Story by 2nd Lt. Devin Osburn, 2nd AAB, 1st Inf. Div., USD-C                    BAGHDAD—Troopers with 5th “Longknife” Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division – Center, recently trained their Iraqi counterparts in the 2nd Iraqi Federal Police Division on land navigation techniques and passed on lessons learned from their own training on the subject.Knowing how to read a map and navigate from one point to another is an important skill to have in any military branch and is emphasized in U.S. Army basic training. “[At basic training], I was expected to learn proper map reading and the use of a compass to successfully complete the land navigation course at Fort Knox, Ky.,” said Pfc. Daniel Davis, a fire support specialist with 5th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt. and a Sacramento, Calif., native.Unlike American Soldiers, many members of the Iraqi Federal Police have had little or no experience with land navigation, said Davis.Undeterred, the troopers of 5th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt. started training the Iraqis just as they would any new U.S. Soldier.The two days of classes given to the IFP covered various basic navigation techniques. The first day consisted of map reading and measuring straight-line and curved-line distances from one point to another.After teaching basic compass and map reading techniques to their Iraqi counterparts, the “Longknife” Squadron Soldiers taught them to properly use GPS units. Technologies such as GPS enhance land navigation techniques by allowing one to pinpoint one’s position anywhere in the world.“A GPS unit is a great tool to have at your [command],” said Staff Sgt. Trevor Donnatien, a Felton, Del., native with 5th Sqdn., 4th Cav. Regt. “However, it can fail and leave you lost if you do not have proper land navigation training.”Donnatien said the more basic tools of land navigation would never lose their importance.“Map reading and orienteering will never fail you,” he said, “and you do not have to rely on an electrical device to get you to where you are going.”The hope is that eventually the IFP members trained by the “Longknife” Squadron will be able to teach the same skills to their fellow officers.Land navigation is a vital Soldier skill that can easily be applied to the needs of non-military Iraqi units like the 2nd IFP Div., helping to make coordination easier throughout their ranks as they maneuver through the streets of Baghdad.