Daily Afghan-Iraq Update/11-06
Photos by Capt. John Stamm
Mr. Moh Abbas, rep. of the Panjshir Ministry of Culture and Info, delivers radios.
Army Staff Sgt. Quezada delivers pencils to children.
A young resident of Yakabed village receives winter clothing.
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Combined Joint Task Force - 82 PAO
Catamount Soldiers Disseminate Radios
ANP help Co D, 2nd Bn, 87th Inf Regt Soldiers distribute radios to shop keepers in the Salar Bizarre, Oct 25.
Dr. Masood, an employee of Ghazni PRT, treats a member of the ANP, who is training on FOB-Ghazni. The clinic was recently re-opened after a 4 month closure due to security issues.
On average, 100 patients visited the medical facility daily. The majority of these patients were women and children. In the past, people would travel from remote locations of the prov. to receive care from the CF clinic. “The majority of the patients were Hazaran and Tajiks who look favorably upon CF,” said Baugh. “Essentially, we closed the doors on our friends.”
FOB Ghazni’s clinic currently has one medical doctor, as well as a midwife who will be able to see patients once the clinic fully reopens. Dr. Masood, an employee of the PRT, has been working at the clinic for the last 4 years. “He’s an incredible asset because he speaks 3 different languages, making it so that he can communicate with the diverse locals,” said Baugh. “Above just working at the clinic, Dr. Masood travels with the team on missions to medical facilities. He has made it a lot easier to conduct assessments of the clinics, and speak with the workers there.”
Traditionally, women and children in this country have suffered because they have the least access to care. “In the past, the women have traveled as far away as Ajristan to seek medical attention from a female provider,” Baugh said.
In general, there are limited resources to people when they go to the clinics in the province. “The big problem is the medications and the level of care,” Baugh said. “Although the standards in the area are steadily improving, the local population associates this place with giving a better level of care. A lot of them are more willing to come in and see us, because they think they're going to leave with better medications and better care.”
“We want to give them a place where they can receive free care,” said Baugh. “This care is going to help build relationships with the public.” To assist with providing care for the people, Dr. Zia Espandii, the only female Provincial Health Dir. in Afghanistan, has offered to provide the clinic with much needed immunizations. “With the immunizations from the health dir., we can vaccinate the kids and reduce the infant mortality rate in Ghazni,” Baugh said.
The clinic is currently open to the local nationals and ANSF members who have access to the FOB. “It’s a win-win for us to provide care to the ANP for 3 reasons,” Baugh said. “One, by treating them it increases their morale, because they feel like someone is taking care of them. Two, if we can immunize them, it keeps them healthy, thus increasing their operational capabilities. Three, with the big push to integrate CF with the ANP, it helps to avoid them getting us sick as well. All it takes is for one guy in the training center to get the flu, and everyone gets the flu. We protect them, and in return we protect ourselves.”
Currently, in a 10-mile radius of the FOB there are 7 clinics, which were built by CF. “The last couple of PRT’s focused on infrastructure,” Baugh said. “We now have more clinics than most places do, which is great, but it’s still not enough … it’s just not enough.”
Bishop Banna, the acting bishop of Basrah, explained that St. Efram is 1 of 2 kindergartens in the country sponsored by the Chaldean Church, to combine children of mixed religions in one learning environment. “They are the future and hope of Iraq,” Banna said of the children. “It’s very important that they grow together with peace, love and good ideas.”
By learning together, children of mixed religions and backgrounds set the groundwork for a generation that is more accepting of its own cultural differences, the bishop explained.
“When you teach children together, they learn to become one nation,” he said. “They learn more about their country and culture, and become united. They learn to love and serve by love and not war.”
As Iraq continues to develop and progress in spite of decades of oppression, violence, and religious conflict, Banna noted that there is more to building a nation than material endeavors. “We now understand how to build bridges and hospitals,” he said. “Now, we need to understand how to build the human.”
St. Efram accomplishes this by introducing its culturally diverse students to a variety of subjects, including art, math, science, music, English, Arabic and other languages. The mixed-gender classes include children from Muslim, Christian and Sabean families. Many former students have gone on to pursue college-educated careers, such as medicine and engineering, and now their children are following in their footsteps. “When they get out, they always have higher grades, because they begin their education early,” Banna said.
Although enrollment is high, St. Efram lacks the classrooms and staff to accommodate all who apply. This year, 250 families wanted to register their children, but the school could admit only 165 students. The other school, Albeshera, has 190 students.
Many impoverished families live in the area and cannot afford to pay tuition, but because some families are able to pay more, the community and church can provide needy children with the opportunity for an early education. “In the future, when these children know someone cared for them, they'll care for others,” Banna said. “It will build the love.”
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MNF-I
As the deadline gets closer for TQ, as it's locally called, to be returned to the GoI, those still left here acknowledge the enormous responsibility they have on their plates, and are experiencing a nonstop operational tempo.
"They have done phenomenal," Lt. Col. David Grant, comm. officer, 2nd Maintenance Bn, Combat Logistics Regt 27 (Fwd), said of the progress his Marines and Sailors have achieved in the cleanup of the Lakeside area of the base since arriving in September 2009.
Although the retrograde and cleanup of the southern expanse of the base is one of the top priorities of the bn, it's not the #1 priority. The bn is ultimately still responsible for providing general combat logistics support to all outlying units within Anbar prov. "The biggest concern is making sure we support the warfighter, while we continue with our cleanup efforts. When we're down to the last toolbox, if a unit needs support at that time, we have to be able to provide that support," Grant explained.
BAGHDAD — A chicken processing plant here recently received aid from U.S. Soldiers who lent their agriculture and engineering expertise to help open the doors.
N. Carolina Guardsmen with 1st Bn, 120th Inf Regt, 30th HBCT, who have agri-business and engineering backgrounds, visited the al-Kien plant near Mahmudiyah to offer advice, and seek ways to help the plant begin ops. Capt. Bobby Lumsden, the bn's ops officer, walked through the plant with owner Rafea Ali to inspect the plant's machinery and the massive coolers that will help keep poultry fresh. Getting the plant up and running will create a market for fresh chicken in the area, and provide farmers with a place to sell their chickens.
"This will be the only factory in the area with fresh frozen chicken," said Lumsden. "Iraqis want very fresh chicken, but their choices right now are canned chicken or chicken that is imported." The plant has the capacity to process 10,000 chickens a month and can employ up to 150 workers. Lumsden said the plant could boost the local economy and attract other investors to the area.
"It will open up this area for more agri-business and, as we have studied, agri-business brings more industry and factories," said Lumsden. "It'll be the first step in the process to bring economic improvement to this whole area." As Lumsden checked out the plant, he had help from 2 subject matter experts in engineering and agriculture.
1st Lt. Joel Pierce is an engineering officer who owns a contracting co. back home, and 2nd Lt. James Bowden, grew up on a large industrialized poultry farm. What the officers discovered was that the only chicken hatchery in the area doesn't produce enough hens to meet the demand of hundreds of farmers in the area. They also discovered some improperly installed steel beams that are bending under the weight of cooling towers on the roof of the plant.
"There were issues about the structure supporting the cooling tower," said Lumsden. "They can operate right now, but they need to fix the I-beams and the ice machine." Lumsden said the American Soldiers will continue to work with the Iraqis to help get the plant up and running. He said he hopes to see the plant processing chickens by the time the 30th HBCT redeploys in a few months.
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MULTI-NATIONAL FORCE-IRAQ
The 3rd Emergency Services Unit arrested a suspected member of the Kirkuk-based VBIED network in southern Kirkuk. Based on a warrant, the suspect is allegedly linked to network members associated with the deadly June 20 VBIED attacks in Taza, which killed more than 90 people.
Near Muqdadiyah, located approx 90 km NE of Baghdad, during a separate security op, the 3rd General Directorate Salah ad-Din Police Unit and U.S. advisors arrested 2 individuals. Acting on a warrant, the security team searched a building for a suspect who is an alleged financial associate of AQI’s Diyala-based VBIED network, but the suspect was not present.
During a 3rd operation, ISF and U.S. advisors searched several buildings near Abu Ghrayb for an individual suspected of manufacturing VBIEDs for the AQI terrorist org. During questioning, 9 individuals were arrested based on statements made to the security team, connecting them to the AQI network suspect.
Staff Sgt. Shad Fowler takes time during the patrol to speak to an Iraqi child during a counter insurgency mission in Baghdad, Oct. 30.
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Laura Wilkinson, local rep for the U.S. Agency for Int'l Development, greets a guest attending the grand opening of Anbar prov's 1st Int'l Trade Fair at the Ramadi Business Center, Nov. 1.
