Children rush toward a new school building before a school opening ceremony, March 2, in the village of Al Khanik, Iraq. Photo by Pfc. Cassandra Monroe

After joint efforts from both U.S. Army and Iraqi officials, a new school officially opened during a ceremony, March 2, in the village of Al Khanik, Iraq.

The school, which has been under construction for four months, was built with the village’s future in mind and to house the students in the growing community.

“The old school had only three classrooms, said Arif Jabbar Mutar, the chairman of Tikrit City Council. “It’s not enough to absorb all students from the village.”

With six classrooms, working latrines and two rooms for the teachers, this school will pave the way toward education. The new school has enough room to house 200, 6-to-12-year-old students and their teachers.

“We are so happy because we’re going to lead these kids to their right future,” said Khaled Hamad Yassin, the school’s headmaster. “We have to build their future. Education is very important for every single student over here. They have to understand, they have to learn, and they have to read. At this school, we can provide a better education and better future for the students. The success will have a higher percentage here than the old school.”

The ceremony included U.S. Army guests Lt. Col. Nora Marcos and Command Sgt. Maj. Byron Loyd, the Division Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division commander and command sergeant major.

The ceremony began with a formal ribbon cutting, signaling the school’s grand opening, which was eagerly met with joyous applause. Guests then moved back to their seats and listened as the 3ID Band played Iraq’s national anthem, while school children raised the Iraqi flag.

Following the raising of the flag, children performed various forms of entertainment, such as poems, songs and religious prayers, all met with great applause from the crowd.

Yassin, the headmaster, stood in front of the crowd and spoke words of encouragement for a brighter future for the children and for Iraq.

“The future will be very bright,” he said. “If the kids can have an education, the country will be very educated and have a much better future.”

Marcos echoed the headmaster.

“I just want to say what an honor it is to be here with you at the opening of this school,” she said. “Congratulations to the engineers and builders, who created this wonderful place, and I thank the provincial government for their support in this project.”

After the ceremony, Marcos took some time to make her way around the courtyard, speaking to guests and school children. Along with a crowd of eager children, she made her way around the new school to see the new classrooms. As soon as the children saw their new desks, coloring books and crayons they rushed toward them. Taking their seats for the first time in their new classrooms, Marcos joined the children at their desks and posed for a few photos.

“As the inspectors came during the building process, they said they’ve never seen something built so well, so quickly,” said Marcos.

The last stop on the tour included a room where some of the women and their children congregated.

“It really bridges a gap with these kids to see Soldiers here, giving and being a part of this,” she said. “It’s these ladies, who are teachers, seeing Soldiers helping and seeing a female involved … makes a difference.”

For Marcos though, this ceremony is a revisit to a book, she read when she first arrived here in Iraq.

“It’s about a guy who helped build schools in Pakistan and how the construction of schools and the education of children bridged cultural and religious gaps,” she said. She relates the book to the current situation here in Iraq and at the ceremony.

“That’s what we did here and will continue to do with every project and most importantly, every partnering opportunity we have with the Iraqis. We’re allowing the Iraqis to take the lead and develop some answers to their issues and put them forward where they should be.”

DVIDS
Story by Pfc. Cassandra Monroe

Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, are redeploying back to Fort Stewart, Ga., this month.

The 2nd BCT deployed in May 2007 as the fifth surge brigade. Its mission was to block accelerants from entering Baghdad, protect the local population, defeat sectarian violence, continue to increase the capacity of the Iraqi Security Forces, foster local governance and economic systems, and to set the conditions for long-term self-reliance.

The 2nd Brigade, as part of Multi-National Division Center, primarily conducted operations southeast of Baghdad, which included population centers in Abu Waitha, Hawr Rajab, Adwaniyah, Madhariyah and Sayafiyah.

“The security environment created by the 2nd BCT operations and our efforts in enabling an increased Iraqi Army role in the area set the conditions for the local citizens to step up and begin to take control of their future,” said Col. Terry Ferrell, 2nd Brigade Commander, during a June 19 Pentagon Press Conference. “Over this past year, we’ve helped create city councils in each of our population areas. Neighborhood councils now give our communities a direct voice to the government.”

Since May 2007, six agricultural unions were formed and linked to the Ministry of Agriculture. In addition, specific industries such as row crops, poultry, fish and beef farming businesses were reinvigorated by the development of the agriculture unions and their ability to reach out to and work with the local ministries.

“Improved security trends since the inception of the surge helped create an environment where criminals are degraded and the Iraqi people have retaken control of their future, without the fear of intimidation and violence,” said Brig. Gen. Daniel B. Allyn, Chief of Staff, Multi-National Corps – Iraq.

“The surge accomplished many things for which the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and our Coalition Team can be very proud, said Allyn. “The safe and secure environment created through hard work by Iraq’s citizens, Iraqi Security Forces and our Coaltion provides opportunity and a brighter future for Iraq. The Soldiers of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team did a tremendous job and we send them home to their families with the pride and gratitude of the Iraqi citizens and their Coalition teammates for their extraordinary contributions to the long-term security for the people of Iraq.”

MNF-I

The last of the five Army brigades to deploy with the “troop surge” in Iraq will return in July after a 13-month deployment, during which soldiers detained more than 800 terrorist suspects and helped foster Iraqi self-governance.

he 3rd Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team has operated in the Arab Jabour area of southeastern Baghdad, where the number of attacks plummeted from about 30 a week when they arrived in May 2007 to about one a week now.

“All in all, it’s been a very successful operation for us,” Army Col. Terry Ferrell, 2nd Brigade Combat Team commander, told reporters at the Pentagon today via video teleconference from Forward Operating Base Kalsu, in Baghdad.

President Bush announced the temporary 33,000-troop surge in January 2007 to tamp down violence in Iraq and help prepare Iraq’s national security forces to maintain security. The first surge brigade went home in March, and the final redeployment next month will reduce the number of brigades in Iraq to 15.

During their tour, 2nd Brigade soldiers’ main duties have included blocking weapons from entering the Iraqi capital, protecting the local population and quashing sectarian violence. The soldiers also have focused on making Iraqi security forces more capable, fostering the local governance and economy, and setting up Iraqis for long-term self-reliance.

The primary enemies, Ferrell said, have been al-Qaida and Sunni extremists who had created a sanctuary in Arab Jabour, where terrorists controlled the population through fear and intimidation. Insurgents used homes, farms and commercial properties as bases of operation and bomb-making factories, devastating the region’s economy.

Without a sustained security presence in the area, local residents often were bereft of basic necessities such as clean water, electricity, health care and education, the colonel added.

But over the course of the year, 2nd Brigade helped establish 11 patrol bases in Arab Jabour. The centers are manned by coalition and Iraqi security forces who work and live together and coordinate efforts of some 5,000 citizen security group members known as “Sons of Iraq.”

Coalition and Iraqi security forces, along with the Sons of Iraq, achieved significant gains through three division-focused operations: Marne Torch I, Marne Torch II and Marne Thunderbolt.

“The combined efforts of these operations resulted in over 800 suspects detained, over 600 weapons caches found and over 500 [homemade bombs] safely destroyed, and nearly 6,000-plus houses cleared so that we could continue to move through the area of operations, providing for a safe, secure environment,” Ferrell said.

The colonel added that, in addition to these operations, an increased Iraqi army role in the area allowed local citizens to enlarge their presence.

“Over this past year, we’ve helped create city councils in each of our population areas,” he said. “Neighborhood councils now give our communities a direct voice to the government.”

Moreover, in the wake of security gains, the local agriculture and economy have flourished. In addition, private clinics continue to open, electricity and water are flowing easily into the area, and the community has established 25 new or refurbished schools.

“As we prepare to redeploy as the last of the five surge brigades,” Ferrell said, “it’s clear that the government of Iraq has begun to shoulder a larger responsibility for the citizens in the area that we have operated.

“Furthermore, the capacity and capabilities of the Iraqi army has improved tremendously throughout our time here and the operations we have conducted jointly throughout the operation,” he added. “All these vehicles of change combined to generate momentum towards prosperity, security and self-reliance.”

DoD
By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

Welcome to Andrew Sullivan’s readers. A “war widow” could be the result of the 11 year war with Iran, the first Gulf War or the current conflict. Please don’t make the assumption that all war widows are recent.

When Capt. Shawn Carbone first took a good look at the south Baghdad area economy, he found it similar to his studies of America during the Great Depression of the 1930s.

“Most of the historically strong businesses were gone, said Carbone, economics team leader for the Baghdad-7 embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team. “The owners had left; packed up. The businesses were shut down and there was mass unemployment across the board.”

There were many reasons for the economic troubles of Iraqis in the area which 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, took control of in June 2007. The basic lack of security forces left a gap which al-Qaida terrorists filled, using the area as a base. Farms and businesses were damaged and violence caused many to flee – some of whom have yet to return. Sectarian strife heated up following the 2005 elections, which left many in the area without a voice in government. Basic service needs, such as electricity and water, went largely unmet. Until security was restored, citizens felt isolated.

Carbone saw an opportunity to help turn things around. His training in economics at Niagara University, in his hometown of Niagara, N.Y., prepared him for the task of helping the citizens of south Baghdad province.

“It’s rewarding because it’s an experiment in economics,” Carbone said. “This is from the ground up. It’s much like our depression-era economics. I’ve actually sent e-mails to my professors, asking them their opinions on some of these things, and researched books on depression-era economics.”

After security was established, the biggest obstacle to economic recovery, said Carbone, was the centralized nature of the economy in the past. Local industries such as a chicken hatchery, a poultry processing plant and a meat processing facility, for example, received inputs from and sold their goods to the Iraqi government at set prices.

“Cooperation is the biggest thing. From where I sit, these businesses are complimentary,” Carbone said. “But they never had a capitalist society, which is all about bringing down costs.”

Now the government is in a state of transition and moving toward free trade.

“Everyone is going through the change,” Carbone said. “Some of the government systems are not yet in place, but that’s where we’re heading.”

Micro Grants

In an effort to revive the local economy, the Baghdad-7 ePRT worked in conjunction with 2nd BCT Civil Affairs, using money as their main tool. Armed with U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development funds, Soldiers and civilians on the Baghdad-7 ePRT looked for projects which would benefit the community as a whole. Civil affairs Soldiers used their battalion’s bulk funds to stimulate individual small businesses through a series of $2,500 microgrants. Though most of the projects focused on agriculture, which dominates the local economy and employs the largest percentage of people, other avenues were explored as well.

Major Douglas Betts, commander of Company A, 415th Civil Affairs Battalion, said Soldiers on the ground identified who could best use the grants.

“The troop commanders and company commanders are all very smart guys,” Betts said. “They know what they’re doing, and they know what’s best for their areas.”

Microgrants were given to businesses ranging from chicken farms to internet cafes. Most recently, a women’s beauty parlor opened up in Arab Jabour, something that would have been impossible in that area until recently.

Women’s Sewing Co-ops

Betts said Soldiers have found other creative ways to involve women in business. One example he gave was women’s sewing cooperatives, which grew out of women’s committees looking for ways to employ themselves and raise revenue for their causes.

“Capt. (Trista) Mustaine in the ePRT did a great job with sewing co-ops. That’s a new one to me,” Betts said.

“One (co-op) that I know is basically made up of war widows,” Betts said. “These ladies want to do something for orphans and school children. They are actually making clothes and selling them. I thought that was pretty original.”

The only condition that comes attached to the microgrants is that business owners attend business training and meetings of their local business associations, Betts said. The formation of local business associations has been vital in helping citizens to help themselves, he said. The focus now is in getting business owners weaned off of coalition force funding and to get them working with their own government.

Basil Razzak, a bilingual, bicultural adviser with the Baghdad-7 ePRT, said that it took some adjusting for local farmers and businessmen to get used to the new economic model.

“Up until now, it was all supervised by the government. Everybody belonged to the government,” Razzak said.

“I remember at one business association meeting, the chairman said, (to Carbone) ‘You are our boss.’ He said, ‘I’m not your boss. I’m here to help you and support you, but it’s your organization and you can conduct your meeting as you like,’” Razzak said.

Razzak, a Canadian citizen who grew up in Baghdad and holds a degree in administration and economics from the University of Baghdad, said the capitalist spirit is slowly but surely taking hold here.

“They are open to new ideas, Razzak said. “They realize the era of state-owned business is gone. They are willing to work and cooperate.”

Carbone said the stimulus coalition forces provided to the local economy has already produced unexpected results. As more businesses reopen and new ones appear, local entrepreneurs have taken it as a sign that it’s okay to open shop again.

“When they start to see these places opening with the help of coalition forces, some of the people have come back and opened up on their own,” Carbone said. “That’s something we didn’t expect.”

One business owner who received significant coalition help has been encouraged to invest even further in his business. The owner of a meat-processing plant in Arab Jabour received a grant to get his facility running again after shutting down operation in 2006. Prior to that, the factory employed more than 90 people.

“Even though we gave the kupa factory a grant, the owner pitched in $200,000 of his own money. The money is out there,” Carbone said. “The biggest thing was that when the owner came back to the area and saw that the security situation had changed progressively, he was more willing to re-invest and start over,” he said.

Betts sees signs that businesses have returned to stay in the area.

“I’ve noticed it in the short time that I’ve been here,” Betts said. “When we first went out, there were some shops, but there weren’t that many. But I’ve noticed in the past several months, in Sayafiyah especially, a lot more of those businesses. They look better and they’re repainted. People are repairing their shops and restocking supplies.”

Betts said the greatest benefit of the renewed prosperity was a population that was employed and able to meet their needs.

“That’s the key to security. People that are able to take care of themselves and their families are not out there planting bombs and killing people for money,” Betts said. “I want to see a strong economy, because that’s the cornerstone of stability.”

DVIDS
By Sgt David Turner
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

A mix of force, good governance and economic stimuli has resulted in a turnaround for an area in Iraq that once was a hotbed of Sunni and Shiite insurgents.
The 3rd Infantry Division’s 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team is completing a 15-month tour as part of Multinational Division Center, and the unit commander, Army Col. Wayne W. Grigsby Jr., spoke to Pentagon reporters yesterday about the deployment.

The “Sledgehammer” brigade arrived in February 2007 as part of the surge of additional forces into Iraq. Violent crime was out of control, Grigsby said, and al-Qaida in Iraq intimidated Sunni portions of the area, allowing the terrorist group to use them as safe havens.

“In our time here, murders have declined by greater than 50 percent, from 631 in ’06 to 253 in ’07,” Grigsby said in a video hook-up from Baghdad. “Shop owners are selling their goods in revitalized markets, and we are now down to maybe one attack every other day.”

The heavy brigade accomplished this by conducting counterinsurgency operations. “We wanted to bloody the nose of the enemy and make them fear us,” he said. “We did bloody the nose of the enemy, and the enemy does fear us, both coalition forces and Iraqi security forces. We never forgot what a U.S. Army heavy brigade combat team is built to do: to close with and destroy the enemy.”

Brigade soldiers killed 160 enemy combatants and detained more than 500 suspected criminals. “We cleared every enemy sanctuary that existed prior to our arrival,” the colonel said.

This has not been without cost. Twenty-nine brigade soldiers have been killed, and 162 were wounded. But the level of violence went from four to five attacks per day to an average of an attack every two days.

In and around Salman Pak — a majority Sunni area — al-Qaida and other Sunni extremist groups have been decimated.

“We estimate there are three Sunni extremist groups of no more than 10 personnel per group in our battle space, disrupted and not able to synchronize operations,” Grigsby said. “We killed or captured their leaders, denied them use of safe houses and support zones, and with our ‘Sons of Iraq’ allies we are sitting in the former supply lines, holding the terrain, not letting the extremists come back in.”

The Sons of Iraq are local citizens who assist with security efforts in their neighborhoods.

Though their operations brought security to the region, the soldiers of the brigade weren’t solely about force. They worked to build relationships with the various ethnic groups, tribes and sheikhs.

“Since we worked out of eight patrol bases and four joint security sites in the middle of population centers, we never commuted to work,” Grigsby said. “When a combat patrol began each day, Sledgehammer soldiers were already among their neighbors, living with them.”

They also lived with Iraqi security forces. Grigsby said the unit worked with an outstanding Iraqi national police brigade and very capable Iraqi army units. U.S. soldiers will continue to work with local police to improve their community policing, the colonel said.

Security was the bedrock of the progress. The Americans and Iraqis gave the residents their communities back, Grigsby told reporters.

“By taking extremists and criminals off the streets in Jisr Diyala, Wahida, Salman Pak and Nahrawan, we emboldened the good people to step back into the traditional roles of leadership — leadership by the tribal leaders, leadership by local governmental officials — rather than leadership by fear, where individuals use murder [and] intimidation to control the masses,” he said.

Markets, water distribution systems, sewage treatment plants, schools and health clinics all followed. The unit even helped Iraqis build a soccer stadium. Employment also has followed. The Narwan brick factory in the region now employs 15,000 Iraqis, up from 3,000 a year ago.

Money, too, has followed. In 2007, the Iraqi government spent about $1 million in the region. In 2008, the government already has spent $86.1 million for projects and improvements.

The unit’s soldiers head back to Fort Benning, Ga., knowing they have made a difference, Grigsby said.

“We have seen a significant reduction in violence,” he said. “We have seen the economy spring back to life. We have seen the local governance structure continue to mature and progress. We most definitely have momentum, and we have made gains.”

The brigade is one of the most deployed units in the Army. It was part of the original thrust to Baghdad in 2003, was back again in 2005, and is completing its current mission now. Some 60 percent of the soldiers in the brigade are combat veterans from previous deployments. They are passing along their hard lessons to the 1st Armored Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, home-based in Germany.

Grigsby said 2nd Brigade will continue the momentum his brigade began, because the gains in the region remain tenuous. To ensure stability, coalition and Iraqi forces must continue “to hunt the enemy where he sleeps, and we will continue to assist our Iraqi partners where they look to make improvements.”

DoD
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service