 A
key component to success in Iraq is
enabling an expertly trained Iraqi
Army and police force. Marine Corps
Staff Sergeant Gerald M. Flores'
role as a combat advisor was
instrumental in that task.
During Flores' second Iraq tour,
from December 2006 to December 2007,
he was placed with various brigades
in the Iraqi Army in Ramadi, one of
the most dangerous cities in Anbar
province. Once considered a lost
province because of a fervent
insurgency, Anbar needed a
well-trained Iraqi force. To achieve
improved security and lay the
foundation for lasting peace
required a cultural diplomat in a
Marine uniform Gerald Flores.
Taking charge of some 100 Iraqi
troops, the hardened Marine balanced
the Corps' grueling training
schedule with local customs, such as
repeated daily prayer. His
leadership helped the two cultures
meet in the middle and he turned a
mix of "old army" and green recruits
into one combat-effective unit.
In one harrowing operation, Flores
was brought in to advise a
disorganized and fatigued Iraqi
company. The company had come under
fire, taking many casualties and
becoming combat ineffective. Flores
took charge in the face of enemy
machine gun, small-arms and sniper
fire and rallied the unit. He
organized an effective defense,
allowing the Iraqis to resist the
attack and emerge from the battle
with newfound skills and confidence.
During later operations in the
Malaab district of Ramadi, Flores
reinforced an overwhelmed Iraqi
force and provided assistance to the
clear and hold mission in this
former insurgent enclave.
For accumulating more than 250
combat patrols as an embedded
advisor to Iraqi units, directly
training more than 300 Iraqi troops
and his able command presence under
fire, Flores was awarded the Bronze
Star.
Flores, now back in the United
States and looking at the big
picture, considers the contributions
made by his team of Marine combat
advisors as "awesome." The security
gains made by Iraqi and Coalition
Forces due to the troop surge and
Sunni Awakening were like night and
day, he said. Exemplifying the
character of a Marine, he reflected:
"We were all out there as a team... As
a team, we did a whole lot." |
