Soldiers Make Learning Easier for Iraqi Children
363rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
FOB MAHMUDIYAH, Iraq (USASOC
News
Service, Mar. 17, 2006) – Ask Iraqi
children what they want to be when they grow up. You’ll find little
difference
in the hopes and dreams of Iraqi children from that of American
children.
Whether to be a doctor, a policeman or a businessman, these children
imagine
themselves as successful adults and see no reason why their goals
should not
come true.
They cram into schools throughout Iraq, sometimes without even the
simplest of
learning materials that most take for granted. These children face an
uphill
struggle to success, but there are those who share in their goals and
do
everything they can to help the children receive the best education
possible.
Armed with hammers, drills and stacks of wood in place of their usual
rifles,
Civil Affairs Soldiers based out of Forward Operating Base Mahmudiyah
in
southern Baghdad began refurbishing desks for local schools March 9.
“We’ve been to a lot of schools in the area, and we’ve found classrooms
with
three, sometimes four, children squeezed into one desk space,” said
Sgt.
Timothy Atz, a medic attached to Company C, 490th Civil Affairs
Battalion
hailing from Abilene, TX.
An Army Reserve Soldier and journeyman carpenter when at home in St.
Paul,
Minn., Atz takes a special interest in projects like these.
“We’ve found that nearly all the schools have a surplus of old desk
frames but
lack the material, the money or the lumber to fix them,” he said.
The building supplies necessary for refurbishing school desks are one
thing
these Soldiers have an abundance of. With assistance projects like
these set as
a high priority, stores of construction supplies have been compiled so
CA teams
may complete such projects to help the Iraqi people.
“With the supplies that we have, we could quite literally rebuild
several
hundred desks,” said Atz. “It’s both simple and cost effective.”
Considering the number of schools in need, the surplus of supplies is
good.
“The numbers vary from school to school, but anywhere from 10 to 50
percent of
their desks are broken,” said Cpt. Darrell Retheford, a team leader for
Company
C, 490th CA Bn.
With nearly every school in the area in need of new desks, the Soldiers
working
on the project have their work cut out for them.
“We do as much of the work
as we can here on
FOB Mahmudiyah,” said Retheford. “Once we get to the schools, all we
have to do
is put the desks together.”
At the surface, rebuilding these desks may seem like a minor project,
but the
possibilities from helping these children are limitless. For every desk
that is
refurbished, there is an Iraqi classroom that is less overcrowded,
allowing the
children to receive a better education.
“They have plenty of room in the schools, but because they’re limited
to desks,
they put a lot of kids into one room,” said Atz.
It’s hoped that with the increased number of desks, the children will
begin to
be less crowded and thus be able to receive more individual attention
from
their instructors. The project has not only helped the children, but
has also
been very positive for the Soldiers who worked to make it possible.
“It gives us a sense of accomplishment to help these children out,”
said Atz.
“Installing these desks and seeing the joy it puts on the kids faces is
priceless.”
The Soldiers have seen the positive impact of their missions in support
of the
area schools. They’ve done everything from delivering school supplies
to
rebuilding infrastructure.
“The teachers and the people in the area have been very grateful and
really
appreciate our help,” said Retheford.
The children of Iraq face an uphill struggle to success, but with their
heads
focused on the chalkboard and their hearts on their dreams, the
children will
be able to take the assistance given to them by the Soldiers of Co. C,
490th CA
Bn. and achieve their goals.
