion to fight enemy forces in Samarra.

This class included students from all four provinces in North-Central Iraq (Diyala, Salah a Din, at Tamim, and Sulaymaniyah) with members from all of Iraq’s ethnicities. The training also included lessons on how to treat people with dignity and respect as well as treating all human beings as equals under the law.