thedrifter
10-27-08, 07:52 AM
Surgeon Takes the Reins on Economic Development in Rural Iraq
10/25/2008 By Capt. Paul Greenberg , Regimental Combat Team 5
CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq — When Navy Cmdr. Dennis McKenna took his Hippocratic oath as a medical doctor in 1992, he vowed to devote his life to improving the welfare of human beings.
In the rural town of Rutbah in Iraq’s western al-Anbar Province, his efforts have gone beyond working with Coalition forces and the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior to reopen Rutbah’s only hospital. He is using his professional experience and business acumen to help the impoverished town establish an economic base, which will serve as a catalyst for overall improvement in the quality of life there.
McKenna, 42, is the battalion surgeon for 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, a reserve unit based in Garden City, N.Y. A 20-year Navy reservist himself, he is currently on a one-year mobilization with the battalion, which is attached to Regimental Combat Team 5.
In his civilian career, McKenna is an emergency medicine physician at Albany Medical Center, Albany, N.Y., where he has worked for 11 years. When not mobilized, he drives 360 miles round trip one weekend every month from his home in Selkirk, N.Y., to attend reserve drills.
“I believe in service,” said McKenna. “I believe you have to give something back, and I love serving with the Marines.”
Although he primarily has a science and medical background, McKenna volunteered to take on the collateral duty as the economics line of operations officer (LOO).
The battalion’s line of operations officers glean from their professional and military backgrounds to serve as advisors for local Iraqi governments in areas such as governance, essential services and rule of law.
“I bring a common sense approach, identifying problems and proposing logical solutions,” said McKenna. “That is what it takes to be a LOO —someone with a real passion for the subject and who is able to present the commander with different options. The lines of operations are about setting the people of Rutbah up for success. We need to find those people, those Bill Gates and Thomas Jeffersons. These people have been reluctant to show their potential in the past because of the situation that existed here for so long.”
The Marines and sailors of 2nd Bn., 25th Marines arrived at Camp Korean Village, about 20 miles from Rutbah, in early October. The first step in making strides towards improving the economy was to conduct an “economic atmospherics” assessment.
McKenna explained that the most important thing is getting out into the community, talking to “the average man on the street,” and getting the whole story.
Escorted by Marines and sailors from Weapons and Golf Companies, 2nd Bn., 25th Marines on a series of security patrols, McKenna made his rounds through the city Oct. 20-21, speaking with Iraqis from all socioeconomic strata to get a clear picture of the overall economic situation in order to determine how he can work with local Iraqi leaders to improve it.
The project is not an easy one, considering the fact that this remote part of the country, about 230 miles from Baghdad, is just beginning to transition to a full-fledged democracy with a free-market economy. More than half the adult population is unemployed. Furthermore, Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces have only recently quelled the violent insurgency which rocked al-Anbar province for more than three years.
“On a macro level, we’re not going to solve all their problems in five months,” said McKenna. “We do, however, have an outsider’s perspective. We can propose ideas that have worked in the States. We make our recommendations so that they can find Iraqi solutions to their problems here.”
When meeting with the Rutbah City Council Oct. 21, Muthana Jubaer Juwana, the city council president, told McKenna that most local Iraqi businessmen with the capital to invest are putting their money into businesses in Jordan and Oman. Juwana alluded to foreign investment in a large-scale business, such as a cement or glass factory, as the town’s main hope to provide jobs.
A local tribal shiek, who was also at the city council meeting, stated that in order for a factory to be successful here, a western company would have to build it, and its operation would need to be supervised, at least initially, by Coalition forces.
McKenna, however, did not agree. “They have the skills and potential here,” he insisted. “They built this city. They have educated people. We just need to focus on establishing a cadre of business leaders who have confidence in their city.”
Without a doubt, McKenna and his fellow Marines and sailors of 2nd Bn., 25th Marines have their work cut out for them. As Coalition forces take a step back and focus on providing mentorship and guidance to the Iraqi Security Forces, it is ultimately up to the people of Iraq to determine what direction their country will take in the future.
Ellie
10/25/2008 By Capt. Paul Greenberg , Regimental Combat Team 5
CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq — When Navy Cmdr. Dennis McKenna took his Hippocratic oath as a medical doctor in 1992, he vowed to devote his life to improving the welfare of human beings.
In the rural town of Rutbah in Iraq’s western al-Anbar Province, his efforts have gone beyond working with Coalition forces and the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior to reopen Rutbah’s only hospital. He is using his professional experience and business acumen to help the impoverished town establish an economic base, which will serve as a catalyst for overall improvement in the quality of life there.
McKenna, 42, is the battalion surgeon for 2nd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, a reserve unit based in Garden City, N.Y. A 20-year Navy reservist himself, he is currently on a one-year mobilization with the battalion, which is attached to Regimental Combat Team 5.
In his civilian career, McKenna is an emergency medicine physician at Albany Medical Center, Albany, N.Y., where he has worked for 11 years. When not mobilized, he drives 360 miles round trip one weekend every month from his home in Selkirk, N.Y., to attend reserve drills.
“I believe in service,” said McKenna. “I believe you have to give something back, and I love serving with the Marines.”
Although he primarily has a science and medical background, McKenna volunteered to take on the collateral duty as the economics line of operations officer (LOO).
The battalion’s line of operations officers glean from their professional and military backgrounds to serve as advisors for local Iraqi governments in areas such as governance, essential services and rule of law.
“I bring a common sense approach, identifying problems and proposing logical solutions,” said McKenna. “That is what it takes to be a LOO —someone with a real passion for the subject and who is able to present the commander with different options. The lines of operations are about setting the people of Rutbah up for success. We need to find those people, those Bill Gates and Thomas Jeffersons. These people have been reluctant to show their potential in the past because of the situation that existed here for so long.”
The Marines and sailors of 2nd Bn., 25th Marines arrived at Camp Korean Village, about 20 miles from Rutbah, in early October. The first step in making strides towards improving the economy was to conduct an “economic atmospherics” assessment.
McKenna explained that the most important thing is getting out into the community, talking to “the average man on the street,” and getting the whole story.
Escorted by Marines and sailors from Weapons and Golf Companies, 2nd Bn., 25th Marines on a series of security patrols, McKenna made his rounds through the city Oct. 20-21, speaking with Iraqis from all socioeconomic strata to get a clear picture of the overall economic situation in order to determine how he can work with local Iraqi leaders to improve it.
The project is not an easy one, considering the fact that this remote part of the country, about 230 miles from Baghdad, is just beginning to transition to a full-fledged democracy with a free-market economy. More than half the adult population is unemployed. Furthermore, Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces have only recently quelled the violent insurgency which rocked al-Anbar province for more than three years.
“On a macro level, we’re not going to solve all their problems in five months,” said McKenna. “We do, however, have an outsider’s perspective. We can propose ideas that have worked in the States. We make our recommendations so that they can find Iraqi solutions to their problems here.”
When meeting with the Rutbah City Council Oct. 21, Muthana Jubaer Juwana, the city council president, told McKenna that most local Iraqi businessmen with the capital to invest are putting their money into businesses in Jordan and Oman. Juwana alluded to foreign investment in a large-scale business, such as a cement or glass factory, as the town’s main hope to provide jobs.
A local tribal shiek, who was also at the city council meeting, stated that in order for a factory to be successful here, a western company would have to build it, and its operation would need to be supervised, at least initially, by Coalition forces.
McKenna, however, did not agree. “They have the skills and potential here,” he insisted. “They built this city. They have educated people. We just need to focus on establishing a cadre of business leaders who have confidence in their city.”
Without a doubt, McKenna and his fellow Marines and sailors of 2nd Bn., 25th Marines have their work cut out for them. As Coalition forces take a step back and focus on providing mentorship and guidance to the Iraqi Security Forces, it is ultimately up to the people of Iraq to determine what direction their country will take in the future.
Ellie