thedrifter
09-04-03, 05:49 AM
The brave build new land for the free
Article by Thomas O'Hara
Omaha District
Photo by Jonas Jordan
Savannah District
There's a something special going on in Southwest Asia - a group of the brave are building a new land for the free. Under-reported by the major news media, this effort has made amazing strides is a short time to rebuild an entire nation not only from the damages of a fierce but necessary invasion by coalition forces, and from three decades of neglect and abuse by a brutal regime.
To reconstruct necessary infrastructure, to restore basic human services, and to provide the platform for a government of the people requires a special breed of men and women. To secure...
... a land thrown into disorder,
...a land with laws but no enforcers,
...a land whose fleeing dictator killed many innocents,
...a land whose ruling party released thousands of hardened criminals from its prisons as their last act of national betrayal,
...a land terrorized by citizens who sabotaged national systems and created danger for their countrymen,
...requires a coalition of skills, talents, and expertise never before assembled on the world stage.
In Iraq, ordinary men and women perform heroic acts daily. Who are they?
They are Mr. Abdulkhalik, an Iraqi who manages the former Saddam Dam, newly named the Freedom Dam, in northern Mosul and defended the mammoth structure from Ba'ath party members and preserved this resource for his people.
They are Fouad Al-jawadi and his wife, Ayyam Bahjat, two former Iraqi professors who have found roles working side-by-side with coalition teams to develop a permanent government for their country.
They are Henry Baugh from Mobile District, whose convoy was attacked June 25 by grenade and small-arms fire. Baugh was scheduled to return to the States in July, yet still extended his service in Iraq until November.
They are Nick Mosher, a Corps employee serving as an information technology specialist for the Iraq Provisional Command. His 27-year-old son, Jacob, is an Army private first class serving as a medic with the 40th Engineering Battalion. Father and son both work in Baghdad.
They are Dan Hitchings and Capt. Kim Walter Pittsburgh and Kansas City districts who advise the Ministry of Housing and Construction in building and locating facilities for the emerging Iraqi government.
They are security teams staffed by former Gurka soldiers who provide protection and confidence to coalition teams in an environment surrounded by uncertainty.
They are "Dr. Garbage," Franz Froelicher from Savannah District who has led the effort that removed more than a million cubic meters of waste, debris, and abandoned military hulks from Baghdad's streets.
They are Keith Rawls, a civilian contractor from Texas hired ship supplies to Baghdad from Kuwait, occasionally under fire, who said he "came here to make a paycheck and ended up making a difference."
They are Rich Heine, whose knee prevented him from serving in the Army but is deployed as a civilian from Fort Worth District and who has helped the Iraqis rid their streets of the raw sewage that their children use to walk through.
They are 158 members of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) who celebrated the Fourth of July by re-enlisting on the steps of the Javelin Palace in Mosul, Iraq, rededicating themselves to their sworn mission to preserve and protect freedom and democracy wherever that may be.
They are a six-member forward engineer support team in Mosul, from Northwestern Division, who risk their lives daily traveling through the city to assess infrastructure.
They are members of Task Force Restore Iraqi Oil, a team from Southwestern Division, who risked their lives battling oil fires and sabotage in the Basrah area to restore the infrastructure and re-ignite the production and distribution of this vital natural resource.
They are Maj. Gen. Carl Strock, Brig. Gen. Larry Davis, Brig. Gen. Robert Crear, and other officers leading brave soldiers and civilians working throughout Iraq to reopen schools for the children, to restore hospitals for the sick, to provide jobs for the willing, and to build homes for the homeless.
They are the Iraqi citizens who spent 30 years in the shadow of a suffocating regime, who are now learning to deal with their newfound freedom.
They are the servicemen and women who provide security to personnel and convoys, and to Iraqi merchant long-haul truckers along military supply routes that transport equipment and other needs to make this operation successful.
They are National Guardsmen and Reservists who left their civilian jobs and families to serve as part of a greater call to duty, a call not only from their nation, but also from another.
They are those who died during these last few months as the struggle for freedom is waged, coalition forces and Iraqi innocents whose blood was shed for this cause.
They are Americans, Britons, Iraqis, Australians, Nepalese, and many others. They are soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, civilians, politicians, and ordinary people.
This is by no means a complete list. There are others who are not listed, but who currently serve in Iraq. There are the many men and women who have already served here and returned home, and many more who will relieve those standing watch.
They are all diligent in their duties, determined in their drive, and dedicated to a destiny for a free, viable Iraqi democracy.
Regardless of their status, they are heroes.
Regardless of their nationality, they are patriots.
(The opinions in this article are those of the writer and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.)
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/pubs/aug03/story4.htm
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
Article by Thomas O'Hara
Omaha District
Photo by Jonas Jordan
Savannah District
There's a something special going on in Southwest Asia - a group of the brave are building a new land for the free. Under-reported by the major news media, this effort has made amazing strides is a short time to rebuild an entire nation not only from the damages of a fierce but necessary invasion by coalition forces, and from three decades of neglect and abuse by a brutal regime.
To reconstruct necessary infrastructure, to restore basic human services, and to provide the platform for a government of the people requires a special breed of men and women. To secure...
... a land thrown into disorder,
...a land with laws but no enforcers,
...a land whose fleeing dictator killed many innocents,
...a land whose ruling party released thousands of hardened criminals from its prisons as their last act of national betrayal,
...a land terrorized by citizens who sabotaged national systems and created danger for their countrymen,
...requires a coalition of skills, talents, and expertise never before assembled on the world stage.
In Iraq, ordinary men and women perform heroic acts daily. Who are they?
They are Mr. Abdulkhalik, an Iraqi who manages the former Saddam Dam, newly named the Freedom Dam, in northern Mosul and defended the mammoth structure from Ba'ath party members and preserved this resource for his people.
They are Fouad Al-jawadi and his wife, Ayyam Bahjat, two former Iraqi professors who have found roles working side-by-side with coalition teams to develop a permanent government for their country.
They are Henry Baugh from Mobile District, whose convoy was attacked June 25 by grenade and small-arms fire. Baugh was scheduled to return to the States in July, yet still extended his service in Iraq until November.
They are Nick Mosher, a Corps employee serving as an information technology specialist for the Iraq Provisional Command. His 27-year-old son, Jacob, is an Army private first class serving as a medic with the 40th Engineering Battalion. Father and son both work in Baghdad.
They are Dan Hitchings and Capt. Kim Walter Pittsburgh and Kansas City districts who advise the Ministry of Housing and Construction in building and locating facilities for the emerging Iraqi government.
They are security teams staffed by former Gurka soldiers who provide protection and confidence to coalition teams in an environment surrounded by uncertainty.
They are "Dr. Garbage," Franz Froelicher from Savannah District who has led the effort that removed more than a million cubic meters of waste, debris, and abandoned military hulks from Baghdad's streets.
They are Keith Rawls, a civilian contractor from Texas hired ship supplies to Baghdad from Kuwait, occasionally under fire, who said he "came here to make a paycheck and ended up making a difference."
They are Rich Heine, whose knee prevented him from serving in the Army but is deployed as a civilian from Fort Worth District and who has helped the Iraqis rid their streets of the raw sewage that their children use to walk through.
They are 158 members of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) who celebrated the Fourth of July by re-enlisting on the steps of the Javelin Palace in Mosul, Iraq, rededicating themselves to their sworn mission to preserve and protect freedom and democracy wherever that may be.
They are a six-member forward engineer support team in Mosul, from Northwestern Division, who risk their lives daily traveling through the city to assess infrastructure.
They are members of Task Force Restore Iraqi Oil, a team from Southwestern Division, who risked their lives battling oil fires and sabotage in the Basrah area to restore the infrastructure and re-ignite the production and distribution of this vital natural resource.
They are Maj. Gen. Carl Strock, Brig. Gen. Larry Davis, Brig. Gen. Robert Crear, and other officers leading brave soldiers and civilians working throughout Iraq to reopen schools for the children, to restore hospitals for the sick, to provide jobs for the willing, and to build homes for the homeless.
They are the Iraqi citizens who spent 30 years in the shadow of a suffocating regime, who are now learning to deal with their newfound freedom.
They are the servicemen and women who provide security to personnel and convoys, and to Iraqi merchant long-haul truckers along military supply routes that transport equipment and other needs to make this operation successful.
They are National Guardsmen and Reservists who left their civilian jobs and families to serve as part of a greater call to duty, a call not only from their nation, but also from another.
They are those who died during these last few months as the struggle for freedom is waged, coalition forces and Iraqi innocents whose blood was shed for this cause.
They are Americans, Britons, Iraqis, Australians, Nepalese, and many others. They are soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, civilians, politicians, and ordinary people.
This is by no means a complete list. There are others who are not listed, but who currently serve in Iraq. There are the many men and women who have already served here and returned home, and many more who will relieve those standing watch.
They are all diligent in their duties, determined in their drive, and dedicated to a destiny for a free, viable Iraqi democracy.
Regardless of their status, they are heroes.
Regardless of their nationality, they are patriots.
(The opinions in this article are those of the writer and do not reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of the Army, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.)
http://www.hq.usace.army.mil/cepa/pubs/aug03/story4.htm
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: