Alaska soldiers acclimate to Iraq

"FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The 3,800 soldiers of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Wainwright and Fort Richardson are getting used to the scorching sun in northern Iraq.

What the troops are finding is that the Arctic training they underwent in Alaska readied them for the rigors of the desert, military officials say.

"The same discipline and leader skill that it takes to train and survive in Arctic conditions are the same skills that you need to train and fight in hot weather conditions," brigade commander Col. Michael Shields told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner on Friday."
SeattlePI