Dear Interested Reader,
Proud to showcase outstanding Senior Airman Ashley Tubbs, named SF Airman of the Year! Solar powered clinic in Ameriya can run for 72 hours on 10 hours of sunlight. Agricultural team working towards a promising fish harvesting project. Children smile as a new elementary school opens in Kirkuk province. IP complete Lifesaver and Basic Combat Lifesaving Skills courses. Suspected criminals detained and weapons caches seized. In Afghanistan, CF and Afghan NP vaccinate hundreds of livestock.
Joanna
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Jan. 18, 2009
Blackanthem Military News
Eglin cop earns Air Force award
By Noel Getlin, 96th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
AF Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz congratulates Senior Airman Ashley Tubbs, named SF Airman of the Year, during the general's visit to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., Jan. 9.
(Air Force photo by Bruce Hoffman)
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - Senior Airman Ashley Tubbs didn't join SF to change tires and work on vehicles. But that didn't stop her from taking those duties in stride during her deployment in Iraq. For awhile, her sqdrn didn't have vehicle maintenance, "so we became mechanics also," Airman Tubbs said. "I was in charge of the vehicles, so whenever anything broke, I had to fix that. I had no idea what ball bearings were until then." And when ordnance was found in off-base housing here, she helped evacuate the area, and called in the authorities to remove it and ensure the safety of residents.
It's that kind of flexibility and leadership that resulted in the AF selecting Airman Tubbs as the 2008 Air Force Outstanding SF Airman of the Year for the period of Oct. 1, 2007, through Sept. 30, 2008. Words such as "brilliant and charismatic leader" dot the award nomination submitted for Airman Tubbs, who seemed a little embarrassed by all the fuss. "It's just an honor to hear things like that," said Airman Tubbs, smiling shyly. "I couldn't do it without the leadership and my peers around me helping me." Supervisor Tech. Sgt. Elizabeth Staub has high praise for the modest airman. "Senior Airman Tubbs is a pleasure to work with," she said. "She always has a smile on her face and kind word to say."
During her 12-month deployment, she was part of the AF Police Transition Team, and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for her efforts. She instructed IP on law enforcement ops, and trained and mentored more than 3,000 recruits toward independent ops.
Airman Tubbs also received the Combat Action Medal after actively engaging the enemy on 3 IED strikes resulting in zero sqdrn or bn casualties. Her first experience with an IED came 2-1/2 months in country during a convoy. The second vehicle, the one Airman Tubbs normally would drive, was hit by the IED. Luckily, the convoy was close to its destination and no one was injured. A fellow airman was videotaping when the incident occurred.
"It was an interesting time because our video ended up going to Balad, and it was used for a training video because we all got out of the kill zone in 10 seconds, which is faster than most," Airman Tubbs said.
Airman Tubbs has had a stellar year. In August 2008, she also won the Lance P. Sijan Award, which recognizes those "who have demonstrated the highest qualities of leadership in the performance of their duties and the conduct of their lives," according to the citation. During his visit to Eglin AFB Jan. 9, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz presented Airman Tubbs with a cmdr's coin.
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Multi-National Corps - Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Camp Victory
APO AE 09342
Solar-powered clinic officially opens in Ameriyah
BAGHDAD - An anticipated project in northwest Baghdad designed to power a clinic with the sun's rays was officially completed and marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony Jan. 15, in the Ameriyah neighborhood of northwest Baghdad. The staff at the Ameriyah clinic is now capable of treating patients and delivering babies at any time of the day.
Although the clinic has been running on solar power for a few weeks, the clinic staff and supporters of the project wanted to display the project in a ceremony. Before the installation of the solar panels, which were installed in late November, the clinic could only operate in daylight hours and relied heavily on the national power grid. That meant if Ameriyah citizens needed urgent care or expecting mothers went into labor in the middle of the night, they couldn't go to their local clinic but had to be transported to a location further away.
The 32 solar panels installed on the clinic's roof provide power to the key portions of the clinic, to include the labs, the birthing section and the refrigeration units for vaccines and other medical supplies. Because the clinic staff did not have refrigeration for vaccines, the items had to be kept on ice. When the vaccines started to go bad, the staff had no choice but to destroy them without use.
"Since this is the only clinic available for the citizens of Ameriyah, and Ameriyah is one of the safer places in Baghdad, it was ideal to start a project like this here," said Mahdi Johnny, electrical engr and advisor for the project. "This is a critical area that serves about 500,000 people."
Col. Joseph Martin, cmdr., 2nd HBCT, 1st ID, prepares to hand a pair of surgical scissors to Dr. Ibraheem (right), director of the Ameriyah Clinic, at a ribbon cutting ceremony. The ceremony was a demonstration of how the clinic can run for 72 hours powered by 10 hours of sunlight.
(Army photos by Spc. Dustin Roberts)
Dr. Ibraheem speaks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the official opening.
Capt. Kenneth Johnson, surgeon, 2nd HBCT, talks to local Iraqis about solar power.
Col. Gerald Gibbons, ePRT, 2nd HBCT, inspects the solar panels on the roof of the Ameriyah Clinic.
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MNC-I agricultural team working promising fish harvesting project
BAGHDAD - In the 1990s, Saddam Hussein drained Marsh Arab wetlands in southern Iraq to punish locals who had provided refuge to rebels. The results devastated entire villages whose economies relied mainly on the fishing industry. Years later, water is flowing back to the wetlands, but the fish population is still depleted.
MNC-Iraq's agricultural team is collaborating with the GoI in an effort to revitalize the fishing industry in areas where the fish population was decimated. For the next month, the MNC-I C9 agricultural team and Iraqi biologists will go fishing in Victory Base Complex's lakes, including the moat that surrounds Al Faw Palace..
Their catch - 3 rare species of male and female fish will be transported to the state fish hatchery in Sewara, in Wasit Province, 65 km south of Baghdad. "The biologists that looked at the fish at Al Faw Palace said that if they could capture a number of these fish, it would revolutionize the fishing industry in Iraq, so they're very excited about it," said Col. Lyle Jackson, veterinary officer, C9 agriculture, MNC-I. "These fish are extremely valuable."
The fish to be harvested are of the Bunni, Shabout and Kattan species, 3 of the types most desired by Iraqis. "The whole population of Iraq favors these types of fish," said Dr. Raffo, veterinary poultry advisor, C9, MNC-I.
Raffo said the genetics of the fish on Victory Base Complex are ideal and can't easily be found anywhere else in the world, as they have been carefully selected and no one has touched, abused or attempted to catch them illegally. The goal is to capture about 150 female fish and 300 male fish of appropriate size from each species by the end of January. "They [the Iraqi biologists] have got a way to get the roe out of the fish and then get the eggs super fertilized, so we get a very high percentage of fertile eggs and a very large hatch," Jackson said. "These fingerlings we produce from this project will be used to restock the marshes in the south that have been devastated by drought and by the previous government," Jackson said. "They're depleted and so those people can't make a living fishing anymore." Jackson, Raffo and the rest of the agricultural team are confident the project's success will be felt nationwide. "We can help the whole Iraqi economy with these fish," Jackson said.
MSgt. David Kidder, ops NCO-in-charge, C9 agriculture, feeds fish of the Shabout species, in an effort to lead the fish from the bridge to the shoreline where they can be more easily captured for the harvesting project.
(Army photo by Spc. Christopher M. Gaylord)
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Village Opens New Elementary School
Children smile for the camera in the village of Atshiyana. The children of the community were invited to a school opening in Kirkuk province.
(Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian L. Short)
FOB WARRIOR — As the security situation in Iraq continues to improve, the number of infrastructure projects around Kirkuk province are on the rise. Local village leaders, SoI members, the school head master, teachers and future students, along with U.S. forces, celebrated one of them - the grand opening of a new elementary school in Atshiyana village, Jan. 12.
Overall, the ceremony was a great success, according to Hawijah council rep Al Hamdany. “Without a school, how can you educate yourself?” he asked. “We now have 240 students who can look forward to a better future because of this school.”
Throughout the day of the ceremony, SoI members distributed goods to the school and children. They passed out more than 400 pencils, 75 notebooks and 100 t-shirts. U.S. Civil Affairs Soldiers joined the locals in the celebration. Having followed the project for more than 3 months, one Soldier expressed his joy for the newly opened school. “I’ve been checking on the progress of this project since October,” said Spc. Christopher Loflin, with Detachment 1, B Co., 490th CAB.
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Jan.16, 2009
Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Phoenix Base
APO AE 09348
IP complete Combat Lifesaver and Basic Lifesaving Skills courses
BAGHDAD – Fifteen IP recently completed Combat Lifesaver and Basic Lifesaving Skills courses, training that could help save a fellow policeman’s or Iraqi citizen’s life in the future.
Soldiers from the 256th Area Support Medical Co of the Florida Army National Guard taught the 4-day course at FOB Shield in Baghdad. Spec. Eric Sullivan, Staff Sgt. Hatchett, and Spec. Jonathan Pollard, a medical specialist, taught the course. The curriculum included tactical field care, CPR, basic first-aid, treating chest wounds, administering intravenous fluid and evacuation carries out of a combat area.
“They were some of the most motivated students I’ve ever had,” said Sullivan. “You could tell they wanted to learn and this was important to them. I have no doubt the knowledge they gained will one day help one of them save someone’s life.”
One of the students, Mohammed, said, “I was so excited when I found out I was one of only 5 from my company to be selected for this course. This is something we really need. We have not had this type of training before.” Mohammed recalled one incident last year when his convoy was hit by 3 IEDs, followed by an ambush. “Life can change in an instant in Iraq. Several of my friends died that day,” said Mohammed, who works in the Iraq Ministry of Interior’s Internal Affairs Directorate. In the past year alone, 82 officers in the directorate have been killed in the line of duty. “We have been suffering for a long time. This course is so important to us because it gives us the skills and know-how to save a life. This is something we have needed, and all of us are very glad to have received this training,” added Mohammed.
Capt. Thomas Larkin of the 256th ASMC, medical officer-in-charge of the Troop Medical Clinic at FOB Shield said, “We wanted to teach them skills, so they will feel competent in treating a casualty and stabilizing the victims to get them to a higher echelon of medical care. We're here to serve the needs of the military and police, and shore up the Iraqi medical system. We want them to feel competent in saving lives when performing missions such as warrant searches for their dept.”
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ISF, MND-B Soldiers detain wanted criminals, find additional munitions
BAGHDAD - Soldiers from Co D, 1st Bn, 505th PIR, attached to 1st BCT, 4th ID, working with IA Soldiers, discovered additional munitions at a cache site initially seized Jan. 15 in the Rashid district of southern Baghdad. Combined caches included 4 57 mm rockets, 8 propane tanks, 3 mortar rounds, 2 IEDs,
IA Soldiers and MND-B also combined their efforts to seize unexploded ordnance, a weapons cache, and detained 4 suspected criminals Jan. 15, in the Saydiyah community of the Rashid district in southern Baghdad.
IA soldiers partnered with Co B, 1st Bn, 22nd Inf Regt, 1st BCT, 4th ID, discovered an 82 mm mortar round, a 60 mm mortar round, an anti-tank mine and several fuses, and detained 4 individuals during combat ops. The suspected criminals were detained on warrants issued by the Baghdad Ops Center.
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ISF, MND-B Soldiers detain suspected criminal, find weapons caches in Baghdad
BAGHDAD - Iraqi SF arrested a suspected criminal Jan. 14 in Baghdad's Rashid district and found weapons caches across Baghdad, Jan. 15.
At approx. 11:45 a.m., Jan. 14 in the Shurta neighborhood, IA Soldiers partnered with Co C, 1st Bn, 22nd Inf Regt, 1st BCT, 4th ID, detained one individual wanted on a warrant issued by the Baghdad Ops Center. The suspect, wanted for murder and insurgent activity, was taken to a nearby JSS to be processed.
At approx. 9:30 a.m., Jan. 15, IA Soldiers seized a cache that contained 60 60 mm mortars, 50 hand grenades, a mortar tube, 2 mortar stands and home-made explosive ingredients, south of Baghdad.
Acting on a citizen's tip, Soldiers serving with Co D, 505th PIR, attached to 1st BCT, 4th ID, working together with IA Soldiers seized a cache that contained several small IEDs made from homemade explosive, a small amount of detonation cord and a magnetic IED at approximately 6 p.m. in the western Baghdad neighborhood of West Rashid. Citizen tips have helped in the seizure of numerous weapons caches in this neighborhood.
At approx. 8 p.m. in West Rashid area, IA Soldiers found a cache that contained a 60 mm mortar, an anti-tank mine and an undetermined number of mortar fuses.
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American Forces Press Service
Afghan NP and CF vaccinate hundreds of livestock
KABUL, Afghanistan – Afghan NP and CF vaccinated hundreds of livestock during a Veterinary Civil Action Program in Deh Rawod district, Oruzgan province, Jan. 11.
The combined forces visited a local village to provide livestock vaccinations to increase the survivability of the herds during the winter months. More than 530 animals were treated by Coalition veterinarians. Villagers also received info on basic herd management, to increase the overall health of the animals.
"This was a great opportunity to help local Afghans develop and manage their herds, which, in most cases, tend to be their primary source of income," said Zemarai Bashary, spokesman for the Afghanistan Ministry of Interior. "Afghan and CF will continue working with the Afghan people to improve opportunities for economic development in Afghanistan."
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