Al Kareme School Opens In Baghdad

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RELEASE No. 20081211-09
Dec. 11, 2008

Al Kareme School opens in Baghdad

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – The Iskan community of Baghdad witnessed a good day when its largest intermediate school reopened Dec. 4 after an extensive renovation project. Only a decade old, the heavy neglect and abuse of the Al Kareme schoolhouse had left it unusable. Under these conditions, students attending the schoolhouse had to be transported to another location.“The school was so bad that they couldn’t study there, so they transferred 1,200 students to another school,” said Nima Alsiegh, a civil engineer and overseer of the renovation. “There was [sic] no doors, no electricity, no bathrooms, no water and no desks. There was nothing in the school, so they left for obvious reasons.”

Many of Baghdad’s schools are in poor condition – the Al Kareme schoolhouse being one of them. The reconstruction effort of the Coalition forces and Iraqi contractors focused their attention not only on the rebuilding of the school but an added benefit of providing a sense of normalcy and opportunity for local nationals in the area.

“You’d be surprised at how quickly a school can get run down if no one is picking up after the kids,” said Capt. Kelly Lanphere, 4th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, attached to 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad. “Imagine no one taking out the trash and not cleaning up the bathrooms. ‘Where does the trash go?’ They just chuck it outside of the front gate. The school quickly becomes full of trash everywhere, blowing trash, the smell of sewage all over the place from the bathrooms getting plugged up.”

After an evaluation of the dilapidated building, the project took off – three months and $168,000 later, a beautiful school was handed back over to the people of Iskan. The funding came from the Commanders Emergency Relief Program. “We did an assessment, and then the contractors started to work and everything has changed 100 percent,” said Alseigh.

The rebuilding of the schoolhouse also included a large conference theater room. “There is a big theater room for conferences; they changed the doors and glass, rebuilt the bathrooms, put in lights, new paint, a new generator, new flooring, fans and a new sewage system. You name it, they restored it.”

Success like the reopening of the Al Kareme School has made it possible for the CF to maintain security throughout Baghdad. The continuing effort to maintain security and evolving improvements are the defining cause of a greater sense of normalcy and improvement of life.

Source: MNF-Iraq.

May you walk with the LORD always, and when you cannot take another step, may He carry you the rest of the way until you can walk along side Him again.

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New Plant Means Fresh Water For Sadr City

by Kendal Smith
Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

BAGHDAD (Dec. 5, 2008) – For about 2 million Sadr City residents, clean drinking water running through their home faucets was a luxury few had. But now the water is flowing freely thanks to a new U.S. Army Corps of Engineers water treatment plant that was three years in the making. “I am very happy for the 2 million people of Sadr City,” said Iraqi engineer Aqeel Lami who has worked for the Corps of Engineers since the project’s inception.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project engineer Simeon Francis examines filter actuators as they are being cleaned at the R-3 water treatment plant in Baghdad.

“It’s the first in Iraq, fully automatic and with American standards of best quality. We meet the people in the streets of Sadr City, and they are very happy,” he said. “They feel that we are interested in them and their health. We are very proud of the success of this project.”

The $27 million Sadr City R-3 water treatment plant construction began in 2005. The northern Sadr City location was chosen based on a government study of water pressure and supply, said Simeon Francis, a Corps of Engineers water expert. “There is simply not enough water to Sadr City from the Kharkh and Shark-Dijilih water treatment plants for the area,” Francis said.

The plant began operation in mid-June with some interruptions due to power restrictions. Today, R-3 produces 4,000 cubic meters of treated water per hour, providing clean, drinkable water to 27 areas of Sadr City — areas that have had no centrally distributed water. The plant hit full capacity in September, and a performance test in October confirmed the quality of the daily output at 25 million gallons per day. That output equates to clean, quality water for a total of 1.5 million people in Sadr City and Baghdad, Francis said.

The plant will employ 150 people for operations, maintenance and management, said project engineer Roland Belew. “Operating at full capacity, the R-3 water treatment plant drastically increases the potable water to the people of Sadr City,” Belew said. “The plant is operating at 100 percent capacity right now. It’s a great success story for USACE.”

Source: CENTCOM.

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Children Return To Refurbished Kindergarten

by Lt. Col. Wayne Marotto
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division

BAGHDAD (Nov. 22, 2008) — Wurwood Kindergarten School officially reopened its doors Nov. 21 in the Rasheed neighborhood of Salman Pak after a two-month-long refurbishing period. The school has 350 students enrolled, ages 4 to 5 years old, and six classrooms. Prior to the refurbishment, the school could only hold 60 students. The school employs eight teachers, a director and an assistant.

Neighborhood children leave the Wurwood Kindergarten reopening ceremony Nov. 21 in Salman Pak, Iraq. The school completed a two month refurbishment and reopened its doors for students. The Iraqi Army, local Sheiks and Coalition Forces from Task Force 2-6 IN, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division assisted the kindergarten in completing the refurbishment.

“The neighborhood families feel safe sending their kids to the school,” said Nawad Abid Alaziz, the school’s headmistress, adding that the refurbishment flows in synch with the improved security in the area.

Capt. William Richardson, the commander of Company C, Task Force 2nd Bn., 6th Inf. Regt., 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, along with his Soldiers, attended the building dedication ceremony. His unit assisted the Iraqi Army (IA), local sheiks and contractors in achieving their success at the school. “The increased professionalism of the Iraqi Army has made the area more secure,” Richardson said.

The brightly painted and orderly school contrasts to what the building’s condition was a short time ago. Much of the building had been hit by gunfire and was strewn with garbage.

Alaziz led Richardson, along with Iraqi Army officers and local sheiks on a tour of the school. Alaziz said she was pleased with the $80,000 refurbishment and that she watches television and sees American kindergarten schools and dreams of having schools like that in Iraq to educate their children.

“We need more rugs, a hot water heater, space heaters for the classrooms and more furniture,” Alaziz told the group. Richardson said he felt improving education opportunities for the children requires efforts from all those involved.

“Yes, that’s very important because the kids are the future, and with the help of the IA, sheiks and neighborhood, we can make the school better,” said Richardson.

The kindergarten project is part of a larger program in the neighborhood. The overall objective of the Disarmament, Disbandment and Reintegration is to pump $5.6 million in the area to stimulate the economy and provide employment and vocational skills for lasting employability. The money will be spent on seven construction projects, which will include two more kindergarten schools in the neighborhood, a land registration office, roads, a clinic, new fire trucks and new ambulances.

Source: CENTCOM.

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Basrah Gets New Fresh Water Source

by A. Al Bahrani
Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

BASRAH, Iraq (Nov. 9, 2008) — Two million Basrah residents will soon have a more dependable source of household water for cleaning, cooking, bathing, and washing. A $5 million project, scheduled to [be] complete[d] next summer, will connect permanent power to the Sweetwater Canal Pump Station No. 2.

Two Iraqi technicians replace an old valve at one of the intake pipes at Sweetwater Canal Pump Station No. 2 located 90 kilometers from Basrah.

About 70 Iraqis are on the crew installing a new switch gear room, two five-megavolt amp transformers and two new 1.5-megavolt back‐up generators. “The project is directly impacting Basrah’s economy,” said Iraqi engineer Sattar, who works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Local Iraqis are on the construction crew earning steady paychecks and most of the construction materials are being purchased from area businesses,” he noted.

Prior to the war, only 12.9 million people in Iraq had access to potable water. Now, nearly 21 million people do, according to Associated Press statistics. Once complete, the pump station will connect to Iraq’s permanent power grid, lessoning its reliance on generators. “So far, 78 kilometers of 33kV transmission lines and 517 steel pole structures have been installed to provide power there,” Sattar said.

“These upgrades to the Sweetwater Canal Pump Station No. 2 are very critical,” said Taha Yaseen, the facility’s administrator for 11 years. “Without them, the facility would not meet its capacity. Part of the project includes about 500 meters of chain link fence to make the site more secure.” The facility contains 16 major electrical pumps and three additional back up diesel pumps with the capacity of 3,600 cubic meters per hour for each one.

“Basrah has long relied on this two-decade-old pump station to supply its domestic water needs,” Yaseen continued. “Once the work is finished, the pump station will have a reliable power source for round‐the‐clock operations immediately benefitting families in more than 25 area neighborhoods,” he said.

Throughout Iraq the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversaw the completion of 820 water supply projects with another 85 ongoing.

Source: CENTCOM.

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Leaders Celebrate Water Distribution

by Pfc. Evan Loyd
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division

CAMP STRIKER, Iraq (Nov. 6, 2008) – Local sheikhs, Iraqi army and Coalition Soldiers feasted in celebration of a water distribution system now complete in the Mahmudiyah Qada Nov. 4, 2008. “Before this system, some people had no water besides the dirty canal water,” said Sheikh Kagoob Joad al-Merce. “Now many of those people have clean drinking water for the first time in their lives.”

Capt. Benjamin Neasse (from left) celebrates raises a toast with a local contractor and Dean Michael, a bilingual bicultural adviser, to the completion of a water distribution system in the Muhmudiyah Qada Nov. 4, 2008.

Six months ago, coalition forces helped to complete a water treatment plant for the region. The treatment plant could only supply a small amount of water to surrounding area. Dean Michael, from Farmingdale, Mich., a bilingual bicultural adviser with 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division developed [an] underground water distribution pipe system that enables clean drinking water from the treatment plant. This process provides water to more than 30,000 Iraqi citizens.

The project was funded through the Iraqi Commander’s Emergency Relief Program. Coalition and Iraqi security forces partnered to provide security during construction.

“It is good to see the people getting what they need, and I look forward to working with the coalition forces on future projects to improve the Qada,” said Col. Muhammad, commander of the Iraqi army’s 3rd Battalion, 25th Brigade.

This project clearly emphasized to the local citizens the cooperative relationship between the coalition and the government of Iraq. “I am glad I could see this finished. It’s great to see how many people we have helped,” said Capt. Benjamin Neasse, from Murfreesboro, Tenn., civil affairs officer of the 3rd Battalion 320th Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. “This is what I came to Iraq to do.”

Source: CENTCOM.

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Abandoned Carnival Becomes Public Park

by Sgt. Jerry Saslav
MND-B PAO

BAGHDAD (Oct. 30, 2008) – Dover Park, as it is known by Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers, sat abandoned for years. Located in the Qahira neighborhood of Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district, its carnival rides were unusable, and the land was overgrown with weeds. “As I drove by the Army canal every day, I saw this park, and I said, ‘This is something we can do to help the citizens,’” Army Col. John Hort, commander of the 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team, said.

A father pushes his son on a swing at the Oct. 28 grand opening of Dover Park in the Qahira neighborhood of Baghdad’s Adhamiyah district. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jerry Saslav, 3rd BCT PAO, 4th INF. DIV.)

Rehabilitating the park became the mission of Army 1st Lt. Rosita Rodriguez, a civil affairs team chief in Multi-National Division – Baghdad with Company C, 404th Civil Affairs Battalion, attached to the 3rd BCT. Work on the park was completed in two months, and soldiers handed it over to the local neighborhood council Oct. 28.

“This is our first park in Qahira. We never had one before,” said Mohamed Madaloom, the Qahira Neighborhood Assistance Council chairman. The park has a small pond with a generator-run fountain, complete with a flock of geese, as well as benches, solar lights, several swings, slides and seesaws. A tiled path is lined with flowers, and new grass has been planted. A gardener and a security guard will be hired, Madaloom said.

The park is intended to be self-sufficient, and seven small kiosks will be rented to vendors. The rent will provide an income stream to buy fuel for the generator and pay the staff’s salaries and other expenses. “Everybody admires the park. I know the families are so excited to get here,” said Madaloom, who, along with other local officials and coalition forces leaders, gathered for the official handover. Iraqi officials and Hort raised the Iraqi flag to symbolize the opening of the park as doves were released. Some families and their children couldn’t wait; they were already on the rides.

“I’m so pleased; our kids aren’t able to go many places because of the security situation. I am so pleased that we have such a park in our neighborhood,” said Aum Achmed, who was there with her daughter and a niece. “It’s important for every kid to have a place to go to.” The younger set agrees. “It’s good. It used to be awful before. I wouldn’t even look at it before,” said Mostfa, a 3-year-old Iraqi child, before running off to a nearby slide.

Source: CENTCOM.

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New Courthouse Enhances Rule Of Law

by A. Al Bahrani
Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

BASRAH (Nov. 16, 2008) — The people of Al Tanoma, a city east of the Shatt Al Arab River, will soon open a new courthouse in partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Division.

The local Iraqi construction crew is making progress on the new Shatt Al Arab Courthouse in Al Tonoma, Basrah Province.

When the new, modern facility is completed next spring, it will have a direct impact on the rule of law here, said Laith Abdul Sammad, the chief judge on the Basrah Supreme Judiciary Council. This is one of more than 65 courthouse projects throughout Iraq providing a foundation for a strong judicial system; 55 are already complete.

Approximately 40 local Iraqis, including judges, clerks and security personnel, will work at the new facility when it opens next spring. That number is expected to grow once it’s fully operational, said Sammad. “I’m looking forward to seeing this project finished because the 27-year-old existing facility in Al Tanoma is not sufficient for the 120,000 residents of the area,” he explained. “The new courthouse will serve as the central pillar for a fair judicial process, strengthening the community’s pursuit of peace and justice,” he added.

The Iraqi firm building the $1.4 million courthouse is making good progress and the project is 54 percent complete, said Iraqi Engineer Al, the Deputy Area Engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “Currently the 30 local Iraqis on the construction crew are plastering the interior and exterior walls and installing the main electrical panel and wiring,” he noted. The 588-sq.-meter, three-story courthouse compound will feature parking lots, an administrative checkpoint and two gardens, Sammad said. “The local Iraqi crew is taking pride in the work, and the Chief Judge is pleased with the construction quality he’s seeing,” he added.

Source: CENTCOM.

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Coalition Calms Afghan Elders’ Water Fears

by Spc. Mary Louise Gonzalez
CJTF-101

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (Oct. 28, 2008) – People in the rural villages surrounding this former Soviet air base in eastern Afghanistan that’s now being used for the headquarters of coalition operations in Afghanistan have been upset about an enigma surrounding an important creek for some time.

Australian Maj. David Bergman, Mine Action Center officer in charge, and Sgt. 1st Class Jayson Blunck, MAC operations non commissioned officer, stand with village elders over a tunnel for Coyote Creek to run under the flight line at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan Oct. 25. The elders were invited onto the U.S. air field to examine the status of the creek which causes simultaneous floods and droughts to the surrounding villages. (Photo by Spc. Mary L. Gonzalez, CJTF-101 Public Affairs)

Coyote Creek, as it is known on the base, enters the base on the west side of the flightline and then flows through to the east side. Or at least it used to. Six years of dirt and silt have built up on the west end of the creek, causing severe flooding to the western villages, and droughts in the villages on the east side. Many of the local citizens thought this was done purposely by coalition forces to choke off their main water source.

So on Oct. 25, officials from the provincial reconstruction team for Afghanistan’s Parwan province and the Mine Action Center here invited village elders onto the base to inspect the creek and see the progress that has been made to amend the problem. Australian Maj. David Bergman, MAC officer in charge, said village elders were able to see for themselves that the creek had silted up from a long-term blockage to the drain that goes under the runway. “We saw approximately five feet of dirt that is blocking the creek head,” he said. “And what that means is no water can actually enter in the creek and flow through.”

This a concern not only for the local residents, but also for the base, Bergman said. When the west village floods, so does that part of Bagram Airfield and some of its roads and housing, he noted. To eliminate the problem, the MAC burned down the dense plant growth around the creek within the base so the area can be cleared of hidden mines left over from the former Soviet occupation as the first step in solving the problem. “Then we are going to use our demining excavators, which are up-armored, to actually go along the creekline and take out as much silt as we can to allow the water to flow from the western side of the creek through the tunnel under the runway,” Bergman said.

While at the base, the village elders saw various places along the creek where the silt and debris had severely narrowed the creek bed or blocked its path. With all the vegetation burned away, the mess was clearly visible. The elders showed a lot of excitement during the visit. There seemed to be no end to the handshakes, smiles and hugs from the most senior of the elders as they saw something is being done to fix their main water supply.

“From their standpoint, I feel that [the visit] helped them understand and know that we are here to help in whatever capacity we can,” U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jayson Blunck, MAC operations noncommissioned officer, said. “We are truly concerned with the problem of the village not receiving water,” Blunck added, “and bringing them on base helped them understand. Like the saying goes, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words.’”

Source: CENTCOM.

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Security Improvements Spur Resettlement, Reconstruction

by Donna Miles
Armed Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON (Oct. 22, 2008) – Security improvements throughout northwestern Baghdad have prompted reconstruction and residents’ returns to their homes, but the successes remain fragile in light of insurgent cells intent on disrupting progress, a commander in Multinational Division Baghdad told Pentagon reporters. Army Col. William Hickman, who commands the 101st Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, said his soldiers and their Iraqi security partners have “helped bring about big progress” during 11 months in Iraq and set conditions for continued progress. [Could that be the way the Kurds are dessimating the Assyrian Christians? Could that mean the muslims who are trying to force conversions from Christianity to islam, and the death penalty for any muslim who converts to Christianity? WELL, COULD IT?]

Neighborhood leaders address the crowd during a resettlement ceremony in September. Improved security throughout Baghdad has spurred a return of former residents and a rise in reconstruction efforts there.

Speaking from Camp Victory via videoconference, Hickman said reduced violence throughout Iraq is “especially visible in our area.” He cited an 83 percent decrease in attacks throughout the Multinational Division Baghdad area and a 92 percent drop in attacks in northwestern Baghdad since January 2007…All in all, security in the area is vastly improved, as a result of the great work of our soldiers and increasingly competent and capable partners, the Iraqi security forces,” he said.

Hickman noted ever-improving capability within the eight Iraqi army battalions and two Iraqi army brigades with whom his soldiers partner. Operating in the Kadhimiya, Mansour and Karkh security districts, these Iraqi forces are led by “highly competent Iraqi generals who consistently demonstrate their will to deliver security and facilitate reconstruction efforts in northwest Baghdad,” Hickman said.

The “Sons of Iraq” citizen security groups have played a key role in improving security, Hickman said, partnering with Iraqi army and police in their communities to create a more unified security effort and helping to create an environment that supports reconstruction efforts. “Our soldiers, in conjunction with our Iraqi security force partners, have set the conditions for increased positive growth here,” Hickman said. He noted that 1,700 reconstruction projects have been launched since the 2nd Brigade Combat Team arrived in November.

Hickman credited the embedded provincial reconstruction team with delivering capability and know-how to support reconstruction and reconciliation efforts. “With the EPRT, we are focused on extending the reach of the government, providing businesses access to financial capital, and to the development of public work stations” that employ local people to provide essential services, he said. 

As reconstruction continues, 16,000 families have returned to the area, thanks to improved security and the Iraqi government’s support for resettlement, Hickman said.

Also, he said, 2,100 families have returned to the Hurriyah and Ghazalia neighborhoods since Sept. 1. “With our Iraqi partners, we are fully engaged and committed to the security of the Iraqi people and the reconstruction of northwest Baghdad,” Hickman said. “It has been a solid year. … We think we made a difference in Baghdad.”

Source: CENTCOM.

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I-BIZ Program Bolsters Iraqi Economy

by Pfc. Terence Ewings
4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs

COB ADDER, Iraq (Oct. 22, 2008) – Partnering with Iraqi security forces to improve conditions and help protect local citizens means more than just securing the neighboring provinces to the Soldiers of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. Part of the combat team’s mission includes aiding the local citizens in improving their economic conditions as well.

Maj. Tom Osborn, the I-BIZ application manager from Little Rock, Ark, speaks with one of the local national businessmen that attended the Iraqi-Based Industrial Zone program on Contingency Operating Base Adder Oct. 13. The I-BIZ program promotes small business development within the security of a military installation. (U.S. Army Photo By Pfc. Terence Ewings)

Iraqi businessmen in Dhi Qar met with Soldiers from Contingency Operating Base Adder and the provincial reconstruction team at an Iraqi-based Industrial Zone program meeting, designed to promote small business development within the security of the base, Oct. 13, 2008. The program provides a means to directly impact the economy in the Dhi Qar province through employment opportunities, training and mentorship. “This program sets the local nationals here up for success” said Maj. Tom Osborn, the I-BIZ application manager from Little Rock, Ark.

Abdul Jabar Alhadi, a member of the PRT and a business participant in the program, believes this is the type of movement that will help the people in this area. “We need more encouragement like this for our people,” he said. “In order to improve upon our system we need to learn more about it. I am glad that this program is here to reach out and help protect and develop our economic status.”

During the workshop, local businessmen got a better understanding of the opportunities and services in which the base occupants may be interested. The Iraqis also completed applications for their respective businesses, and shared their views on what goods they would like to offer on base.

“One of our main priorities is to make sure that the businesses proposed benefit and facilitate our Soldiers here on the installation,” said Lt. Col. Mark Nelson, the deputy commander of the 4th BCT. Nelson emphasized that the brigade’s mission is securing and improving the conditions here for the people in southern Iraq. “Our Soldiers here are making a difference, and this is just another example of how we are doing it,” said Nelson.

Some of the long term goals for this project are to enable self-sustaining Iraqi owned companies, employ Iraqis in the Dhi Qar province and increase the working class in southern Iraq. Currently, the 4th BCT Soldiers are teaching the local businessmen critical business techniques and skills that will enable the Iraqis to become successful in their future business endeavors.

Maj. Tom Osborn, the I-BIZ application manager from Little Rock, Ark., speaks with one of the local national businessmen that attended the Iraqi-Based Industrial Zone program on Contingency Operating Base Adder, Oct. 13, 2008. The I-BIZ program promotes small business development within the security of a military installation.

Source: CENTCOM.

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