The Cool Blue Blog

Improvements

Northwest Baghdad residents welcome variety of improvements

Blackanthem Military News

BAGHDAD, Iraq – U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing more than $50 million in essential service projects in northwest Baghdad. Water and sewer lines are being repaired, roads paved, and electrical distribution networks upgraded under contracts USACE is managing.

“And that’s just a portion of the work being carried out there,” said Lt. Col. Glen Masset, commander of the U.S. Army’s 9th Engineer Battalion, who keeps track of all ongoing work in his battlespace. Baghdad city government (Amanat), United States Agency for International Development, the Provincial Reconstruction Team, and 9th Engineer Brigade are all sponsoring projects to help the Iraqi people. “Our top priority is ensuring the Iraqi government is in the lead on all this work as it strives to improve the lives of families there with functioning water and sewer lines, electricity, fuel, and an economy generating jobs.”

USACE project engineer Dr. William Deleo visited the area with the 9th Engineers Sept. 8. “It’s great to see the various improvements taking place,” he said. “Iraqi construction crews are hard at work. Families there are seeing firsthand that their government is functioning and things are getting better. They’re all hoping for a better tomorrow and these are all steps leading to that goal.”

Note:  Norris Jones is a Public Affairs Specialist with the Gulf Region Central district, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Iraq.

Troops, local council, work to improve markets, small businesses

By Multi-National Division - Baghdad PAO
Sep 9, 2007 - 6:33:28 PM

Blackanthem Military News
BAGHDAD, Iraq - "Everyday it's improving," Capt. Joseph Guzowski, the commander of Troop A, 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, remarked about a small market in Salhiyah after a walk-through and assessment of it earlier in the day.

The Soldiers of "Apache" Troop have been patrolling the central Baghdad neighborhood on a daily basis since taking over operations of the area in June, and during that time, their focus has been on working in conjunction with the Salhiyah Neighborhood Advisory Council to improve the lives of this small, yet densely populated area that lies in downtown Baghdad just outside the International Zone.
   
After helping renovate and reopen several schools in the area over the past few months, they are now turning their attention toward economic issues by focusing on the markets, which are populated with small businesses.
   
"It takes a little while to get these projects up and running, but slowly it's improving," Guzowski, originally from Buffalo, N.Y., said. "What I'm hoping to see is at least five or six of the market shops starting to improve or rebuild."
   
The Soldiers accompanied by NAC member, Dhia, began their assessment with a small market lying just outside the Salhiyah apartment complex Sept. 5.
   
"All the markets: they are doing well," Dhia said. "They keep building more markets because this sector is so safe. They're doing good business over here."
   
After completing the walk-through, Guzowski said that they want to help to continue cleaning up trash in the area and repaving the sidewalks, but that one of the major problems is the traffic flow into the market.

"There's only two main routes in and out of the area, so we've got to improve the roads there," Guzowski said. "We also want to put up some swing barriers so local residents can just get in and out."

Aside from cosmetic and security improvements, the assessment gave them a chance to talk to some of the business owners about a micro-loan program that is being started in the area.

The micro-loans, which are provided with money by 4-9 Cav and made available through the Salhiyah NAC, will be granted in increments of $2,500, with the goal that investing into small businesses will benefit the entire community.

"We work together and we find out which businesses are more in need and start with them just by talking to the shop owners," Guzowski explained. "What we ask every NAC member to do is to go into their local communities and find businesses that need a loan, maybe for a new fridge or stove so they can hire more employees to stimulate the economy.

The program can also offer loans to potential business owners who approach the NAC with their plans.

"People can present business plans to the NAC and request small business loans," Dhia explained. "We're trying to help people one way or another."

Guzowski said that these cooperative assessments will continue with other market area in Salhiyah, but so far, the early feedback from business owners has been very positive.

"They're very excited, especially the smaller shop owners," he said. "Those guys are very appreciative, and I think once one or two of them take off and are running, we'll get a better response - just word of mouth throughout the community.'

"It shows that the local economy is getting under way and local government is getting under way."

 

Significant Structural Progress Reported on Basrah Children's Hospital Construction

By John Connor, Gulf Region South district
Sep 11, 2007 - 7:28:50 PM

Blackanthem Military News
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Construction on the Basrah Children's Hospital is showing "significant structural progress" now that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is leading the high-profile initiative.

That assessment was delivered at a conference in Baghdad by Lt. Cmdr. Chad Lorenzana, the resident engineer handling the project for the Basrah Office of the Gulf Region South arm of USACE. "It's actually starting to look like a hospital," he said of the project, whose champions include First Lady Laura Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He said construction is now 64 percent complete.

Lt. Col. Kenneth McDonald, the deputy GRS commander who heads the Basrah office, said the overall cost of hospital is $163 million. He said when the hospital actually opens will be determined by the Iraqi Ministry of Health but that the target opening date is January 2009.

The plan calls for construction of a state-of-the-art pediatric facility with a focus on oncology. Participating in the Bagdad conference were representatives of the several organizations involved as partners in the project. They reviewed developments to date and prospects and challenges as the project moves toward completion.

"While it looks good and there has been a lot of progress, we're not done until we're done," said Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, commander of USACE's Gulf Region Division in welcoming project partners and conference participants from Project Hope, the United Nations Development Program, the World Health Organization, the U.S. State Department, the GRD, and the Iraqi Ministry of Health.

A number of the partners noted that building the hospital is only part of the job. Other key tasks include staffing it with qualified people and maintaining the facility over time.   

Col. Steve Hill, who commands GRS, said, "This is as complicated a project as I've ever seen." He said GRS has 153 projects in the works this year and that the Basrah Children's hospital is among those with the highest priority.

As the project moves ahead, "It's going to get more hectic" in terms of on site coordination, said Steve Vilonel of the UNDP, which is managing the use of a contribution of nearly $22 million by the government of Spain. Walsh said the number of partners involved in the project makes it imperative that communications be well connected at all levels. "So these meetings are very important," he said.

Lorenzana stressed the importance of getting engineers from the Iraqi Ministry of Health working on site so they can see how the hospital is being built and better understand what will be needed to maintain the facility going forward. He said a trailer has been set up for this purpose and is ready for occupancy. Col. Hill underscored this point, saying he'd like to see a list of the Iraqi MoH engineers designated to work at the site. He also said he'd like to know when they are expected to arrive.   

Frederick Gerber of Project Hope, a non-governmental organization specializing in health education that has contributed $30 million to the project, reviewed the project's history, including its rocky start.

The U.S. Congress allocated $50 million for the project in 2003. "Fifty million is what this project was supposed to cost," said Gerber. Construction got under way in 2005, with the USAID as the lead agency and Bechtel as the contractor. The project was to have been completed in 2006. But problems arose, including site issues, soaring material costs, and a worsening security situation. Delays ensued and construction was halted. Last year, USACE replaced USAID as the lead agency on the project and Mid Contracting, an Amman, Jordan-based firm, replaced Bechtel. 

Dr. Abd al-Samad Rahman, the Iraqi Minister of Health, addressed the conference. He spoke of the innocence of children and said of the effort to build the hospital that "it is the duty of us all." The Minister asked about the delays and Walsh replied in part that "a lot of this happened because we had a contractor who didn't do very well when he started and we asked him to leave."

Walsh also told the assembled project partners that "in my 30 years of construction, there are always problems and people of good intentions get together and find solutions."

Note:  John Connor is a public affairs officer with the Gulf Region South district, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Iraq.

Progress

Baghdad revives as surge, economic programs take effect

Tuesday, 24 July 2007

BAGHDAD — Surge-related crackdowns on extremists combined with infrastructure improvements are helping to resuscitate Baghdad’s business and entertainment districts, U.S. and Iraqi officials said Monday.

“Protecting Baghdad’s citizens is a cornerstone of all of our efforts” as part of the Iraqi capital city’s anti-insurgent campaign, Operation Fardh Al- Qanoon, U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Mark I. Fox told journalists at a Baghdad news conference.

However, reconstruction projects, economic improvements, infrastructure investments and other major renovations are part of overall efforts to help Iraq move forward, he said. Iraq’s recovery in the post-Saddam Hussein era is dependent on progress being made in both the security and economic realms, he said.

Fardh Al-Qanoon, an Iraqi phrase meaning “enforcing the law,” began Feb. 13. It called for dividing Baghdad into 10 districts and creating joint U.S.-Iraqi security stations to put pressure on insurgents. The campaign is being run in conjunction with the surge of U.S. and Iraqi forces into Baghdad and other areas used as extremist havens.

Fox noted that surge-reinforced U.S. and Iraqi military units are pushing the insurgents of the capital city into outlying areas.

At the same time, Baghdad’s business and entertainment centers are starting to come back, thanks to improved security and the completion of thousands of reconstruction projects, Fox said.

As of July 6, more than 3,400 reconstruction projects worth more than $5.5 billion involving schools, highways, bridges, electric power stations, housing, water treatment and sewage plants, hospitals and medical clinics had been completed across Iraq, Fox said.

Another 582 projects worth $2.6 billion are ongoing, he added, noting another 4,300 projects costing $7.9 billion are planned.

Tahseen al Shaikhly, spokesman for Operation Fardh Al-Qanoon, attended the news conference with Fox. He concurred with the admiral that things are looking up in Baghdad. The security operation there possesses both military and economic components, he said.

In addition to security programs, “most of the other activities deal with providing services for the Iraqi people,” the Iraqi official said. More than $35 billion worth of infrastructure-improvement projects, such as street-paving and bridge construction, hospital and medical clinic rehabilitation, as well as electric power and water treatment plant work, have been completed in Baghdad alone, he said.

All of these reconstruction programs improve the quality of life for Baghdad’s citizens and contribute to the fight against terrorism, he said.

“There are good things that are happening. We are working on the water and the electricity, of course,” Shaikhly said.

As Baghdad’s quality of life increases, surge operations are helping to improve security in Iraq’s capital city, Fox said. The admiral said he’s planning to eat dinner in Baghdad’s renowned Abu Nuwas Street restaurant and entertainment district.

“Abu Nuwas Street is famous in Iraq and in this region for being a place where people gather and have a good time,” Fox said. “There are some very significant and good signs over there.”

Abu Nuwas Street is experiencing a social and economic renaissance, Fox said, citing the building of several new restaurants in the area, as well as refurbished parks. “I’ve got a reservation in one of those restaurants over there to have a good fish meal,” Fox said.

(Story by Gerry J. Gilmore, American Forces Press Service)

Changing attitudes

A Tale of Two Neighborhoods and a Tale of Two Attitudes

        Multi-National Division - Baghdad PAO
        Jul 7, 2007 - 8:32:59 PM

Blackanthem Military News, FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq — On April 10, Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, along with their Iraqi counterparts, started clearing one of the neighborhoods in eastern Baghdad. It was, at first, a routine mission in the Fadhl area, but soon turned into a bloody firefight that lasted five hours, and resulted in 14 wounded U.S. troops and scores of unknown enemy dead and wounded.
 
The Fadhl area is one of the oldest and poorest neighborhoods in the Iraqi capital, with 300-year-old buildings still in use today.  The narrow, twisting roads can be used as lookout points by insurgents to spot approaching vehicles or people, and were a breeding ground for snipers and militia activity.
 
But that was then.  Just a few short months later, Soldiers from the 1st “Red Devil” Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment out of Fort Bragg, N.C., operating in eastern Baghdad as part of the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, drove into the heart of Fadhl July 5 delivering truckloads of food rations, medical supplies and water to the residents.
 
Soon after the April firefight, leaders from the Iraqi Army’s 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division, called a meeting with Fadhl leaders, according to Maj. Mike Pratt, Red Devil’s operations officer.
 
The Bridgeport, W.Va., native said, “The IA asked the residents what they needed and how they can help, instead of constant fighting.”
 
Their requests were no different than most in Iraq, as they needed essential services. Pratt said, “They wanted their hospital running, electricity, and jobs for the people.”
 
Lt. Col. Carl Alex, the 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment commander, directed a three-week trash removal project in Fadhl that meant jobs for 200 people. The project has ended, but a three-month extension is in the works. In addition, at the Al Tawan Hospital in Al Fadhl received a 250-kilowatt generator and 10 water drums have been installed to provide electricity and clean water for the hospital’s activities.
 
Attitudes changed quickly among the residents after witnessing the changes in the nearby neighborhood of Ahdamiyah. The Ahdamiyah neighborhood was also in disarray, but once residents began working with Coalition and Iraqi forces, big changes took place. There was reduced violence, increased electricity and the return of essential services.
 
The leader of the neighborhood told Alex, “We didn’t play it right and made a mistake. Our people found themselves neglected by everybody and the improvements and partnership that Ahdamiyah now shares, is something we want, as well. This is a great lesson for us and we are now extending our hand, to shake the hand of the U.S. Forces to work together.”
 
The supplies dropped off to thrilled residents included hundreds of blankets, food packets for over 1,000 families, thousands of dollars worth of medical supplies, and a truck full of bottled water. Residents, young and old, helped carry the supplies inside the medical facility.
 
This was a significant step with the Fadhl residents, according to Capt. Thomas Delaney, the battalion S-5 officer.
 
“This is the first tangible aid the residents have ever seen,” he said. “The set of meetings really broke the ice and ever since, violence has decreased significantly. The generator will really help the people, as well.”
 
The neighborhood leader added, “We have already started a plan to distribute power equally to families and will nominate individuals to both protect the generator and start a small collection for fuel.”
 
The next step the residents of Al Fadhl want is to find jobs for the people. In the past, sectarian strife has limited the work force of Fadhl from looking for jobs outside their area.   
 
The neighborhood has already re-opened shops and consumer goods stores located around the mosque, which were previously closed for security reasons.
 
This indeed is a tale of two neighborhoods: the old one fighting the Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces, and the new one, buzzing with the genesis of electricity, less violence and the prospect of future jobs for the people.

Meanwhile, in Washington, political expediency may result in forever poisoning our foreign policy in the Middle East

In a potentially significant setback to President George W Bush's efforts to sustain Republican support for his "surge" in Iraq, three key senators this week called on the White House to revise US strategy there before September.

The defections, which were set off by a major policy address on Monday on the floor of the Senate by the ranking Republican on the chamber's Foreign Relations Committee, Richard Lugar, suggest that patience for Bush's approach among his own party is fast running out.

This coincided with a new poll released this week by Newsweek magazine which found that public approval of Bush's handling of Iraq has reached an all-time low of 23%. The same poll found that Bush's general approval ratings have also reached an all-time low of 26%, near the post-World War II record set by Richard Nixon shortly before his resignation in 1974.

Now you can say until you're blue in the face that this about-face by some Republicans is principled and I still won't believe you. Because what Senator Lugar said was

“Unless we recalibrate our strategy in Iraq to fit our domestic political conditions and the broader needs of U.S. national security, we risk foreign policy failures that could greatly diminish our influence in the region and the world.” Lugar said in the late-night speech on the Senate floor.

Translation: Senator Lugar is worried that his position on the war will cost him an election. What else can "domestic political conditions" mean? What's worse, he is living a fantasy

“A course change should happen now,” Lugar said, “while there is still some possibility of construction a sustainable bipartisan strategy.”

Sustainable bipartisan strategy? This will simply be impossible unless or until there is a Democrat sitting in the oval office. From now until the election the only bipartisan strategy Democrats will accept is withdrawal; the consequences of which can then be blamed on Republicans and most specifically the President. Because succeeding in Iraq prior to the elections is not good for Democrats who have already staked their careers on failure.

If by some chance we are still in Iraq in January of 2009, and a Democrat is President, then you might get a sustainable bipartisan strategy that will fix Iraq.

If it is still fixable.

If anyone in the Middle East still trusts us.

If Iran does not have a theater nuclear weapon.

There were two things that Republicans used to have going for them to win my vote: taxes and the War Against Islamists, of which even al Qaeda thinks Iraq is apart.

Now they are going soft on the war which will make the taxes thing moot.

If this keeps up, we're surely screwed. And Americans won't be trusting Republicans any more than Iraqi's will be trusting Americans.

662 construction projects

Construction Rollup: Project Starts, Completions
        By Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
        Jul 2, 2007 - 7:11:04 PM

Blackanthem Military News, BAGHDAD, Iraq - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Gulf Region Division, completed 86 construction projects between May 31 and June 29, 2007, bringing the total number of completed projects to 3,886.

Currently, there are 662 construction projects ongoing - all funded through the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund, the Development Fund for Iraq, the Commander's Emergency Response Program, the Economic Support Fund and the Iraq Security Forces Fund.

Six of the completed projects are Primary Healthcare Centers - four clinics in the Gulf Region Central district; and two in the Gulf Region North district. Each facility, with construction costs ranging between $600k - $950k, has medical/dental examination rooms; X-ray rooms, a testing laboratory, a pharmacy and public education room. Some of the clinics also have an emergency department and ward, procedure rooms, a labor and delivery department, pre/post delivery rooms, a newborn nursery, ultrasound room, laundry and sterilization areas and staff living quarters.

Each clinic was designed to receive approximately 110 patients a day; however, demand at already opened clinics is has them on track to each see more than 35,000 patients annually.

"Some of the completed PHCs are seeing 350 or more patients per day," said Col. Paul Babin, GRD Facilities Sector lead. "The PHCs are being built in muhallas (neighborhoods) across Iraq -- near the people they will serve...some PHCs are treating twice as many people."

Other results of GRD's reconstruction efforts include:

Due to added capacity and normal operation and maintenances of systems, electrical generation is at 4,236 megawatts, with an end goal of 6,000 MW and 1.3 million homes served. Electrical generation megawatts are dynamic owing to interdiction of lines by insurgents and unscheduled maintenance.

Potable water is at 473,000 m3/day with 2.3 million people affected with an end goal of 1.1 million m3/day and an end goal of 5.2 million people affected.

GRD met its end goals set for crude oil production - 3 million barrels per day; LPG production - 3,000 metric tons per day; natural gas production capacity - 800 million standard cubic feet per day.

Throughout Iraq, U.S. government ongoing projects contribute to the ever-improving quality of life and economic stability helping to provide the foundation for the country to build upon as it overcomes a generation of neglect.

Iraq Rebuilding Shifts from Western Contracts to Iraqis
        By Fred W. Baker III, American Forces Press Service
        Jun 30, 2007 - 6:35:49 PM

Blackanthem Military News, WASHINGTON, D.C. - All of the $11 billion appropriated for the Iraqi Relief and Reconstruction Fund has been obligated, the work is 83 percent complete, and Iraqis are doing more and more of the work, a senior military official said yesterday. 

But work will need to continue in the region for at least another year and a half to finish the projects started, said Army Brig. Gen. Michael J. Walsh, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division.

As of June 10, 2,924 of a planned 3,393 Iraqi Relief and Reconstruction Fund projects are finished, according to corps reports. Of 7,494 planned projects under Commander's Emergency Response Program funding, 6,278 projects are finished.

Construction in the region has shifted from largely Western-based contracts to more contracts awarded to Iraqi contractors, Walsh said. About 60 percent of the contractors are now Iraq-based, and that number is expected to grow, he said.

Still, with all the successes in the region, Walsh said, the rebuilding efforts are not moving as fast as he would like.

"It's very difficult to get the skilled labor, the right materials, the right security, the right politics, all in one place so that you can get construction work done," he said. "Sometimes it's a year-and-a-half process.

"It's not going as fast as I would like, but then I am an impatient person, as most Americans are," Walsh said. "I think it's going as fast as it can."

Primary health care clinics take about a year to finish, he said. The corps is building 150 in the region. The corps has renovated 16 hospitals funded by the Iraqi Relief and Reconstruction Fund. Nine more are on tap to be finished. In Basrah, a 94-bed children's hospital should be finished this time next year.

Water and sewer plants take up to three years to finish, Walsh said. The corps just finished one in Irbil in northern Iraq, and another in Nasiriyah in southern Iraq. The two projects total about $450 million. To date, the corps' projects have delivered water to an additional 2.6 million people there. Officials plan to provide water to twice that many people before all projects are finished.

Corps officials are trying to bring Baghdad up to 12 hours of power daily. The city now has about eight hours daily. Most of the rest of country is up past 12 hours daily. Before the war, the outlying provinces may have had only two hours daily.

Part of a "good" problem in supplying electricity is the recovering economy in Iraq, Walsh said. As the economy grows, local citizens are buying more televisions, refrigerators and other appliances, which, in turn, drives up the need for power.

"So their demand for electricity is continuing to go up as we are trying to reach that demand. I think that's a good-news story -- that we are trying to catch up with what the Iraqis are able to purchase," Walsh said.

The Iraqi people never had 24 hours of power, Walsh said. To bring them up to 12 hours is a "significant step forward."

The biggest problem with rebuilding the infrastructure of Iraq, Walsh said, is that it has been underfunded and not maintained for the past 25 years.

"You're not going to turn that around in two or three years. These are large construction projects," Walsh said. "We are working with the Iraqi government ... so that they switch from failure maintenance to a preventive maintenance mentality."

An example of underfunded infrastructure is the nation's poorly maintained pipelines and oil refineries. Because of a lack of efficiency, it became cheaper to buy oil from other countries and have it trucked in than to rely on Iraq's own oil resources, Walsh said.

Other obstacles in the rebuilding effort are insurgent and criminal attacks on the sites, Walsh said.

Electric cables are taken down from towers and melted to sell. Water lines and pipelines are sometimes targeted by those with grudges against specific villages.

"It is difficult to protect a nation's entire infrastructure, whether it is in Iraq or the United States," Walsh said. Typically, Iraqi contractors hire their own security during the construction as part of the contract, Walsh said.

Aftermath

Operation Arrowhead Ripper has as it's goal the clearing of al Qaeda from Diyala Province, and most especially the capital city of Baqouba. But once the clearing is done, the counter-insurgency plan, written by General Patreus, says you hold and rebuild.

Iraqi Security Forces and Task Force Lightning Soldiers continued delivering food and water to the people of Baqouba Monday as major operations to remove al-Qaida from the city entered their seventh day.
 
Since the beginning of the humanitarian effort, ISF and Coalition Forces have distributed more than 56,000 pounds of rice and more than 58,000 pounds of flour throughout the city and its surrounding area. They have also distributed thousands of bottles of fresh water along with the food.
 
"Now that we have begun to clear al-Qaida out of Baqouba, we can begin to place more effort into helping the people of the city," said Col. Steve Townsend, commander, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. "The government is working to distribute these supplies as fast as they can, and the improved security in the area will help to make that possible."

Throughout Iraq, reconstruction efforts continue during, and follow in the aftermath, of security operations

As of June 10, 2,924 Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund projects have been completed out of 3,393 planned. Under the Commander’s Emergency Response Program (CERP) , there have been 6,278 projects completed out of the 7,494 planned. CERP is designed to enable local commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan to respond to urgent humanitarian relief and reconstruction requirements within their areas of responsibility by carrying out programs that will immediately assist the local population.

Black Jack on Haifa Street

Black Jack Performs Medical Mission in Baghdad

Medical personnel use an elementary school to perform examinations on hundreds of local citizens.

By Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Calvary Division

BAGHDAD, March 30, 2007 — As Haifa Street residents begin coming back out into the streets that were once too dangerous to step into, coalition and Iraqi security forces are beginning to lend a much needed hand in many of the basic needs.

So, with hundreds of medical supplies, a few Army medical soldiers and an Iraqi doctor and nurse on hand, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, used an elementary school to perform examinations on hundreds of local citizens during a medical mission in the Haifa Street district of Baghdad, March 24.             
"It's really good that they are doing this," said a man who brought his daughter to the clinic. "With the security plan working now, we can come out again."

According to Maj. Bruce Rivers, the 2nd Brigade's surgeon, there hasn't been a medical mission such as this in the Karkh District in a long time. Due to the violence there during the last two years, most of the hospitals and clinics were closed. So, many of the people there have had to do without, said Rivers.             
"The goal of this medical mission was to improve on the confidence of the Iraqi people of their medical system," he said. "What I envisioned was both the Iraqi doctors and ISF medical personnel being here."
                   
Within a five-hour period, the team saw more than 230 patients, who were mostly women and children, according to Rivers.               

"We treated anything from high blood pressure and diabetes, to respiratory infections and urinary tract infections," he said. Yet, there were many cases that the medical team could not help with. "There were people we could not help," he said sadly. "Their problems were beyond the scope of what we can do."
                   
He said his plan is to work with the National Iraqi Assistance Center and other organizations to seek further care for the people they couldn't help. With hundreds of people waiting in line, a team of medics from Troop B, 4th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, worked with interpreters to screen patients. Spc. Marc Allen, a 4th Battalion, 9th Cavalry Regiment medic from Federal Way, Wash., personally screened more than 100 patients before sending them to one of the rooms inside the makeshift exam area.

Capt. Christopher Dawson, commander, Troop B, 4-9 Calvary Regiment, said missions like this are extremely important because it should be used as a model for future operations.               

"The bottom line is that we are (eventually) going away," said the Lima, Ohio native. "We are here supplementing what the (ISF) will plan in the future." According to Dawson, the medical mission wasn't designed to treat everyone.               

It was to treat those who could be treated, and for the rest, it was supposed to get them by until they could seek proper medical attention.
                   
His troop, along with the local Iraqi National Police, provides security to the hundreds of residents who came to seek medical attention.               

"We've been doing a few humanitarian missions with the security being better," Dawson said. "And in the past couple of months, it's gotten better ... they are thirsting for security here. We started the constant presence - day-to-day you can see the little stuff, but that little stuff adds up."
                   
Capt. Gene Palka, the 4-9 Operations officer, said the medical mission went well. In the future, Rivers said he hopes that hospitals and clinics will eventually start opening up in that area because the people there really need the medical attention. "               

The people really like us being there," he said. "Every time we go, we get a really warm reception."

Self-Sustaining reconstruction

Rebuilding in Iraq shifts to self-sustaining Iraqi effort

Sunday, 04 March 2007

WASHINGTON — Rebuilding Iraq is shifting from a U.S.-led “jump start” effort to a self-sustaining Iraqi driven phase, said the director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office Saturday.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has built the majority of its large projects, said Ambassador Joseph Saloom, director of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office.

“It is a shift away from us building large things … to more working to build their capacity to do things for themselves,” Saloom said.

All but 15 percent of the $13.4 billion Iraq Relief and Reconstruction fund has been spent, and that will drop by another five percent by the end of the year, he said.

Saloom said the new focus is on Iraqi “budget execution,” or getting the Iraqi government to spend the money it allocates on the projects it designates.

Last year, the Iraqi government implemented only 40 percent of its capital budget, he said.

“They seem to be able to spend money on salaries and so forth, but when it comes to actually channeling their considerable resources to actually build things for the population, that is an area where they need our help and where we are concentrating our assistance,” Saloom said.

The United States is helping with both immediate technical assistance and longer-term training, he added.

The Iraqi government has passed its 2007 budget and already has distributed 10 percent of those funds to the provinces, he said.

Iraq is endowed in natural resources, Saloom noted, and he said newly passed legislation should help attract private investors to the region.

Saloom’s office coordinates overall U.S. government efforts to promote reconstruction and economic growth in Iraq. He also manages the funds appropriated by Congress for supporting economic and democratic development and reconstruction in the country.

On any given day, the Gulf Region Division of the Corps of Engineers is working on about 1,100 projects.

In the region to date, 976 of 1,045 planned school projects are complete, 154 border forts have been built, 92 of 97 planned fire stations are finished, and 93 of 102 planned railroad station renovation projects are complete.

The Corps of Engineers hires about 30,000 Iraqis to work the construction projects.

The United States has contributed almost $22 billion toward rebuilding Iraq. The World Bank estimated that the total cost of rebuilding the country could end up being as much as $80 billion.

Face Time

The new strategy for Iraq is not just about clearing, killing, and capturing anti-democratic forces in Iraq; it's also about holding the area, making lives better and forming relationships. No longer will forces clear and move on allowing bad guys to move back in.

One story from the Al Doura district of Baghdad illustrates this

“Face time.” It seems to be a term used more by celebrities than Soldiers, but as Iraqi Army and Police go on patrols with Coalition forces, “face time” is something one unit is saying is very important to their mission of capturing the bad guys.

On what’s become a normal patrol mission in Baghdad’s northwest Al-Doura neighborhood, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Soldiers are using the results of their “face time” to help catch the enemy.

“Our presence is very important,” said Staff Sgt. Juan A. Lopez, a Bronx, N.Y. native. “The [locals] will talk to us and tell us where the caches and insurgents are, they will tell us about new people who have moved into their neighborhood threatening them.

“It’s a positive we are here everyday. That way, little by little, we can make a difference.”                                                                

On a patrol of one neighborhood in the Humvees, children were peeking out of their gates and waiving to the Soldiers through their bulletproof glass. “Wave at them, man,” Lopez told one of his Soldiers in the vehicle. “They might remember you later and say, ‘hey, I waived at that Soldier when I was a little kid.’”

Lopez, who, back in the Bronx, has a Yemeni friend who taught him some Arabic phrases, uses it to reach out to the community. When he and his Soldiers walk around the market, they are swarmed by young children. Lopez uses his limited Arabic to joke with the children.

In one of the “muhallas,” or neighborhoods, there is a thriving marketplace within what used to be a traffic circle. The locals go there to buy fresh fish, produce, clothes, shoes and other items. As recent as a month ago, insurgent activity forced a lot of them to stay away from the market. Lopez and his unit had seen some fierce fighting there. During the battle, the Coalition forces repelled the insurgents from the neighborhood.

In a way, the locals have, in casual meetings with the Coalition forces, learned to embrace them. During their cordon and search missions, the Soldiers commonly refer to the meetings as “block parties.” It’s not uncommon for the locals to ask Soldiers and Iraqi National Police officers to come in and have some tea.            

According to Lopez, his unit has captured a lot of suspects which is a direct result of their presence patrols and the bonds they make during them.

“One day, a lady told us to take someone because he was a cell leader,” he recalled. “It wouldn’t be like that if we weren’t out here. We found a lot of guys and caches because of all the tips [from the locals].”

During a recent block party, Lopez and his team searched a house owned by a married couple with a small child. When asked how they felt about being searched, the husband said he didn’t mind it because it made their community safer to have Soldiers around.   

Another important relationship they have fostered is the one they have with the Iraqi National Police.

“We can’t do everything, so that’s why we work with the NPs (National Police),” he said. “And now that the Iraqi Army is here, the [insurgents] are pulling out. It makes a difference, and that’s what they want. ”          

(Story and photo by Sgt. 1st Class Kap Kim, 2nd BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs)

                                          

Patrolling Adhamiyah

Here's a followup on life in Adhamiyah in the wake of Operation Arrowhead.

Soldiers making Adhamiyah District safer

Friday, 09 February 2007
Story and photo by Sgt. Michael Garrett
7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAGHDAD — The dead of night covered their movements. Out of their Strykers, down the street and into a courtyard, the Soldiers moved with a purpose. Kicking in the door at 3 a.m. was just enough to catch their targets off guard. Elements of the 2nd Infantry Division’s 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team had taken two more suspected insurgents off the streets.

Troops from the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment were a part of an operation aimed at disrupting insurgent activity in the Shaab and Ur areas of Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district Feb. 6, said Newberry S.C. native, 2nd Lt. Harry Cromer, platoon leader for Company B.

The operation started with pin-point raids in the homes of suspected insurgents, then it moved to a dirt-lot full of abandoned cars and a building where the captured suspects are believed to have made improvised explosive devices.

“A lot of anti-Iraqi forces have been operating in this area,” said Staff Sgt. Michael Marker, a squad leader for Co. B. “The house we hit this morning is where the guy lived, and this is where he worked.”

A search of the building did not produce evidence of any connection with insurgency, but the broken down cars were about to spill their secrets.

“We went through the abandoned cars and found body armor and uniforms,” said Marker. “There is no reason for this stuff to be locked up, in an abandoned car in a parking lot,” said Cromer. With these items, insurgents could disguise themselves as Iraqi soldiers, he added.

After finding the body armor and Iraqi uniforms, the Soldiers moved on to a compound that housed a factory and several warehouses. When they finished searching the entire complex they moved on to a school, to see if any officials there had been approached by anyone from the insurgency.

“We’re out here to talk to people and see what we can find out about AIF,” said Marker.

Asking the school faculty and residents in the area about their safety was a change in pace from the mission earlier in the day.

“We show an aggressive attitude when we have to,” said Pfc. Richard McCallum, an infantryman with Co. B. “But when we don’t, we just want to show them we are here to help,” the White Cloud, Mich. native added.

Tips from local Iraqis led to the capture of suspected insurgents during the operation and getting out in the streets and talking to the residents is important in maintaining that type of relationship, said McCallum, a White Cloud, Mich., native.

“Getting them to trust us, and know that we’re not here to do them any harm …that we’re here to help is important,” he said.

A school opening in Ramadi

Iraqis celebrate school reopening

Friday, 26 January 2007

BAGHDAD — A neighborhood north of Ramadi celebrated the reopening of a school Tuesday.  Also this week, U.S. and Iraqi forces provided aid to citizens in Adhamiyah, and Iraqi Forces distributed winter clothes and blankets to students in Tal Afar Monday.

Iraqi Soldiers and Coalition troops joined the celebration in Ramadi, and community leaders asked Maj. Derek Horst, civil affairs team leader, 4th Civil Affairs Group, to cut the ribbon for al Haitham School. The school provides classes for the children of Abu Jassim tribe.

The school temporarily closed in November for renovations. Tribal leader Sheik Taher, who oversaw the renovations, led the group of military and community leaders on a brief tour of the building after the ribbon cutting.

"We're making progress day after day," said 1st Lt. Stuart Barnes, civil affairs team leader, Company B, 486th Civil Affairs Battalion. Barnes said school attendance proves the increase in stability there.

The school, which began holding classes again earlier this month, has an estimated 200 to 300 students, Barnes said.

In other news, residents of the Adhamiyah section of eastern Baghdad picked up needed supplies this week following a visit by Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Division's 2nd Brigade Combat Team and their Iraqi Army counterparts.

U.S. Forces and Iraqi troops cooperated with the Adhamiyah district council to deliver clothes, toys, vitamins and toiletries to more than 500 residents. 

 

“Soccer balls and comic books were especially popular with the children,” said Capt. Drew Corbin, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment.  “This would have been impossible without cooperation between both the Iraqi’s and the Americans.

The Iraqi police were very helpful today. They provided security and helped distribute the humanitarian assistance bags."

The humanitarian assistance drop is part of a U.S.-Iraqi effort to reduce sectarian violence and help bring security to Baghdad.

In another operation in Tal Afar, students from the Kawla and Darar Primary Schools received an assortment of winter clothing, school supplies, and additional treats from Tal Afar's Mayor Najim, Iraqi Police officers, and Soldiers of the 3rd Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, during Operation Warm-Up Jan. 22.

Mayor Najim and the delegation traveled from classroom to classroom, providing the students with winter clothing and Iraqi flags. In addition, the school headmaster at each location received a first-aid kit and instructions for medication.

The total items distributed included 280 items of winter clothing, 650 pencils, 250 pens, 200 erasers, 60 spiral notebooks and 30 folders. Every child received school supplies and candy.

Operation Warm-Up was part of the ongoing Iraqi Police and Coalition humanitarian assistance program Operation Kids.      

 

(Courtesy of American Forces Press Service)