This is outstanding! I hope the kids have a lot of fun and it brightens their lives and their communities.

More than 400 soccer players from across southern Baghdad crowded a chalk-lined soccer field in the Aamel community to kick off the opening ceremony for the Rashid Olympics June 14 only minutes after the Iraqi National team defeated China in the Asia Championship tournament.

Approximately 332 teams from 14 communities began the soccer tournament, which will take place across the district over the next three months until a champion is crowned at the closing ceremony in September 2008.

“The ceremony went well,” said Capt. Thao Reed, the commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. “It exceeded expectations and it was all coordinated by the local governances from the areas.”

As the military liaison for the event, Reed provided little assistance to the District Council and the Neighborhood Councils in Rashid.

“We are very, very proud of how the district councils coordinated with the Iraqi Security Forces for the opening ceremony,” Reed stated. “They planned, secured, and coordinated all aspects of the event. It was a very well-done Iraqi-led event.”

There was very little involvement on the part of Coalition Forces, explained Reed.

“What the councils are doing for people is good,” Reed explained. “It was a very professional environment and everyone had a good time.” Soldiers from the 43rd Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division provided security for the opening ceremony.

“This is the first time that all the communities in the district have gathered together,” said Col. Haythm Abedal Khather, the commander of the 43rd Bde., 11th IA Div. “Events like these put hope in the hearts of Iraqis, and makes them united.”

The tournament took place on an important day for Iraq because the Iraqi National Team won today, said Habeeb Lafta, the Rashid District Council Sports director.

“The champion will gather the hearts and minds of the players because they choose the sports instead of violence,” Lafta stated. “I believe these kids will be the future of Iraqi soccer.” Before the ceremonial kick off to initiate the game, each team proudly displayed Iraqi flags while chanting the names of their communities.

“We were very glad to get the uniforms, and we are ready to start the tournament,” said Arkan Kadhim, a player for the Forat team.

“We are so happy the Iraqi National team won today,” added Hesham Kareem, player from the Aamel community. Events for young girls are tentatively scheduled to begin in July, said Reed.

This winter season in Iraq will bring a few indoor sports to the youths of Rashid, such as ping pong, basketball, and boxing.

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Spc. David Hodge
1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., Multi-National Division – Baghdad

DVIDS
By Spc. Nathaniel Smith
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs

Since 2003, people all over Iraq have been looking for signs of improvement in the establishment of essential services and the security necessary to return to a normal life.

On Feb. 25, they didn’t need to look any further than in Doura, known as the “Heart of Darkness,” where the Bilat primary school opened – thus paving the way for a better future for the children of Baghdad.

(more…)

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Approximately 60 detainees graduated during an afternoon ceremony Dec. 12 at Camp Bucca’s Hasty School Complex.

The detainee students spent seven weeks studying Arabic, English, math, science, geography and civics at a first to third-grade level.

Lt. Col. Andrew Wichers, 391st Military Police Battalion commander, Col. Jim Brown, Task Force Bucca commander; and Sheik Abdul Sattar, Bucca cleric and program designer, were keynote speakers.

“This is a great day for Iraq,” Brown said. “You will be able to leave here with a graduation certificate and you will know that your time here at Bucca was productive for your future and the future of Iraq.”

The Hasty School Complex is part of a Task Force 134 program designed to educate detainees in order to help them obtain the tools necessary to continue their education upon reconciliation and to better themselves through learning.

“Many of those we hold in the detention facilities are illiterate, disillusioned and angry, and some have become security threats to Iraq because they felt they had no other way to make a living or were influenced by radicals,” said Maj. Gen. Douglas Stone, the Commanding General of Task Force 134. “The educational programs can provide detainees with a basic education and an opportunity to succeed when they are released. We are helping them learn to read, write and be productive in a non-aggressive environment.”

The ceremony marked the first graduation from the complex, where the detainees attended classes in the facility they helped build. Construction began Oct. 7, when classes were held in tents with desks and stools made by the detainees. The school then moved into a building made from a combined effort of Coalition forces and detainees.

“For the U.S. Soldiers, this experience has been very rewarding,” said Cpl. Chris Cowgill, 181st Field Artillery Battalion. “The detainees have expressed how appreciative they are of the opportunity they have and the amount of effort they put in to get the school up and running.”

Other educational initiatives include the Inner-Compound School which is taught by both hired and detainee teachers in 17 compounds to more than 3,000 detainees at Camp Bucca, and a work and vocational training program that enables detainees to send money home to support their families.