Story and photo by Sgt. Daniel Stoutamire, 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., USD-C BAGHDAD—Soldiers with B Company, 1st “Dragon” Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division – Center trained a group of Soldiers with the 6th Iraqi Army Division on small-unit tactics recently, with an emphasis on room-clearing procedures, at Joint Security Station Constitution, Iraq.The training began with classroom work, which helped the Dragon Battalion trainers understand the prior experience their students had with clearing rooms as a team.“Their way of entering and clearing a room is quite similar to ours,” said Sgt. Andrew Drake, a team leader with B Co., 1st Bn., 63rd Armor Regt. and a Boise, Idaho native. “We’re just refining it down, so they can learn sectors of fire…and how to move together as a group.”Fifteen students from the 6th IA Div. took part, Drake said, and went through the room-clearance course in groups of four. The course is a “glass house,” with walls made of HESCO barriers, but the action inside can be observed from above, giving the trainers and the students a way to immediately see and correct mistakes that might be made in early run-throughs.Some of the noncommissioned officers, those with more experience amongst the students, played an important role in focusing the training.“The NCOs, they seem to help out some of the other (students),” said Staff Sgt. Stephen Callan, a squad leader with B Co., 1st Bn., 63rd Armor Regt. and an Elgin, Ill., native. “A lot of times we would notice them pointing things out…if they understood a little bit of what we were saying, like hand and arm signals, they would help (the younger Soldiers) out.”In addition to basic room-clearance procedures, the Dragon Battalion trainers taught how to handle more complicated situations should they arise, such as weapons malfunctions or what to do if a comrade is injured in the midst of an operation.IA Command Sgt. Maj. Mohammed Sharhan, command sergeant major of the 6th IA Div., said his Soldiers are benefitting greatly from their training with B Co. at JSS Constitution.“Our Soldiers are getting experience (from U.S. Soldiers), like how to do survival training, room clearances, and everything else,” he said. “When our army will need to work on its own (without U.S. assistance), this partnership will be favorable to that, make that possible.”Drake said the training is mutually beneficial.“I think this (training) will help us out a lot in sector because we’ve done a lot more joint patrols, with us being able to work with them, we know how each other work, so we can better accomplish our mission,” he said.