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]

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