Dear Interested Reader,
IA supported by MiTT 336 delivers supplies to Bestor school. Uday's Bagdad villas demolished for new Saudi Embassy site. Family of KIA Maj. Stuart Wolfer supports Iraqis and deployed military. The 978 MP Co give back to the community. Catholic High of Pointe Coupee in New Roads, La. sends school supplies. In Afghanistan, Taliban cmdr. captured, while Panjshir PRT fosters self-sufficiency.
Joanna
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April 11, 2009
IA Delivers Supplies to Bestor School
By Spc. Debralee Crankshaw
An IA Soldier passes out stuffed bears to children at the Bestor school in Hariwab.
HARIWAB — While many humanitarian missions here only provide supplies to communities, one recent mission also had a message to deliver. IA Soldiers, supported by MiTT 336, delivered toys, school supplies, backpacks, a freezer and a message to the girls, ages 6 to 12, at the Bestor school here, April 2.
The message included lessons on looking both ways before crossing a street, time management and org. These messages are the same ones American children receive. But it was important to Iraqi Maj. Abudil Kareem, the plans dep. officer, for Iraqi children to heed these guidelines as well. “We went to the school because we cannot talk to all the adults, because they are past the phase of learning,” he said. “We went to the school because the children work and build the future. We know they respond because they are children and they are going to follow what we say. They will follow us.”
“This was geared to educate the children of the dangers of running out in the road when convoys are present,” said Maj. Jon Thiessen, MiTT 336 ops officer. “Our vehicles are much heavier than normal road traffic and are unable to swerve rapidly. Anything we can do to lessen the risk of children getting into the roadway is a noble endeavor.”
The school supplies and freezer were delivered to the teachers for distribution, but the toys, including stuffed bears and soccer balls, were given directly to children at the school. The freezer was donated by the IA and the other supplies came from family, friends and volunteer orgs. from the U.S. “All of the items provided to the school came from Americans who care for children,” said Maj. Thomas Acklen, MiTT 336 EO. “The Iraqis are trying to do so much with so little, and we are just trying to assist.”
This trip also strengthened the relationship between the IA and the citizens it serves. “The children are the next generation of Iraq,” said Acklen. “They are the ones that will make Iraq for Iraqis. This occasion was planned to help boost relationships between the youth of Iraq and their SF.”
Kareem said missions like this are important because they demonstrate to the Iraqi people that the IA is not to be feared now as it was under Saddam Hussein’s rule. “I think when we visited the school today we showed them something – we showed the students we are friendly and we want to help them and we want to help their country,” said Kareem. “It helps the relationship between the Army, the GoI and the students. The students will grow up one day and know the Army helped their country, their people and their future.”
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Baghdad Media Outreach Team
Uday’s Baghdad Villas Demolished, New Saudi Embassy Slated for Site
By Staff Sgt. Tim Beckham
Capt. Michelle Sterling goes over demolition plans with her team members, while one of the 3 villas once belonging to bath party members, is being demolished to make room for a new foreign embassy.
(Photo by Staff Sgt. Tim Beckham)
BAGHDAD — It has been said that those who can't remember the past are condemned to repeat it. A group of Iraqi contractors, with the help of a U.S. Airman, are taking a different approach. They're burying the past to rebuild a new future. The past, in this case, are 3 villas located here in the Int'l Zone, 2 of which once belonged to Saddam Hussein’s eldest son Uday. Known for his brutality, Uday often used these villas to torture, rape and murder many of his victims. For the Iraqis still here, the buildings have become an eyesore and constant reminder of the tyrant, until now.
With the help of Capt. Michelle Sterling, Joint Area Support Group – Central project payment officer, the villas are now being demolished to make room for a new foreign embassy. “This villa was once lived in by a bath party member,” said Sterling. “And the villas next door, which we're also demolishing, belonged to Uday Hussein. What we're doing is bringing them back down to a level site. The Saudi’s are actually going to build their embassy here.” As the contracting officer and technical evaluator for the demolition, Sterling has a dual role in the demo process. “Essentially this is Iraqi money,” she said. “It’s an Iraqi project and they came to us and said, ‘please help us meet our needs and our requirements with this project.’ So I'm acting as the contracting officer and as the technical evaluator. In this capacity I obligated the govt. I signed the purchase request and I authorized the change orders.”
The demolition, which should be complete by mid-April, is on schedule, and according to Tommy Tuliao, First Iraqi Construction Co and project manager for the demo, is a very important venture for him and the Iraqi people.
“It's very important for us,” he said. “We are providing jobs to the Iraqis and helping them rebuild their country.”
Sterling said demolishing the villas is not only important to the Iraqis in a business sense, but also in removing it from the front of the Iraqis minds. “He [Uday Hussein] was pretty infamous for how sadistic he was to anybody who wasn’t in his good graces,” she said. “So this is a place where a lot of terrible things happened. And to be able to demolish it and remove it from the Iraqis psyche, I think is important,” she said. “I think it’s a good thing to get rid of some of the more painful parts of their past. You can’t ignore history, especially in this part of the world; but to be able to start over again is important.”
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Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Phoenix Base
APO AE 09348
Family of Major KIA supports Iraqis, deployed military
BAGHDAD – On April 6, 2008, an incoming mortar round hit the Fitness Center on FOB Phoenix in the Int'l Zone (IZ). Army Maj. Stuart Wolfer and Army Col. Stephen Scott were killed in action, and a total of 17 other soldiers were wounded.
For the family of Wolfer, support of the effort since their loss has never been more important. In honor of the fallen soldier’s contributions, Wolfer’s family has continued his community service. They refuse to allow his commitment to his community to be buried alongside him, said Beverly Wolfer-Nerenberg, pres. of the Maj Stuart Adam Wolfer Institute.
“Major Wolfer was involved in a variety of community service initiatives,” said Wolfer-Nerenberg. “While serving in the Green Zone, Stuart was an active member of B’nai Baghdad – a Jewish lay minyan; a liaison to the Iraqi Jewish community; a participant in the Green Zone Council and Iraqi boy and girl scout troop, and a member of the cricket team amongst the multi-nationals of the Green Zone.”
The institute, created in the summer of 2008, is involved with schools, community groups, synagogues, churches and local businesses. Commitment to both supporting U.S. troops overseas and their community service projects is the org.’s goal, said Wolfer-Nerenberg.
Some of the projects supported by MSAWI include Support a Solder Packages that are sent to forward-deployed servicemembers, Cell Phones for Soldiers where inoperable cell phones are recycled and used to purchase calling cards, Soldiers See a Need in support of the community service projects of deployed personnel, and Educational Programming that enhances awareness about the military in schools and communities on Memorial Day.
“The institute seeks to increase awareness of the sacrifices our servicemembers make on our behalf each and every day through educational programs at schools, communities and religious institutions,” said Wolfer-Nerenberg. Members from the Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq have taken advantage of the community service program that MSAWI offers. Iraqi national families have been adopted into the IZ, and basic necessities donated by the org. are handed out by volunteers.
For clothing shipments to refugee camps and orphanages, it is requested that donations are selected with a specific family in mind. The institute also asks that patrons create their own decorations to send servicemembers in holiday packages.
“Reading the letters that Americans write to soldiers overseas has been so rewarding,” she said. “Americans want to support our soldiers. The letters of appreciation we have received from soldiers have been so meaningful. Our very small acts have meant so much to soldiers who receive our packages,” the org. pres. said.
“By helping the local Iraqi nationals, who in many cases have lost their homes and/or their livelihoods, we remember the human toll any war has on the local people,” Wolfer-Nerenberg said. “With all we have, it feels good to be able to help others in real need. These are lessons we can teach to our children.”
A few weeks ago, the president of MSAWI went through stuffed animals with her children and found at least 25 to send to Iraqi nationals. “It was meaningful to my children to realize they can help other children in such an easy way,” she said.
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Multi-National Division Baghdad RSS
Giving Back to Community
Photo by Sgt. Joshua Risner
Spc. Melissa Mancillas, a MP with the 978th MP Co, 93rd MP Bn, mingles with Iraqi children during a humanitarian mission at al Aldara Primary School, March 31. The 978th, along with IP, distributed cookies, notebooks and stickers in an effort to get the IPs more personally involved in their communities.
2nd Lt. Patrick Koerwitz, plt leader, 978th, high-fives Iraqi children.
Sgt. Krystal Tichenor, team leader, 978th, reads from an English book to test the children's knowledge of English. The 978th, along with IP, visited the school and distributed Girl Scout cookies, notebooks and stickers to the children. "It's good to bring a smile to the kids' faces in the community. The interaction between us and the school was a positive experience."
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225th Engineer Brigade RSS
School Supplies Make Unique Journey to Iraq
Story by Scott Flenner
Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Major of the 225th Engr Bde, enters a classroom at the Um Araybia school in western Baghdad carrying a box of stuffed animals he received via donation from the students of Catholic High of Pointe Coupee in New Roads, La. Members of the 2nd Bn, 112 Inf Regt, alongside the 225th Eng. Bde., handed out various school supplies to the more than 450 Iraqi elementary students in attendance, April 5
BAGHDAD – School children made up of 7th and 11th graders in the small town of New Roads La. might not be old enough to join the military, or old enough to vote, but that does not mean they can’t make a difference half a world away in countries such as Iraq.
Students from Catholic High of Pointe Coupee began their endeavor to make a difference by collecting school supplies for the children of Iraq. The Louisiana students amassed backpacks, pencils, notepads, soccer balls, stuffed animals and other school supplies that the children of Iraq need.
The English teacher organizing the drive, Brandy Gosserand, has a unique connection to the children of Iraq. Her father, Command Sgt. Maj. Joe Major currently serves here with the 225th Engr Bde. Major helped organize the delivery of the donated items. “As a school teacher, my daughter naturally feels the need to help the children of Iraq,” explained Major. “Just like I would expect from my daughter, she crafted a project to teach her students how to share and provide for the needy.”
The deployed Louisiana National Guard Unit, 225th Eng. Bde., from Pineville, La. received the more than 14 boxes of supplies for the children. A plan to choose a school and distribute the supplies was formed, and on April 5 that plan was executed. Members of the 2nd Bn, 112 Inf Regt, alongside the 225th Eng. Bde., traveled to the Um Araybia school loaded down with the supplies they had just received and distributed the goods between the more than 450 Iraqi elementary students who attend the school. “These supplies are very important for the kids and for their future,” said Major. “Seeing the smiles on their faces was worth all the effort.”
The sight of the excited young Iraqi children spread contagious smiles for everyone involved in the supply drop, even to the face of their headmaster. “What happened today brings all of us happiness,” said the headmaster. “Happiness for the kids is my happiness.”
Sgt. Natasha Green and Chaplain (Maj.) Jeff Mitchell, both members of the 225th hand out school supplies to the students.
Students show their excitement while they wait for their newly arrived school supplies to be distributed.
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Rural Location
U.S. Army 1st Lt. Nick Ouimet from 1st Bn, 24th Inf Regt, 1st Stryker BCT, 25th ID, speaks with a villager from the rural area around Albu Sawwat, on April 3.
(Photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Walter Pels)
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Afghanistan News Center
Taliban commander captured in Eastern Afghanistan
Khost Province - Afghan NA backed by the U.S.-led CF on April 3, captured a Taliban cmdr and 3 other insurgents in Khost province of eastern Afghanistan, said a Coalition statement issued here on April 4.
The combined forces carried out an early-morning raid of a compound in the Lagharah Valley of Khost Province, where they captured a mid-level Taliban cmdr who is responsible for facilitating suicide bombings and placing IEDs in the surrounding area, the statement said.
"Three other militants believed to associate with and aid the Taliban cmdr were also detained," it added. "No shots were fired and no non-combatants were harmed during this op."
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Special to American Forces Press Service
Team Fosters Self-Sufficiency in Afghanistan
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Zachary Wilson
Army Sgt. Ramon Guzman, member of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team, walks past villagers during a site visit in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, March 2009.
(AF photos by Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.)
PANJSHIR, April 6, 2009 – For more than 8 years, the Afghan govt has been building the country from the ground up, using millions of dollars in aid from foreign govts and private groups. In northern Afghanistan’s Panjshir province, however, progress is not measured merely in dollar signs and projects completed. The members of the Panjshir PRT are using these capabilities to move residents toward self-sufficiency.
AF Lt. Col. Mark Stratton, the PRT cmdr, divides his org's mission into 3 areas, each reliant on the other, to accomplish this: developing roads to allow access to isolated villages, ensuring the work within the Panjshir Valley is a “home-grown effort,” and creating conditions that make investment in the area sustainable.
"The people here want and need development," Stratton said. "We really work with the local provincial govt to help build these opportunities that will lead to private re-investment. One way we're doing this is by paving the road to Badakshan and planning for the 'rib roads,' which will connect the people to the rich natural resource supply” in the province.
The team also is working to increase production and efficiency in what the Panjshir people know and do best -- agriculture. Most of the province is dependent on agriculture, so the PRT works heavily in that area with the Panjshir govt as well as reps from the U.S. Agency for Int'l Development, the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, and the USACE.
"We work within the local govt to teach self-sufficiency, as we are not going to be here forever," Army Lt. Col. Steve Lancaster, chief of the Panjshir PRT's civil affairs section, said. A part of that effort is the team's work with a local nonprofit group, the Massoud Foundation, to donate $25,000 in small loans to the people of the Panjshir Valley. If granted, a family receives a $500 loan with zero interest. "This will allow a person to buy a cow, start a business, whatever they want to do to take care of their families," Lancaster said.
The program is managed with the Panjshir Valley's Massoud Group, which has an office in every Afghan province. "This is all about putting money in the hands of the people," said Sadiqi, dir. of the Panjshir Valley Massoud Foundation. "It's really a small investment that people can use to start their own businesses -- there is no set payment plan, but after 6 months, they should be able to bring back the $500. We don't charge them interest, and we'll loan the money back out to the next applicant."
Other projects include the development of chicken-raising programs, which allow women to receive 12 chickens to produce eggs that they can sell to their neighbors. Lancaster also is working with local officials and his U.S. Agriculture Dept counterpart to develop crop projects that use dynamic growing techniques, such as row cropping and drip irrigation. These techniques improve the survivability and validity of various fruit trees and wheat fields, which can then be transplanted around the province to provide more crops, and thus, more income.
"The governor's main focus for this year was agriculture," Lancaster said. "We're hoping that we will be able to teach them to grow enough crops to not only sell to neighboring countries for money, but also be able to keep some of what they grow for their own uses."
For Army Sgt. Michael Kelly, who serves on Lancaster's civil affairs team the opportunity to take part in these unique projects has been a valuable experience. "It's very fulfilling to me to help people in their time of need and during emergencies," said Kelly, who also serves as a humanitarian aid requisition, distribution and storage NCO. "Agriculture is a priority of what we do here, and it's been an extremely unique experience working here, when you look at some of the other things I have done in the Army."
AF Lt. Col. Mark Stratton, cmdr of the Panjshir PRT, talks to villagers about a micro-hydro pump in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley, March 2009. The pump uses water to create power for the village.
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Photos from dark blue world gallery (Afghanistan)
U S Army Col Kevin Owens, center, cmdr of the 173rd Abn Bde interacts with his soldiers in Shah Wali Ko.
SSgt Matthew Sheppard of Co A, 1st Bn, 325th Abn Inf Reg, prepares to move out on an improvised donkey convoy near Lwar Kowndalan, Oct 4
U S Army Lt Col Bert Ges, TF Gundevil cmdr, discusses issues with village elders during a shura held in Gumbad, a small village in Shah Wali Kot District, a district in northern Kandahar Province
S Marines of the Kilo Co, 3rd Bn, 3rd Marine Regt patrol through the countryside in the vicinity of Methar Lam
10th Mtn Div soldiers stand by as a CH-47 Chinook helicopter delivers supplies during Op Mountain Resolve. The op, which began on Nov. 7, is currently taking place in eastern Afghanistan's Kunar and Nuristan Provinces. (Army photo by Sgt. Greg Heath, 4th Public Affairs Detachment)
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