Senior U.S. and Iraqi air force officials witnessed history in
the making with the dedication of the Iraqi Air Force Training
School and the commissioning of 11 officer candidates into the
Iraqi air force.
Lt. Gen. Kamal Brazanjay, the commander of the Iraqi Air Force;
Brig. Gen. Robert R. Allardice, commander of the Coalition Air
Force Transition Team; Col. David Penny, the 370th Air
Expeditionary Advisory Group Squadron commander; and members of the
Taji Air Base community attended the dedication ceremony one day
after commemorating the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001,
attack on the U.S.
"Getting to this moment is a victory for the Coalition Air Force
Transition Team and the 370th Expeditionary Training Squadron,"
said Lt. Col. Kim Hawthorne, the commander of the 370th
Expeditionary Training Squadron. "To have the ability to open this
institution in just a few short months is just incredible.
Starting from nothing, CAFTT members found an abandoned
dilapidated medical supply warehouse and turned it into a learning
institution known as the "Alamo." Six months later, the school is
moving into a former Ba'ath Party Headquarters, which had housed
the Republic Guard.
"We took something that was a symbol of tyranny for this country
and turned it into the future of the Iraqi air force," said Lt.
Col. Mark Ponti, the 370th ETS director of operations.
"We are closing the book on the dark chapters of the Iraqi air
force and beginning a new one with the first 11 second lieutenants
in the new Iraqi air force," he said.
The new facilities are large and spacious and have the capacity
to house all of the school's programs in one location.
"Getting to this moment is a victory for the Iraqi people,"
Colonel Hawthorne said. "Our old facility served us well and we are
excited to dedicate these beautiful, spacious buildings. We now
have a campus with sufficient capacity to enhance the basic
technical training for the air force academy and the other
schools."
Before "Class 67" and "Class 68" graduates received their
certificates of completion and commissioning, Colonel Hawthorne
complimented the 11 candidates on their character.
"They were invited to join the air force because of their
academic excellence. Although challenging, they remained in the
program because of their desire and commitment to rebuild the Iraqi
air force," he said. "Their efforts have helped form a solid
foundation for training for the next generation of Iraqi
leaders."
Three of the second lieutenants will go to Kirkuk, Iraq, to
begin pilot training, while the remaining eight will begin their
careers as maintenance and operations support officers.
"They are the first line of leaders in the new Iraqi air force
who will get to write chapters in their nation's history," Conlonel
Hawthorne said.
It was a great day and marked a bright new future for the Iraqi
air force, General Brazanjay said.
"Be loyal to your country and the Iraqi people," he said to the
commissionees. "Loyalty to your county is the secret of success for
any nation. The person who is not loyal to his country is not loyal
to his family or his religion. Be loyal to Iraq and not any other
power." [ANN Salutes Maj. Edwina Walton, Coalition Air Force
Transition Team Public Affairs]