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

3rd Battalion, 6th Marines augmented by civil affairs teams are continuously working with Fallujah City Council members, local tribal leaders and local citizens to carry out projects in an effort to improve the city’s infrastructure.

Civil affairs leaders and Army Corps of Engineers met with the city council’s director generals today, to talk about projects that will provide key services throughout the city, such as improving the water distribution systems.

The city is now in the planning stages of establishing a new water distribution network. 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines recently approved a project to purchase needed parts for a water treatment facility, which will service the majority of Fallujah. Right now, the facilities have inoperable pumps and other parts that are in a state of disrepair. The installation of new pumps and filters at the Azerghia water treatment facility will bring the facility back to its previous prewar output capacity.

“The initiative to solve all water problems for Fallujah lies in the pipe network,” said Chief Warrant Officer 2 Shane Duhe, Civil Affairs Team 5 team leader. “When the pipe network works properly, the water treatment plants already established along the Euphrates River will certainly be able to support all of the city’s needs.”

Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Teams introduced reverse-engineering concepts to the directors that are currently being developed. Reverse engineering concepts that the Army Corps of Engineers use will spare the expense of rebuilding existing facilities, thus saving money and labor time.

Another high priority on the Fallujah City Council’s list is the Telecommunications Headquarters in the city. Up to 45,000 citizens will benefit from having land line telephone service at their disposal.
“Over the past five years, many services have been degraded,” Duhe said. “Phone services are important to all citizens in Fallujah because they need to be able to call emergency services and police hotlines. This has a direct impact on local security.”

Civil affairs teams continue to work on projects to facilitate the reconstruction of basic needs such as water, sewage and electricity. Their mission is to assist in transition by working with the local Iraqi government to build strong infrastructure for Fallujah.

DVIDS
By: Cpl. Chris Lyttle
Regimental Combat Team 1

The halls remain empty, the sirens are silent, the only thing collecting on the floor is dust from the staff walking in and out; boredom is consistent, and no one is complaining.

This is the state of one of the U.S. forces most actively used hospitals in Iraq, Fallujah Surgical. Fallujah Surgical, once a frequent stop for combat casualties, is no longer treating many injured warriors in combat due to the sharp decrease in violence in al Anbar province, but is instead a clinic treating common day-to-day injuries. The sign outside the emergency entrance, although minute, has big meaning… “No blood needed at this time.”

According to reports, May of 2008 held the lowest number of coalition casualties since 2004. Much of that can be contributed to the combined efforts of local sheiks, Iraqi police, Iraqi soldiers, and coalition Forces in quelling the violence.

Gen. David Petraeus, commanding general of the Multi-National Forces – Iraq, stated during his report to congress, Sept. 10, 2007, that the most significant development in Iraq was the rejection of al-Qaida by tribal leaders, and how it has shown dramatic changes in al-Anbar.

“A year ago the province was assessed ‘lost’ politically,” he said “Today, it is a model of what happens when local leaders and citizens decide to oppose al-Qaida and reject its Taliban-like ideology.”

Tribal leaders realized that al-Qaida was lying to them about American forces wanting to occupy their land and destroy their mosques, spawning “The awakening” amongst 41 tribes.

“The awakening was not our move,” said Lt. Col. Bill McCollough, the regimental tribal engagement officer, with the Regimental Combat Team 1. “The tribal leaders and people stood up and said, ‘we cannot tolerate what al-Qaida is doing to us any more.’ We had made overtures to them, but they had to come to the final decision to join us in the fight against al-Qaida. Once they did, we built a partnership to rid al Anbar of the murder, terror and lawlessness of al-Qaida.”

The Marines in Fallujah through recent months have been progressively pulling out of the city leaving only a small contingent of Marines mentoring and assisting the Iraqis to help take control over the city of Mosques. These changes have helped make Fallujah a much safer place for coalition forces and the citizens of Fallujah, leaving coalition hospitals a much more mundane place of employment spent waiting rather than acting.

“The no blood sign is a dramatic change from last year, we don’t need any blood, we don’t have any patients that need it,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Leticia Ruenas, a 30-year-old hospital corpsman at Fallujah Surgical from Pico Rivera, Calif.

Ruenas worked at Fallujah Surgical from September of 2006 to March of 2007.

“We put that sign up last year because we were in constant need of blood. I looked at the log book from last year, for a period of time it was either everyday or every other day that we needed to tap into the blood bank. Since we got out here we haven’t had to use it once,” she added.

In a job where boredom is looked at as a good thing, the hospital staff is stuck in a difficult spot, wanting to utilize there skills they have trained on for months prior to their deployment in Iraq, but also hoping never to have to use them.

“I was expecting a lot more before I came out here, but once I got out here I saw how slow it was,” said Hospitalman Oscar J. Castillo, a 20-year old-corpsman at Fallujah Surgical from San Francisco.

Instead of treating mass amounts of combat casualties, the hospital staff trains constantly just incase their skills are needed by one of the many warriors patrolling the streets of Fallujah.

“We haven’t had nearly as many chances to utilize our skills compared to those before us, but we just try and do some surprise drills to keep our guys skills up,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Alisha L. Munoz, a 30-year-old hospitalman at Fallujah Surgical from Yakima, Wash.

Munoz deployed to Baghdad in April 2006 to October of 2007 and received weekly reports concerning the action at Fallujah surgical and can remember avoiding Fallujah and taking alternate routes around it because of the violence.

“It has definitely slowed down a lot since the last time I was here. The young guys were expecting to come out here and be mopping up blood, because Fallujah always had action and always had casualties, but they aren’t seeing anything, ,” she added.

Unfortunately for some, the images of a blood soaked hallway are not images they expected to see, but images they were forced to see when combat was high and Fallujah was overrun by insurgents.

“As far as between now and the last time I was here, it is definitely more relaxed, from having a possibility of a casualty coming in compared to knowing that you were definitely going to see it,” said Fleet Marine Force Chief Jose E. Perez, a 36-year-old hospitalman, from Rio Hando Texas, Fallujah Shock Trauma platoon.

“It was almost every day we had a combat casualty coming through the door. We had one day when patients outnumbered the staff and we had 115 people on staff. I think we had approximately 117 casualties come in that day.”

Since the summer of 2007 and the formation of the Anbar Awakening, monthly coalition troop casualties have been steadily declining; about two-thirds since the summer of 2007, according to Department of Defense records. An RCT-1 unclassified intelligence report revealed incidents in and around the Fallujah area have dropped drastically from around 250 reported incidents in December 2006, to less than 10 in December 2007. Iraqi army and police units have been working hand-in-hand with coalition troops. Iraqi forces have even started to command and control their own operations.

Maj. Gen. John F. Kelly, commander of Multi-National Force – West said he’s amazed by vast improvements across Anbar province, with a sharp drop in violence and continued progress among Iraqi security forces.

“It’s stunning to me how low (violence levels) are,” Kelly told Pentagon reporters from a video-conference center in Baghdad on, March 10.

“When I left here three years ago, you could not go into the cities — Fallujah, Ramadi, places like that — without a rifle company of Marines, and it was a gunfight going in and a gunfight going out,” Kelly said.

However, coalition forces still remain vigilant in their mission at hand, the number of attacks against them have decreased, but haven’t disappeared.

Just as in combat, complacency is never tolerated and one must remain ever vigilant to perform his duties if the situation calls for it.

“You could get real complacent out here; it gets boring sometimes, so we do what we can to keep us busy. It’s a good thing, it means no one is getting injured,” said Castillo.

DVIDS
By Cpl. Stephen M. McGinnis
Regimental Combat Team 1

Coalition and Iraqi security forces are diligently working together to aid Iraq in its pursuit of becoming an independent state. Progress is being made daily with keeping al Qaida in Iraq at bay and transferring security responsibilities to the Iraqi people, allowing coalition forces to transition to tactical overwatch.

An example of such progress is the demilitarization of Fallujah’s new bridge by the Marines of 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, on April 24. Formerly used exclusively for military traffic only, the bridge has now opened its roadways to the rest of city’s populace.

“We’re opening the bridge and the roads up to give the people of Fallujah a sense of normalcy back,” said Staff Sgt. Thomas A. Pieratti, platoon commander, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine’s Jump Platoon.

Opening the bridge has also freed up one of two roads that led from concrete barriers and frequently congested traffic. The barrier removals became a major improvement for local commuters traveling in and out of the city.

Col. Faisal Ismail al-Zobaie, Fallujah’s chief of police, joined the Marines at the bridge opening at 10:30 a.m. and civilian traffic began flowing shortly afterward.

“We’re getting these people back on track to return to their normal lives,” said Sgt. Maj. Rodney A. Robinson, 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines’ Sergeant Major.

With Fallujah police manning a guard-shack on the bridge, Col. Faisal showed Lt. Col. James B. Zientek, 3rd Bn. 6th Marines’ commanding officer, where other policemen would stand post and how they will take the lead in security.

The transition of operations from coalition forces into the hands of the Iraqi security forces is an important step in restoring security to the country. Simple feats such as opening up bridges and roads to the local citizens are a positive sign of a country progressing towards normacly.

“When we give more of the country back to the people, it gives them a sense of pride in that country,” Pieratti said. “That pride will make them more likely to fight for their country.”

That pride is evident through the people of the once war-torn city of Fallujah. With its flowing Iraqi flags at every turn and Iraqi soldiers and policemen in uniform congregating in the city streets amongst the people, the city is showing its hopes for a brighter future.

DVIDS
By Cpl. Sean P. McGinty, Combat Correspondent

Commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Col. Michael McBride, speaks with a shop owner at a Samarra city market in January.

After completion of a recent operation reconnecting old economic partners, the people of the northern-Iraqi city of Samarra can breathe again.

The “Bastogne” Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, recently finished conducting multiple operations that cleared al-Qaida fighters and other enemy extremist from the desert areas west and south of Samarra, including the southern portion of the city.

Over the past year al-Qaida in Iraq (AQI) has had a chokehold on the “Fallujah Road”, the main road between al Anbar province’s population centers and Samarra.

They have operated freely on and around the Salah ad Din Province portion of the route, restricting travel between the two areas.

Al-Qaida had forced civilian traffic to alternate routes, choking this critical economic line of communication. The enemy did this by hijacking and kidnapping drivers; preying upon helpless travelers and truck drivers in the secluded areas of the desert away from security forces.

According to Maj. Jim DeOre, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment operations officer, “this had many Iraqis traveling considerable distances out of the way, forcing them to use a great deal of fuel and energy in the process.

“The restriction of travel on this route strangled the economic growth of the city and its surrounding towns and villages,” said DeOre. “Opening this road displays to the Iraqis that Iraqi security (ISF) and coalition forces (CF) are making positive gains in their efforts to remove AQI’s criminal influence over the people.”

These enemy extremist had smothered this passageway by kidnapping, murdering, and extorting money from any civilians traveling on the route. The emplacement of improvised explosive devices (IED) ultimately made civilian travel on this thoroughfare almost non-existent, according to DeOre, whose battalion controls the area where most of the route runs.

The opening of the route offers more convenient travel for people looking to drive between Salah ad Din and Anbar. This freedom of movement for Iraqis and is attributed to the construction of checkpoints along the route and the establishment of the Sons of Iraq (SoI) groups manning them.

By having a 24-hour, 7-day a week over watch on the route, Iraqi and coalition forces can ensure AQI doesn’t return to the area and terrorize the local populace.

“These security positions deny use of the road to the criminal activity of AQI fighters, thereby making the area safer for people traveling on the road and those who live in the area,” DeOre said.

Captain Nathan Hicks, commander of Delta Company, 2-327, said SoI members in his unit’s area are pointing out hiding places AQI use to conceal their bombs and dangerous weapons. Hick’s unit, responsible for most of the route running into Samarra, routinely speaks with SoI groups in its area seeking out information leading to weapons caches and enemy hideouts.

“The greatest effect the SoI have on the people here is making their homes and towns safer,” said Hicks. “Brave men are standing up SoI groups to deny AQI sanctuary there.”

If coalition forces are correct in their assessment that this route will stimulate the economy of Samarra, thousands of people will see and feel the positive impact. The transport of goods and services will allow the economy growth of the city of Samarra, and the surrounding areas along the route. It will also improve the quality of life for thousands of Iraqi citizens.

One day during the first week of the route opening, a coalition force patrol had counted over 240 fuel trucks traveling on the road.

“Agricultural and fuel trucks travel this route by the hundreds everyday,” said DeOre. “We believe there is no doubt that this movement of goods between the provinces will stimulate the economy of large and small towns along the entire length of the road as well as the cities that are now linked by its opening.”

DVIDS
By Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Doheny
1st Brigade Combat Team,
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Public Affairs

It looks like a nice place to visit. For that, you can thank the United States Marines.

A truck loaded with goods drives onto the infamous “Blackwater” bridge. The bridge once the sight where insurgents hanged the bodies of mutilated American contractors, now acts as a gateway into a thriving marketplace.

Shopkeepers in the Andaloos market district of Fallujah sell their wares. These same streets that once saw bitter fighting between Marines and insurgents, now boast a thriving marketplace.

Just mentioning of the city of Fallujah conjures up images of a devastated city ripped apart by the horrors of war. It was November 2004, there were an estimated 2,000 insurgents infesting the city prepared to fight to the death and it was the Marine Corps’ job to facilitate this. After bitter house-to-house fighting the Marines took the city. In the battle’s wake, laid a city in ruin. Numerous buildings turned to rubble, the streets littered with debris, any form or city infrastructure such as water and power eliminated. It was total devastation.

The Fallujah of today still holds the scars of war. Bullet holes pockmark numerous buildings throughout the city. Yet, out of the ashes of fiery combat a city of hope has begun to arise.

A local resident shops for goods at the Andaloos market. The market has begun to thrive as the city of Fallujah becomes more peaceful.

Fallujah is far from perfect if you look at it in terms of American standards, but considering where it was a few years ago, the city is thriving. “The city has heart and soul; it’s headed in the right direction.” Said Lt. Col. Christopher Dowling, battalion commander, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine regiment, Regimental Combat Team 1.

One of the largest contributors to the turn around is the will of the people. According to Dowling, the people of Fallujah are key in setting the conditions for change. “They need to be willing participants, and the people of Fallujah are willing participants.”

Another indicator to the success of a city is its economic development. Now years later on the same streets that saw the most violent combat, vendors sell their goods. Fishmongers haggle over the price of the day’s catch, a child sells ice-cream, old men sit around and drink tea, and trucks loaded with produce pass under the same bridge where the mutilated bodies of American contractors once hanged. In the very streets that Marines and insurgents once clashed, caravans of cars, trucks, and even horse and tractor drawn wagons move the residents of the city about their daily business.

According to Dowling it has been a slow and methodical process and the success in the city today is due not only to the current Marines and Iraqi security forces who protect the city but also the numerous soldiers, sailors, Marines and Iraqi forces that have come before paving the way for the cities revival.

The fight for the city and the events leading up to today have been costly, expressed Dowling. “The streets of Fallujah are filled with the blood of sailors, solders, and Marines.” And according to Dowling the success of the city today is a “tribute to those young men.”

Fallujah is a city at the brink, the potential for it to erupt into chaos is still present. Yet thanks to the valiant efforts of the soldiers, sailors, Marines and Iraqi forces who have served here with distinction that potential becomes less and less every day. Moreover, the willingness of the people of this once war-torn city to rise up from the fiery ashes of combat and make this city work shows that this city’s future remains bright.

Marine Corps News

This is a fabulous idea and ought to be copied.

DoD
By Norris Jones, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Central District

With a marked decline in insurgent activity in recent months, Fallujah is on the road to a much brighter future.

And the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is overseeing a project helping shine light in that direction.

That work involves the installation of 740 new state-of-the-art solar street lights that are illuminating Fallujah’s main roadways. Currently, the city’s main east-west thoroughfare has the new lights up and functioning. Work in other parts of the city is continuing.

“Residents tell us how much that project means to their community,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project engineer Troy Swofford. “City leaders and the police are thrilled. It’s getting a lot of positive attention.”

Fallujah laborers are digging the holes, anchoring the 9-meter steel poles in concrete, and bolting on the solar panels and lights. Those fixtures, manufactured by a Florida firm, contain a photo-voltaic switch that turns them on at sundown and off at sunrise. The work got under way Aug. 7 and is scheduled to be completed in October. The crew is currently installing about 20 poles per day.

“The project is bringing a ton of smiles to people in Fallujah and benefiting everyone there. It shows them things are getting better,” Swofford said. “You can see other signs of improvement as well. That main thoroughfare, where the new lights are now operating is no longer covered in dirt and garbage. The street curbs have a fresh coat of paint and in various parts of Fallujah, I see new shops opening.”

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fallujah resident office is overseeing 57 projects valued at $117 million. Apart from the solar lights, Swofford is overseeing the $14 million upgrade of Fallujah’s 132kV substation, construction of two new 33kV substations (that work is nearly complete), new feeder lines connecting those substations, and supplies to rebuild portions of Fallujah’s neighborhood electrical network.

Swofford, who has worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 20 years, deployed from the Charleston District. He signed up for a six-month tour but has already requested an additional year of duty.

“This is very satisfying work. You get to see the direct positive impact of our efforts. We’re helping people and the city leaders appreciate what we’re doing,” he said.

“What’s great about the solar street light project is that it will provide clear evidence of how this 21st century technology works in this climate. We’ll know its viability and other Iraqi cities may soon be following Fallujah’s lead,” he added.