 US Military Lead
They load up with pens, pencils, notebooks and any other items associated with learning enhancement, which gives their children a better opportunity to further their education. In Iraq, there is no Wal-Mart, Target or even a supermarket available for every child to get the supplies needed to enhance their learning. On an ordinary Tuesday morning for students at two schools in the northern Iraqi city of Siniyah, students were treated to a nice surprise. On this day, they were greeted by local policemen, city councilmen and Soldiers from Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, who visited the school to hand out much needed school supplies and other miscellaneous items. Although small in terms of what they actually need to sustain a long-term enhancement in leaning, each student was given supplies to show what the commander of the battalion, Lt. Col. Peter Wilhelm, says is, "a small offering to improve ties between local officials and the population." Wilhelm's battalion, although very important to them, is doing much more than focusing on the youth of Iraq. They are involved with issues from security to basic needs of the populace. There are also many projects in place to enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Bayji, Siniyah, Mezra and the other surrounding towns and villages. According to Maj. Brad Mock, executive officer for the Bulldog battalion, "nothing can improve though without the security situation under control." Mock admits that the security situation in his battalion's area of operations is not completely handcuffed, but it is to a point where local leaders are voicing opinions on other issues besides the security of the local populace. "We are now hearing issues on basic needs and economic growth, which something we almost never used to hear," said Mock. "We have seen over the last six months a change from security being the primary concern of the people, to basic needs." Mock points out that, the primary factor in the improvement of the security situation has been the establishment of local Sons of Iraq groups. He said his battalion hasn't changed the way they operated from day one. Mock added that they haven't increased operational tempo or maneuvered manpower to another location to counteract enemy activity in the area. "The data speaks for itself," said Mock. "Every tracking mechanism that we have has shown a sharp decline in almost every category. This is due to the local Sons of Iraq groups in the population centers here." With the improvement in security, the local leaders can focus more on improving the needs of the people. Recent successes for the local city council and its leaders are the beginning of water projects in Bayji, the opening of Market Street and its shops, and the placing of a floating bridge allowing more convenient travel from Kirkuk to the Bayji area. The bridge is just a temporary fix as engineers are in place now, building a more permanent structure that can handle much more traffic than the smaller floating bridge they emplaced. "This bridge is significant because instead of traveling many miles out of the way both north and south to reach the Bayji area, people can now cross at this central location. This should greatly improve trade, hopefully improving the economy in both cities," said Wilhelm. The location of the bridge is near the Bayji Power Plant, which has a main road from Bayji to Kirkuk, Route Cherry. Route Cherry connects directly into the main road running into the heart of Bayji, and according to Wilhelm, "greatly increases the convenience of people traveling between the two oil-connected cities." Even with the security situation improving in Bayji and the surrounding area, security is still the number one priority for the battalion. They still conduct operations to eliminate enemy extremists who hamper the progress of the battalion's efforts. According to the battalion, these "lethal" operations allow them to focus on assisting the Iraqi people. "Yes, we still go after bad guys," said Mock, "but our focus has changed to almost 70 percent non-lethal targeting and 30 percent lethal targets. This 30 percent will probably never change, around here; there is always an enemy to apprehend." Even with the improvements in the Bayji area, the local leaders continue to make efforts to improve the day-to-day life of the people. Wilhelm admits that sometimes, we as Americans overlook the power of making small steps. "In American society everyone wants change right away," he said. "In Iraq it is small step after small step." According to Wilhelm, the local leaders' "small steps" are making a huge difference. "The pyramids weren't built in one day," he added. "Our stone and mortar are float bridges and school supplies." ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
|
