elsewhere, the SEALs at Camp Corregidor cropped their hair short,
shaved every day, and even donned the same ACU (army combat
uniform) camouflage as their Army counterparts. This overt sign of
camaraderie endeared the SEALs to the Soldiers of the 1/506th. These
Soldiers had been in a bloody fight for nearly six months, and the SEALs
treated them with professionalism and respect. The Army returned that
respect, and a bond quickly formed between Soldiers and SEALs.
Our SEALs had been working out of Camp Corregidor for several
weeks, carrying out dangerous operations with courage, skill, and
effectiveness when the new unit arrived. At first, the SEAL platoon
commander at Camp Corregidor was concerned at the arrival of the new
well-trained Iraqi unit and their American advisors. He called me on the
field-expedient telephone and confided, “This unit that just arrived likely
has a much better capability than us. They have a lot of experience. Their
Iraqis’ skill level is far and above our conventional jundhis. They have
much better gear and good weapons; and their Iraqis even have a sniper
capability.”
I replied, “That’s good. I’m glad there are Iraqi soldiers that have
progressed that far. If you show them the ropes and get them familiar
with the battlespace, they will be a great asset.”
“I don’t know,” the SEAL platoon commander replied. “I’m worried
these guys will be better than us and take over our mission. Maybe I
should just let them figure it out on their own,” he said.
I quickly realized what was going on. As good as this platoon
commander was, his ego was being threatened. In an environment like
Ramadi, trying to figure things out for yourself could easily get you
killed. This was no place for ego.
“No. Don’t even think about that. Listen: the enemy is outside the
jeff_l
(Jeff_L)
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