Heavy equipment operators from Combat Logistics Battalion 5 and combat engineers from Regimental Combat Team 1 completed leveling berms here on Oct. 19, 2008.

The Marines spent about a week leveling approximately five miles of protective dirt mounds that extended along the sides of Wolverine Way, a road stretching from Camp Baharia to the edge of the city of Fallujah.

The project serves two purposes: to provide better visibility for Marines who occupy an observation post on the road and to make the area look more normal for the local Iraqis, said Staff Sgt. Bryan Spencer, platoon sergeant, Operations Platoon, Engineer Company, CLB-5.

“We’re going all the way down this road to get rid of all the berms and get it looking nice again,” said Spencer, from Texarkana, Texas.

The Marines worked from dawn to just before dusk along Wolverine Way knocking down the berm and flattening the land as much as possible.

As the heavy equipment operators and combat engineers leveled the dirt, nearby Iraqi civilians watched and saw a newly unobstructed view of their countryside.

Leveling the berms around Fallujah is part of a greater effort by coalition forces to demilitarize coalition camps in Anbar and turn over control of the area to the Iraqi government and security forces.

To prepare for closing the bases, coalition forces remove military barriers such as the large reinforced concrete T-walls, Hesco barriers and concertina wire and withdraw all of the military equipment in order to return the areas to the condition they were in when they were occupied.

In al-Anbar province, the coalition has closed or turned over control of Hit, al-Qa’im and Camp Blue Diamond in ar-Ramadi to the Iraqi government, and are preparing to close more bases, including Camp Fallujah, in January.

Coalition forces are withdrawing from areas close to the cities and showing the Iraqi people that things are indeed getting better, said Maj. Gen. John Kelly, commanding general, Multi National Force – West, about the demilitarization of Camp Fallujah during a Pentagon press brief on Oct. 23, 2008.

For a few of the CLB-5 Marines, who came from Camp Ramadi to help with taking down the berm, the project has been a bit nostalgic.

Spencer has seen the evolution of the Marine Corps’ presence in Iraq from the beginning. He helped build up the coalition footprint in Anbar, including berms like the one along Wolverine Way. Now he is tearing them down as the country transitions back to Iraqi control.

“I was here in [Operation Iraqi Freedom 1] when we put the berms up,” said Spencer. “It’s good to see it coming down. It’s good to see us getting ready to demilitarize some areas — give some areas back and wind down [operations] a little bit.”

DVIDS
By Cpl. Daniel Angel
I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward)

Fallujah community members can look outside each morning and see signs of change in their neighborhoods. Small, but significant beacons of hope are brought on by new construction projects appearing all over the city.

To aid a city rising from the ashes of war, Marines with Detachment 3, Civil Affairs Group 3, Regimental Combat Team 1, met with Iraqi contractors and construction workers July 5 to continue to help facilitate the laborers’ efforts in building a new school for the children in the Abu Saleh area of Fallujah.

The new school will replace the older one that was falling apart due to weather and collateral damage inflicted during battles between insurgents and coalition forces.

The detachment oversees reconstruction projects such as this one, in hopes that the children in Fallujah can return to school and lead a normal life.

“The old building was falling apart and students couldn’t go to school when it rained because the teachers were afraid that the roof would collapse on them,” said Lance Cpl. Greg W. Holt, a 19-year-old civil affairs operations assistant from Auburn, Calif.

The school will include two floors and 12 new classrooms, and house up to 350 students in Kindergarten through sixth grade.

Marines with the civil affairs group have been coordinating for months with the school headmasters and the Iraqi administration of education to ensure the new building will be a success for the students.

The detachment also took the time to meet with “Brothers for Building,” a company that works hand-in-hand with Marines from RCT-1 and the Iraqi administration of education.

“We have started working really closely with the Iraqi government so eventually they can take over future projects such as this one,” said 2nd Lt. Michael B. Robison, Detachment 3’s team leader from Sierra Madre, Calif. “This project is an example of a patronage project where a tribal leader spearheads an activity to help a community.”

A Sheik and tribal leader known by coalition members as “Dark,” owns the building company and has worked with Marines in previous years to help with several similar projects.

The Fallujah City Council votes on building plans and takes bids from trusted contractors. The Marine Corps has worked with the Iraqi government, ensuring workers are up to standards. Now, Marines are hoping the torch will be passed, and that the Iraqi government will take charge of future projects.

“We hope to get the local people less focused on the Marines helping them, and look to the Iraqi government for support for the community,” said Robison.

The school’s construction is scheduled to be finished Aug. 20.

DVIDS
By Cpl. Chris T. Mann
Regimental Combat Team 1 Public Affairs Office

Only a short time ago the city of Fallujah served as stronghold for insurgents. Daily skirmishes, improvised explosive device detonations and public unease made operating a business in the city very difficult.

Today, with improved security throughout the region, the low price of 4,000 dinar, or $3.50, will purchase a full meal at the recently established Kentucky Fried Chicken in the Hey Al Dubat area of the city.

The KFC is the first to open for business in the city. Before improved conditions in the city, insurgents threatened business owners, demanding money to support acts of terrorism.

After a quick visit to the Fallujah Business Center during routine operations July 16, Marines with Regimental Combat Team 1″™s Security Platoon and with Information Operations, talked with employees at the franchise to evaluate its success.

“We stopped to check up on the KFC to see how things were going,” said 1st Lt. Michael C. Bryant, platoon commander with Battery M, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, RCT 1. “You can tell that the area is returning to normal, especially when you see fast food places in the area doing so well.”

The restaurant has several employees, and three that work full time. Employees there serve an average 25 customers per day.

The Marines often take time to assess economic progress and gauge community activities during missions in the city.

After several short conversations with employees and patrons, the Marines ordered food to take back to Camp Fallujah for lunch.

“I think it is awesome to see a business doing so well in Fallujah, and not have to worry about safety or corruption,” said Bryant, a 25-year-old from Colorado Springs, Colo.

Security over the past several years has reached an all-time high in Fallujah and many of the surrounding areas. The increase can be accredited to coalition forces conducting patrols and security missions, as well as Iraqi police and Iraqi army retaking control of a majority of the Anbar region.

“I remember when I was here last in July 2004 and things were much different than they are now,” said Sgt. Steve J. Arnoux, a 25-year-old vehicle commander from Browning, Mont. “When we would go out on convoys in the city, the attitude was a lot different. It seemed like we were just waiting to get ambushed. Now we stop at KFC.”

Citizens of the area can now work steady jobs, where as prior conditions kept many from even coming to work on a daily basis.

“I love the work here, because we have the opportunity to go to work every day,” said a KFC employee.

DVIDS
By Cpl. Chris T. Mann
Regimental Combat Team 1 Public Affairs Office

Albu Hawa, a small sub-tribe south of Fallujah resides in a farmland district that lines the Euphrates River. Only a year ago, it was a rural battlespace with daily violence that harbored al-Qaida terrorists.

Known as one of the last strongholds for al-Qaida, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines performed operations during last year’s deployment to rid Albu Hawa of terrorist activity. This year, the battalion has returned to the area and witnessed the progress of this farmland community from when it was plagued with everyday violence. Now with terrorism on the brink of defeat, Iraqi Police have developed a strong presence in Albu Hawa and the area is dramatically safer for the citizens.

Now that there is security in the area, Coalition forces are working with the local leaders of the administrative council to improve living conditions and attend to the needs of the local people.

Civil Affairs Team 3 in direct support of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines, supervised the construction of a new medical clinic, which opened, July 3.

1st Lt. Michael Robison, team leader of CAG 3, said his team provided overwatch for the project completion and more importantly, helped build a relationship between Albu Hawa and the local Iraqi government.

“The people of Albu Hawa have noticed that things are improving,” Robison said. “We’re giving this community something to be excited about. This clinic gets them excited about their future and the government of Iraq.”

The medical clinic serves the people of Albu Hawa five days a week and it is staffed by nurses from the local community. With the help of CAG 3, the Albu Hawa administrative council has the support of the local Iraqi government and Iraq’s Ministry of Health.

“(Albu Hawa administrative council) is currently working with the Ministry of Health to increase the staff,” after the clinic opened with three nurses, Robison said. “The ministry currently supports the clinic with salaries for the staff and medical supplies. The clinic has what it needs to provide people with basic medical care.”

The Albu Hawa administrative council celebrated the clinic opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and has been open to the public since then.

“Rather than having the Marines coordinate (projects), we’re helping the Iraqis work with their own government,” Robison said. “At some point (the Marines) are going to be gone and the local sheiks are going to have to fix their own problems. They have to learn the system and learn how to go to the right people to make things happen.”

Robison said that the Albu Hawa administrative council is progressively getting the recognition they need to during the reconstruction phase. While security is stabilizing, the tribal leaders can shift their focus on the development of the community.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” Robison said. “We have a community that was afflicted with violence and now they’re seeing security and things are starting to pick up. They’re able to focus on other basic things such as medical facilities, schools and water – and lately, the administrative council has been able to accomplish many things.”

MNF-I
By Cpl. Chris Lyttle
Regimental Combat Team 1

Marines geared for war walk in tactical columns through the once mean streets of Fallujah, ready for what may lay around the next corner.

“Mister, mister shokalata! Shokalata!”shout exuberant children from a crowded neighborhood as Marines and Iraqi police pass out candy.

Marines with Company B, Police Transition Team 8, Regimental Combat Team 1, have been working diligently over the past few months to help train Iraqi police to take over their respective areas and become self-supportive in day-to-day operations in the city.

Recent increases in the number of Iraqi police have drastically subdued the violence in the city.

According to the Fallujah headquarters Chief of Police Col. Faisal, the number of Iraqi policemen has increased this year by more than 1,000 officers, and that is why security is better than it has been in four years.

“These guys are going out on a daily basis by themselves and coming back with suspect arrests,” said Lance Cpl. Andrew L. Walker, a 20-year-old police transition team member from Crane Hill, Ala. “For the most part, they are doing a really good job with many of the issues going on here.”

Marines with the transition team spend time mentoring Iraqi police and work with them to control the Mauallimeen area. Joint patrols in the city work to strengthen relationships with the IPs and Marines, and offer Marines a chance to evaluate how the police operate in various situations.

Team members work with the IPs and teach them specific weapons skills and how to handle their issued pistols and AK-47 assault rifles safely. Lessons are given on a weekly basis inside classrooms at police headquarters, which teach IPs fundamentals of marksmanship and how to function together as a team.

“The IPs are well trained in individual actions and capable of planning and conducting their own operations,” said Sgt. Stan C. Theisen, a 28-year-old platoon sergeant from Warren, Mich. “When we go on patrol, the IPs function the same a way a Marine Corps rifleman would.”

Iraqi Police are now fully functional 24-hours a day and remain alert for any situation that could arise in the city. The communication between local citizens and the IPs have allowed the IPs to regain control of many neighborhoods in the Fallujah area.

Many areas have bulletins posted on buildings and street corners that have the contact numbers for IP stations. Phones at Fallujah stations remain busy, as locals report suspicious activities to officials.

“We have made significant progress over the past few years, but there is still a lot of room for improvement to be made,” said Theisen. “The IPs still need work on learning that they have a chain of command and how to use small unit leadership.”

Police facilities at headquarters district now have commodities such as air-conditioning and electricity, as well as newly-built structural amendments that have given IPs a safer place to work.

Police use their own vehicles to patrol streets and check for unusual activities reported by civilians on a nearly daily basis. This month, 23 more vehicles have been put into operations to help strengthen security on the streets.

“We hope to one day see the Iraqis training themselves, instead of them relying on us for their training,” said Maj. Eric P. Dominijanni, police transition team leader, 35, and native to Forest Hills, N.Y.

Every day, new steps are being taken towards progress in the city. With the coalition forces’ guidance, the Iraq police are ensuring the safety of its community, and in hopes of one day becoming stand-alone, bringing Fallujah back to a state of normalcy.

MNF-I
By Cpl. Chris T. Mann
Regimental Combat Team 1