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The Rock of the Marne
By Richard S. Lowry
After 11 months of taking the fight to the enemy, the Rock of the Marne’s Division Headquarters has less than ninety days remaining in their tour in Iraq. Soon, they will turn over responsibility for Multi-National Division-Center to the 10th Mountain Division. But, General Lynch plans to sprint to the finish. Last month he wrote guidance for the last 100 Days.
Soldiers of MND-C no longer commute to work. They are set in over 56 patrol bases and combat outposts to secure the population. They will continue to clear enemy safe havens and build patrol bases. The Dog Face Soldiers will continue relentless pursuit. The enemy may run, but they cannot hide. As the Surge forces redeploy, they will not give up ground for which their Soldiers fought and died. They will continue to partner with the Iraqi Security Forces, build police stations, transition new units into Sayafiyah and Salman Pak, and renovate Joint Security Sites.
After months of fighting in the Southern Belts, Major General Rick Lynch thinks the conversation is changing. "When I meet with the locals," Lynch told the bloggers roundtable in a teleconference yesterday, "the conversation is no longer about security...The conversation is all about jobs. It's all about services. It's all about sustainable economic development."
Richard S. Lowry is the author of Marines in the Garden of Eden and The Gulf War Chronicles.
With the insurgents on the run, the Division will continue to focus on the transition from security to stability operations and to work to increase the capacity of the Iraqi government and the local economy. They will continue to provide Iraqis with sustainable employment. They will continue the work to repair irrigation pumps and the treatment plants that deliver potable water to the Iraqi people. They will continue to provide security to the Ministry of Electricity as they repair power lines. They will continue their work with local agriculture unions and to develop women’s initiatives to improve the lives of Iraqi women and children. As security continues to improve, Rick Lynch’s soldiers are taking on jobs no solder has ever undertaken. "These soldiers know they are part of a winning team.They feel really good about the progress they are making, here in Iraq." Lynch said.
In November 2007, al-Qaeda launched their last well-coordinated offensives into Hawr Rajab, killing a total of 12 members of the Sons of Iraq (SoI) and wounding eight. In the same firefight, two Iraqi Army Soldiers were killed and another nine wounded; four U.S. Soldiers were injured in the attacks.
The SoI were not deterred. Residents began to reclaim their community and insurgents not killed or captured were forced to flee. Stores and schools are reopening and a number of programs are revitalizing a community once on the brink of chaos. As rebuilding of the rural farming area began, community leaders ramped up efforts to re-establish ties with the Government of Iraq.
With the improved security, Marne soldiers faced new responsibilities. “The present challenges we face are maintaining security, promoting economic growth and stability, while helping establish an efficient local government…” said Capt. Gregory Curry II, commander of Troop A, 6th Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment. “It will not happen overnight, but it is happening one day at a time.” Soldiers are key players and a driving force behind various programs in Hawr Rajab.
Life is returning to normal in towns like Hawr Rajab, with the improvements, made possible by partnership between Coalition forces, SoI, officials from the GoI and Iraqi Security Forces. Hawr Rajab is becoming a beacon of change and potential for sustainable economic improvements.
***
Marne soldiers of Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, recently found that the number one concern of the people around their outpost was to reopen the road to Salman Pak. The road had been closed to civilians since May of 2007, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated, killing seven Iraqi National Policemen.
Coalition leaders, local ISF and SoI members, began working together on a plan to restore and improve Checkpoint 600, where the attack had occurred and set the conditions for safe movement of civilians along the road. Local leaders hope the checkpoint and road reopening will bring more people to the area.
Sheik Ali Hussein, the SoI leader for Salman Pak and al Bawi, opened his home for a luncheon attended by the more than 150 guests after the ceremony to reopen the road. “We are finally to the point where we can come to an event and see Sunni and Shia sheiks working together to secure their country,” said the 1-15th Inf. Regt. Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Moore.
***
Colonel Ryan Kuhn, deputy commanding officer for 3rd HBCT, recently implemented an idea to build windmill driven water pumps to draw water from the ground in Iraqi villages. One of the first prototypes is being built in the village of al Zatia.
The idea for a windmill-powered ground water pump came from a joint effort between Kuhn and leaders of the 489th Civil Affairs Battalion, from Knoxville, Tenn. Kuhn, from Clarks, Neb., said he grew up not much differently than the Iraqi villagers. “I’m a farm boy from Nebraska,” he said. “If this worked for me in Nebraska where water is hard to come by, there is no reason it wouldn’t work out here.”
The first windmill was finished in early January. Each structure costs approximately $20,000, which includes the well, storage tank and a small pump. Kuhn said he has plans to add solar purification systems to the windmills, bumping their price to $27,000. These windmill driven wells will provide the majority of the drinking water to the villagers who now have to pay to truck water into their community.
This will be the first time the wind and sun have been used together to provide clean drinking water anywhere in Iraq. The windmills pull water from 30-meter-deep ground wells into 200-gallon holding tanks, The pump can produce 200 gallons of water every hour and provide water for up to 150 families.
In addition to water, the windmills will provide villagers jobs, Kuhn said. The contractor in charge of the project is going to hire local people to maintain the structures. “We are hoping to develop businesses from this that will manufacture windmills for Iraq,” Kuhn said. “Right now they are shipping in equipment, but we know for a fact that Iraq can manufacture these.”
Kuhn hopes to be able to provide every rural village with a pump. Security has improved and he believes this goal is achievable. “My dream is to be able to produce enough water so no child will ever have to go long periods of time without water,” he said. “Children can play in the streets now and with the windmills, they can come get a drink of water and go right back out and play.”
***
Many other programs are in the works to strengthen the areas economy and security:
The Microgrant program in Hawr Rajab
More than $50,000 in microgrants has been distributed to approximately 50 stores. The purpose of this program is to reopen businesses, jumpstart the economy and provide employment.
The effects are further-reaching than the local community. To stock and replenish stores, products are brought in from other areas - some as far as India and China - making Hawr Rajab a member of the global community.
The Poultry Revitalization program
The program will provide starter chicks to poultry farms that were shut down due to violence. Two types of chicks will be provided; one type will be raised for the purpose of producing eggs and the other for meat. First Lt. Michael E. Falk, platoon leader, Troop A, 6-8 Cav. Regt., said a processing plant in a neighboring town will process the poultry.
Faulk, a native of Clifton, Va., said the poultry industry of Hawr Rajab has the potential to profit from commerce between itself, surrounding communities and other area markets.
By mid-March 2008, eight chicken coops will be the first to receive a scheduled delivery of approximately 25,000 heads of young poultry.
The Seed Distribution program
The Agricultural Committee of Hawr Rajab coordinated a seed distribution program with Coalition forces in December 2007. It distributed more than 900 starter packets of seed as well as plastic to local farmers. The starter packets contained seeds for cucumbers, eggplants, bell peppers and tomatoes.
At present, success of the seed distribution is being measured by the 2nd BCT and the outlook for the program is positive.
School renovation projects
A girls’ school is currently undergoing extensive renovations to give the facility a much-needed facelift. A similar renovation plan for the boys’ school is currently pending funding. Presently, there is a shortage of school buildings and boys attend classes in two shifts, with the morning reserved for primary school and afternoon for secondary school. Despite overcrowding at the schools, educators make due with their resources and school remains in session.
The Hawr Rajab Medical Clinic
This facility is being repaired and is scheduled for completion mid-March 2008. Medical personnel will be provided by the Iraqi Ministry of Health and will return prior to the completion of the facilities. In the meantime, limited services are provided by a local physician assistant.
Women’s initiatives
Women of the area formed a committee to discuss problems facing women and find solutions. The group formed in February 2008 and has since brought to light a very serious issue. Many men have been killed by insurgents, leaving families without their traditional heads of households. Now a fund exists to care for families left behind by Sons of Iraq who paid the ultimate price for protecting their homes during the fight against al-Qaeda.
“The Village of Hope”
With the revitalization of the area and need for skilled labor, a vocational school was constructed by U.S. Air Force construction engineers, who will also provide the instructors to staff it.
A large number of SoI will be retrained as electricians, carpenters and construction laborers. This vocational school has been dubbed “The Village of Hope.” The program is currently in a final approval stage at 3rd Inf. Div. headquarters.
Marne soldiers are working tirelessly to return stability to the Iraqi people. The vast majority of Iraqis are peace loving. Now that security is being re-established, they are looking to MND-C Soldiers to help them put their lives back together. And, the Dog Faced Soldiers are doing just that – pumping new life into Iraq at the schools, on the farms and in the markets.
God bless you all. You are bringing hope and prosperity to the people of Iraq, and thus, security to their households, Iraq, the region and the world.
Richard S. Lowry is the author of Marines in the Garden of Eden and The Gulf War Chronicles.
Most of this post was extracted from news releases at Task Force Marne's website.
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Comments
I got to Salman Pak on occasion during my tour there in 2006. There's a 3,000 year old temple to a Persian sun god there. Pretty neat.
Good luck to 'em.
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 03/12/2008 News and Personal dispatches from the front lines.
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Awesome, my sister is currently with the 3rd ID (603d ASB) and it's amazing on how soon she will be home already, along with her fellow soldiers in the coming months. It's great to read about all the progress they have done in Iraq in such a short time. God bless them all.
Rock of The Marne! ;)