Street Lights Restore Sense of Safety
DVIDS
By Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Divison
After 45 days and coalition funding, one stretch of road was illuminated Jan. 30, eliminating a hiding place for insurgents.
Sons of Iraq in the area helped bring security into the neighborhood, but under cover of darkness insurgents still moved around, said Capt. Joseph Inge, commander of Company D, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. To remove this last vestige of cover, 30 solar lights were placed on the route.
“The lights will help give people confidence; (insurgents) will be less likely to do bad things when lights are on,†said 1st Lt. Brent McCorkle, Company D executive officer. “This is just another turning point.â€
Residents of Arab Jabour share that sentiment. With the 30 lights, installed by a contractor for the United States Army Corps of Engineers, Hercules Company, people are feeling more confident in their neighborhood, walking the streets during hours they once feared being out.
“Many families are coming back,†said Abas Rashed, an SoI member for the past six months.
These families, once displaced by violence, are returning to their homes in greater waves than before with the new street lights up, Rashed said.
While manning checkpoints in the neighborhood, he said there were hours when people once refused to go outside. Now, people are willing to stay out longer and conduct daily business.
“The illumination improves a lot,†said Hussen Jowd, a local butcher. “It allows me to keep my shop open longer.â€
Because the lights are powered by the sun, Jowd said, they do not cut into the area’s normal flow of electricity.
Such a design was purposeful, said McCorkle, a native of Greenville, S.C. Currently, the people of Arab Jabour get about six to eight hours of power a day, and sometimes up to 12 hours, a vast improvement since coalition forces first arrived, he said.
He said coalition forces did not want to cut back that power by adding more lights, despite the increase in security they would give. Thus the decision was made to install solar power lights that recharge themselves during the day.
“It was the result of someone trying to think ahead,†he said.
Soldiers of the 1-30th Inf. Regt. continue to think ahead about improving the area. Inge, a native of Richmond, Va., said his Soldiers are committed to the people of Arab Jabour and helping improve their quality of life.
Inge said he hopes to add more lights, increase the amount of electricity available and install water purification pumps to give the people fresh drinking water.
Table of contents for Solar Power in Iraq
- Fallujah Harnesses Sun’s Energy
- Baghdad Going Solar
- Street Lights Restore Sense of Safety
- Solar Powered Lights for Baghdad, Taji
