Army Chaplain (Capt.) Eric Light gives a weekly sermon and is available for counseling whenever a soldier might need it. But he is not your ordinary chaplain.

“When I was in college, money was kind of hard to come by, so I became a stunt guy to pay for college,” said Light, who serves with the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

In the late 1980s, Hollywood was experiencing a writers’ strike. Feeling the pinch from a lack of work there, some of the companies in show business took their shows on the road.

“A guy who was a stuntman moved into town and would put on a Wild West show while trying to obtain the contracts for movies when they came through,” said Light, a native of Kingspen, Tenn., and a graduate of East Tennessee State University. “We happened to go to the same church, and he took me under his wing, teaching me the ropes.”

Light began working at the Wild West show, which led to performing a few stunts for television shows such as “Unsolved Mysteries” and “Rescue 911.” The work on those shows paid most of his way through college.

Following college graduation in 1993, Light quit the stunt man life and began what he said he believed to be his true calling, ministry. He started working with college students in a counselor-like role at the University of Michigan, then at the University of California State in Fullerton.

After the university’s program diminished due to a lack of funding, Light found himself without a job. He struggled to find employment for a few years, eventually distributing a resume with the hope someone would contact him for work.

He finally got a call, but from an unexpected place: the Army.

“I got a call from a retired Army chaplain asking if I’d be interested in being a chaplain in the military. I told him, ‘No,’ because I wanted to work with college-age kids from 18 to 25 years old.” Light said.

“He kind of laughed at me after that statement, because soldiers of that age make up a lot of the Army. After that, the light bulb came on, and I knew this was what God was calling me to do.”

Over the next 15 months, he lost 50 pounds to meet the Army’s weight standards and headed off to basic chaplains training. After graduation, he was assigned to the 1-187th Infantry Regiment, where he received word that he would be deploying to Iraq.

“Getting deployed was never a problem for me,” Light said. “All of the active-duty people in my class were getting deployed, so I knew it was a matter of time. What good would I be if I could not deploy with the soldiers I am here for?”

Light said he constantly is learning and trying to improve himself as a better chaplain during his first deployment. Recently, he had an experience that served as a confidence booster.

“I was sitting outside reading when the company commander came walking by and told me I was a good chaplain,” he recalled. “For someone outside of the Chaplain Corps to randomly come up to me and notice what I was doing, that really proved to me that being here was the right thing and that I was doing a good job.”

While he isn’t outside the wire all the time, Light said, he knows his job is equally as important. He must be there not only for the soldiers who are deployed, but also for their families back at home.

“Never in our nation’s history have families had to give up so much,” he said. “While I’m not out there on the front line fighting, it’s my job to be there for [soldiers] when they come back. If I can help prepare these soldiers to go back to their families, I’m doing my part.”

DoD
By Army Spc. Justin Snyder
(Army Spc. Justin Snyder serves in the 101st Airborne Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team public Affairs Office.)
Special to American Forces Press Service

The promise of a prosperous future for Iraq took one step closer to becoming a reality as the Sarafiyah Bridge linking the Rusafa and Karkh districts of Baghdad was reopened May 27 after being rebuilt.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was present for the opening event, which featured live music, several speeches and a ribbon cutting on the bridge’s road way.

The significance of the event was not limited only to the result of the bridges opening, but also in how it came to be as it was the Government of Iraq, who took the initiative to conduct the reconstruction.

“The reason I think this event was significant today is because it really shows the resilience of the GoI and their ability to repair this bridge, which was destroyed by an insurgent act, and to repair it and continue on with the rebuilding of Iraq and the betterment of Iraq,” said Maj. Frank Garcia, a Carson City, Nev., native, who serves as the public affairs officer for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Multi-National Division – Baghdad, which operates primarily out of the area where the bridge is located.

Now that the Sarafiyah Bridge is open, traffic can flow freely across. The local economy is expected to receive a boost since the flow of goods and services will be much easier, added Garcia.

“We didn’t have a direct role in this; it was Iraqi-led, Iraqi-designed, and there were very few Coalition members there,” Garcia said.

In addition to tangible, economic gains offered by the re-opening of the bridge, the ceremony also marked a more symbolic meaning.

“One side is Shi’a and the other side is Sunni, and there were very good relationships between them. The terrorists tried to send a message: ‘We would like to cut the communication lines between these two main groups in Iraq;’ but luckily, they didn’t manage to do that,” said Mohammed Asadi, a Baghdad native, who works as a media advisor for 2nd BCT, 101st Abn. Div.

“And they send the message back: ‘Here we are, and we are together,’” he added.

The Sarafiyah Bridge, one of several bridges that cross the Tigris River in the Iraqi capital, was destroyed in a vehicle-borne improvised-explosive device attack April 12, 2007, that killed 10 Iraqis and injured at least 26 others.

MNF-I
By Sgt. Jerome Bishop
Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO

Iraqi citizens celebrated the completion of construction at the Omah Moktar School for Girls in the Qadisiyah Apartment Complex in Mahmudiyah, about 20 kilometers south of Baghdad, May 8.

After nearly three months of construction, the Moktar School’s approximately 600 students can now enjoy new windows, gates and doors, as well as new auditorium furniture. Exterior improvements included raising the outer wall as an added security measure.

“The educational environment was greatly enhanced and helped to bolster pride in their school,” said 1st Lt. Jason Potter, Moktar School project manager, 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). “This project was significant in that it showed the residents of the neighborhood that the Coalition forces are really here to help.”

Mahmudiyah Qada Council chairman Abu Amar, Mahmudiyah Nahia Council president Talib Abbas and Dr. Qais al-Hanni from the Ministry of Education attended the ceremony.

Al-Hanni reminded attendees of education’s importance and maintaining an environment that encourages children to learn.

Students took the stage throughout the ceremony to give speeches, sing and recite poems. One group also performed a short skit reflecting on the successes of Iraqi Security Forces in improving security in the area, and cleaning up the neighborhood’s appearance.

At the end of the ceremony, Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 25th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division distributed school supplies to the students.

Task Force Marne
By Sgt. 1st Class Kerensa Hardy

In the United States, it is easy to overlook all it takes to keep a city’s trash and sewage system up and running.

Take the trashcan out to the end of the driveway, return from work and it’s empty. Turn on the faucet and clean water flows.

In Baghdad, basic services like sewage, water and trash service are tied to security. While Soldiers work to make the streets safer, their leaders work to put systems in place that will give residents a sense of normalcy.

To help residents restore basic services, Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, opened the first of four proposed Public Works Substations in Adil, a neighborhood in the Al Mansour District of Baghdad, April 16.

Soldiers, local officials and members of the community marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the substation.

The substations will serve as hubs where workers will be able to store and maintain the equipment used to keep basic services going. They are located next to joint security stations.

Workers will meet with Iraqi security forces at the JSS to coordinate services with ongoing security efforts in the area. The close proximity to the JSS will help ensure the safety of the equipment and the workers.

Capt. Adam Harris, the civil military operations officer with 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, worked for the past month to get the substation ready for the opening.

“We refurbished (the building). After it was completed, we hired out city workers,” Harris said. The opening is the culmination of nearly a year’s work.

Col. Louis Fazekas, who serves on the embedded Provincial Reconciliation Team with 2nd BCT, 101st Abn. Div., started working on the project in May 2007. When he arrived, the 2nd BCT, 1st Infantry Division, averaged more than 19 attacks a day in the Al Mansour District.

“We knew as things started to calm down, we needed to start to restore services,” said Fazekas.

While the Soldiers of the Dagger Brigade worked to make northwest Baghdad safer, Fazekas and his team focused on services. They met with local leaders and put together a plan to improve the already existing system to provide services that both sides could agree on.

“You have to look at the existing institutions, not create new ones,” said Fazekas, “See what’s wrong with them and see what we can do to try and fix them.”

Over the next two weeks, the Strike Brigade will open three more public works substations in northwest Baghdad.

DVIDS
By Sgt. Paul Monroe
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division

Soldiers from 101st Airborne Division Special Troop Battalion conducted the first foot patrol in Qalehyegolay village, directly outside Bagram Air Field in 20 years, April 12, according to Afghan Col. Crolam Myjtabe Quais, the Afghan national police chief for Parwan province.

The intention of the patrol was to meet with village leaders near BAF and create a working relationship between the community and the Soldiers.

“My Soldiers were extremely motivated and well disciplined,” said Army 1st Lt. Michael Skuski, platoon leader for Entry Control Point 1 platoon, Headquarters and Support Company, 101st DSTB. “They executed the patrol almost flawlessly.”

Army Capt. Stan Goligoski, HSC commander, went on the patrol to meet with the village elders face-to-face and learn more about their needs.

“We want to reach out to the community for them to understand we are in this together,” said Goligoski. “They provide us information and we provide them with necessities; it’s a great relationship.”

“At first, we felt like we were infringing on their area, but to receive that reception that we did and for the people to really welcome us with open arms … we will continue to do this,” said Goligoski.

The village community took in the Soldiers and offered tea, milk and cookies. Once Goligoski and the village leaders introduced each other, explained their needs and offered assistance to one another, the Soldiers thanked them and headed back to BAF.

“As we were walking out, the entire village came out and was there to see us off,” said Skuski.

Overall, the mission was a success for Goligoski, Skuski and their troops.

“The reception from the people was phenomenal,” said Goligoski. “I’m looking forward to working with the surrounding villages after a reception like that.”

The Soldiers plan to visit Qalehyegolay and other villages surrounding BAF in the near future, to bring humanitarian assistance and medical supplies to many people who haven’t seen a foreign Soldier since the Russians left here 20 years ago.

DVIDS