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An on-line magazine supporting the Ninth Amendment

Sons of Iraq Status Update

Chuck Simmins | January 8, 2009

The SoI have been in battle and have suffered because of it. In 2008, LTC Kulmayer reports about 500 were killed and about 750 wounded. Pay varies for the SoI, with those in Baghdad being paid $300 a month and those in al Anbar $130 monthly.

Engineering Success in Iraq

Chuck Simmins | January 8, 2009

This tour wasn’t the first time Ruiz had seen Iraq. In 2003, he arrived with some of the first Coalition troops as a part of El Salvador’s Cuzcatlan Battalion in Al Kut. During this tour, he kept in touch with his old battalion and was able to visit them occasionally to share critical mission information and participate in official ceremonies.

More Railroading for Iraq

Chuck Simmins | January 7, 2009

The transfer is a major step toward restoring the rail service in Kirkuk province; the remaining task is to complete the final span of the Bayji Railroad Bridge linking the Kirkuk rail line with the Samarra-to-Bayji line.

Iraqi Border Police Find Heroin

Chuck Simmins | January 6, 2009

Approximately 50 kilos of heroin was seized at the Trebil Port-of-Entry after it was discovered concealed in a BMW sedan traveling from Iraq to Syria on Jan 2.

New School Means Room for All

Chuck Simmins | January 6, 2009

“We’ve done a couple of different things here in accordance with the belladiyah,” said Willoughby. “We’ve helped put in solar street lights and we’ve done some revitalization of the market area through micro grants. Then we looked at the school and decided to help out to provide a little bit of community pride and gain some community support.”

Lights On 24/7 for Abu Ghraib Hospital

Chuck Simmins | January 5, 2009

With sufficient power, the more than two dozen physicians are now able to run basic services without disturbance, including laboratory equipment, refrigeration of medications and more complex neonatal incubators and echocardiograms, he explained.

Periodic stoppages throughout the day have long hindered treatment, particularly for inpatients. The 50-bed hospital is the primary inpatient facility in west Baghdad and serves more than 200,000 residents from Khadamiyah to Balad.

Irrigation Restored in Troubled Area

Chuck Simmins | January 5, 2009

Since August, approximately $1 million of GoI and Commander’s Emergency Relief Project funds have been poured into restoring and expanding the irrigation pump station, installing a dedicated electrical line and repairing the irrigation canals.

The results are clearly visible from the air. What was once brown, dry land now is green and lush and crops are thriving.

Iraqi Police Add River Capability

Chuck Simmins | January 3, 2009

“We completed the toughest training and became one of the best and most brave within the IP,” said the Iraqi officer in charge of the TRT during his address to the class during graduation.

Update on US Deaths in Iraq

Chuck Simmins | January 2, 2009

Here are two graphs illustrating the latest numbers concerning US combat deaths in Iraq.

Taji Soccer Tournament Scores Big

Chuck Simmins | December 30, 2008

Terrorists can never come back and do what they did in Taji last year. Normal life is returning here.

Albania, Moldova End Missions in Iraq

Chuck Simmins | December 23, 2008

The Komandos have been responsible for force protection and security in and outside of FOB Marez, and have suffered five wounded in action since their involvement began.

The Moldovans have safely secured more than half-a-million items of enemy ordnance since 2003, to include 7,300 pieces of unexploded ordnance around FOB Marez.

Solar-powered Water Filters for Iraq

Chuck Simmins | December 23, 2008

The $48,000 CERP water filters contract was awarded to the Ard Aleqa Contracting Company of Lutifiyah and will provide the 400 citizens of the community with potable water. Prior to the water filters this rural community did not have access to clean potable water and had no access to centrally distributed water.

“The people here get very little water, so it is good that we will be able to have clean water finally,” said Tah Hassim Fadha the Chaka 1 Leader, the equivalent of a town mayor.

Law Advisor Sets Bar High in Iraq

Chuck Simmins | December 23, 2008

House arranged a meeting in Amman, Jordan, with the organizations and 30 Iraqi judges, lawyers and senior government officials responsible for juvenile justice. As a result of the meeting, the U.N. and other international groups provided assistance to Iraq’s juvenile justice system. As a result, Iraq’s juvenile delinquents and neglected children receive improved care.