Staff Sgt. Fernando Villa, 50th Multi-Role Bridge Company, checks a measuring line during a partnership bridge training course held at the Iraq Army Engineer School, July 3 - 13. Photo by Capt. Vanessa Bowman, 37th Engineer Battalion.

Like most training the IA receives, a “train the trainer” approach was taken.  Students from previous classes can now help new students learn these skills.

The IA Engineer School trains 400-500 Engineers each rotation. The 50th Multi Role Bridge Company (MRBC), which supports 555th Engineer Brigade, assists this effort by instructing groups of 20 to 30 IA Engineers during ten-day blocks of classroom and hands-on bridge training.

The combined IA and U.S. training team instructs, advises and assists the new class of IA Engineers on site layout, bridge set parts identification, bridge emplacement, inspection, repair and maintenance.

"During this block of instruction we are teaching them how to do the bridge site set-up," said Staff Sgt. Fernando Villa, 50th MRBC. "We are showing them how to do all the measurements for the pickets, rolling and leveling the site, and placing the ground beams that will support the bridge."

The goal of the ten-day training course is to enable the students to learn all the skills necessary to emplace, maintain, inspect, repair and remove a 15 meter span of Mabey and Johnson Bridge by themselves.

"It's amazing how fast they've caught on to the training," said Capt. John Davis, 50th MRBC commander, as he watched the IA students take the lead on the independent practical exercise portion of the instruction. "It's great to see the IA Engineer Soldiers doing this on their own."