Training a New Army From the Top Down

After ticking off the list of things that had gone wrong that morning, Dugan finally allowed a smile. "Believe it or not, when they go on the streets they can function," he said.

On a Monday morning, 1st Company set out on a foot patrol of central Baghdad near the fortified Green Zone, an area often targeted by insurgents. The Iraqi platoon leaders led the patrol, with only a handful of Americans walking with them.

"They're getting proficient," said Staff Sgt. Brian Zamiska, 27, of Bentleyville, Pa. "They're in charge."

Zamiska said the U.S. troops who help train the Iraqis had developed a close rapport with them. Although the Americans don't always trust the Iraqis, who tend to shoot wildly and randomly when in a hostile situation, Zamiska said they respected what the Iraqis are trying to do in taking over security in their country.

The Americans have nicknamed some of the Iraqi soldiers, calling out to them, "Hey, English! Larry! Smiley!"

As the patrol crossed a street, a young soldier who identified himself as "Omar from Fallujah" waved off a fellow soldier and walked toward the traffic, apparently wanting to be in charge. For most of the patrol, Omar from Fallujah had been goofing around, complaining about how heavy his Russian PKC machine gun was to tote around with a chain of bullets.

But now Omar was serious. One of the cars could contain a suicide bomber, intent on plowing down his men. He put a single fist into the air and gave the driver of a car stopped at an intersection a menacing scowl.

Dugan said some days were better than others. He gets up each morning intent on trying to make a difference. He knows he is seen as tough. "You've got to be hard on them," he said. "You have to try to instill discipline. I don't want to leave here and say, 'Gee, I wish I had. . . . Gee, I wish I could have. . . .' "

Later, Dugan walked up as a soldier was talking to a visitor. He listened quietly. Sgt. Abbass Abdul Jabar, 21, from Babylon, said he had seen improvement in his fellow soldiers, though he knew that not all of them were there for the right reason.

"Some are only thinking of the pay," said Jabar, who served in the former Iraqi army and joined the new one 10 months ago. "I have to defend my country from terrorists. We have to help the coalition forces as much as we can to give them a chance to go home. These guys have been helping us. We have to protect our families."

" Shukran ," Dugan said to the young soldier, using the Arabic word for thank you. "Shukran."

As the soldier walked away, Dugan called after him, "Where are you going? Aren't you on guard duty?"

"No, no," Jabar said. "I have to go get ready to join my new company."

"That's great," Dugan said. "It's a great company."