3 posts tagged “war”
We knew that this time would arrive and while we are excited to return home, we must thank each and every one of you for your support over the past year. A very special "THANK YOU!!" to the guys and gals at VOX for assisting us during the initial stages and we definitely could not have done it without them! When we first started this blog, they understood the complications of our internet connectivity here and kept in touch with us to ensure that everything was running smooth.
We hope that this site brought some newsworthy information, but if you want to keep up with the news here in Fallujah, Regimental Combat Team 1 has started their own VOX blog. They have already posted a few articles and we encourage you to give them a look and once in a while, give them a shout.
We decided to post a picture of the crew that has brought you the Fightin' 6th blog.
Pfc. Brian Jones just returned from the city and brings us the State of Fallujah Address where city officials tell you about what has taken place over the past year to strengthen their home:
FALLUJAH, Iraq —City officials and leaders gathered at the newly developed Fallujah television station to deliver a live broadcast of the state of Fallujah address to the people recently.
Sheik Hamid Ahmed, the chairman of the Fallujah city council, and Col. Faisal Ismail Husayn, the chief of police, spoke on behalf of the city recounting their history and announcing the current state of affairs.
Both Ahmed and Husayn thanked the service members and commanding officers with Regimental Combat Team 6 and Multi National Force-West for their support in security, reconstruction efforts and taking interest in the future of the city.
“The real picture of Fallujah is what you see today,” said Ahmed, translated by an interpreter. “It is living in security and reconstruction because the leadership of the city was put in the hands of the good people.”
Currently, the local tribal sheik council and city muktars are diligently working in accordance with the mayor and city council elected by the citizens of Fallujah in guiding the city’s future as Coalition Forces remain in a supporting role as advisors and security.
“When we united the city council, the mayor and the muktars of the city, the situation of the city turned for the better,” said Husayn. “Everybody knows that the security situation in Fallujah before 2006 was killing in the streets, destruction and no one could say any righteous word anywhere. Today the situation is special, very secure and peaceful. That is not our own evaluation, but it is the citizens of Fallujah who have evaluated the situation and have told us the status of the city.”
Husayn said that as security improved within the city all other efforts in rebuilding the city became a success and due to the city’s new leadership the city is moving in the direction of progress and stability.
All this was not possible without the help of the Coalition Forces and their help with the reconstruction efforts that work side by side with the security efforts in the city, said Husayn.
As security drastically improved the people of Fallujah received nearly 1,000 government jobs granted by the central government of Iraq, opened new and old businesses and have managed public services. Special efforts have also been made in supporting the students and youth of Fallujah, from school supplies to recreational sports.
The Fallujah Business Development Center has opened to manage reconstruction efforts for the district and is also used as the central foundation to inviting Arab and other investment companies into the city.
“Fallujah is ready for major investment,” said Ahmed. “From this place, we call on all the investors from the Arab nations and international nations to come and invest in the district of Fallujah.”
Ahmed attributed the reason for investing in the city is because of the city’s location on the Euphrates River that is an intersection for all the international roads and also, the city contains all the main ingredients necessary for development, such as human and construction resources and the availability of the experience and expertise.
Husayn addressed government representatives and brothers from the Arab nations around Iraq in his speech asking that they come and visit the city that sacrificed more than many other cities in Iraq and deserves that the people stand by its side and provide the services that it needs for support.
“I want them to come and see the reality of Fallujah today,” said Husayn. “They will see that Fallujah is very secure and that the citizens of Fallujah are very generous and very brave and are here to welcome anybody that comes to Fallujah.”
“All want the peace and are looking forward to building good relations and friendships with all the peoples’ nations,” said Ahmed. “We will turn the page of the past and will open a new page with the grace of God. We swore to ourselves that we will keep our city as a star shining among the stars of the other cities of Iraq.”
Cpl. Bryce C.K. Muhlenberg recently wrote a dispatch (and took the simultaneously haunting and charming photo above) outlining a so-called "children's engagement." What I think is important about this story is the fact it addresses the fact that while, yes, these things are done out of a sense of "niceness," we also do them with showing the populace that we are not the enemy. We recognize that our readers are not stupid. We know that the average person who takes the time to seek out war reporting is savvy enough to know that every project we undertake has a dual purpose: transitioning control of the area to independent Iraqi control, as well as winning the war about information. We make the decision to support either Iraqi Security and Coalition forces or the terrorists very easy. When the Iraqi-American team move into an area, residents get stability, utilities and goodwill. When terrorists move into the area, they get instability, gunfire and indiscriminate killing.
At any rate, as we say, "Don't tell me about the labor pains, just show me the baby." So without further ado, Cpl. Muhlenberg's story:
GHARTAN, Iraq — Iraqi soldiers with 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Iraqi Army Division, did their best to put a smile on the face of local children here July 30.
The Iraqi troops were accompanied by Marines and sailors with the military transition team, or MTT, assigned to 3rd Brigade. Together, the coalition team took the childrens’ minds off of the strife around them and helped brighten their day. The children were encouraged to bring their report cards as they would be rewarded for good grades.
“We took donations from American children, such as soccer balls and toys, and distributed them to the local populous in order to help the needy in the area and boost public opinion of Iraqi and Coalition Forces,” said Staff Sgt. Eric M. Sandoval, 28, from Springfield, Ohio. “Out here it’s all about the populace’s opinion. Insurgents use propaganda against the Iraqi Government and its people to sway them toward supporting the insurgency.”
The rewards started small with the battalion commander, Col. Mohamed Nashmi Winays, passing out soccer t-shirts to a handful of lucky kids. After the shirts were gone, the real fun began.
As the children filtered into the sunlit school with smiles on their faces, one Marine said even the multinational troops benefited from the mission.
“Seeing the (Iraqi Army) interact and seeing the kids having a good time,” said Cpl. Guillermo L. Fargas, Company Two’s MTT advisor, “that’s what is really rewarding. It’s like, for a second, everybody is a kid again.”
Operations like this are essential to defeating the terror and intimidation campaign terrorists levy against the innocent populace. A soccer ball in the hands of a child can go a long way toward ending that campaign.
“Although we are out here for the children right now, the Iraqi Army and Coalition Forces are also gathering information about what problems the locals are having and how we can help,” said Fargas, 24, from Bronx, N.Y. “Today we learned that they want to see more IA in their area.”
The Iraqi soldiers are not from this area, having been recruited from all over the country. Despite being strangers in the village, they have been quickly accepted by the people. This area is also benefiting from their own sons who are joining forces with the IA and the Iraqi police in the form of Neighborhood Watch and Provincial Security Forces to prevent and fight the insurgency. These young men are responding to their sheik’s wishes and taking up arms alongside Coalition Forces to defeat the insurgency.
“This is an outreach to get (everyone) working together,” said Lt. Col. Thomas K. Hobbs, the MTT team chief. “We are trying hard to get Neighborhood Watch into sanctioned Iraqi Police, so they can relieve the Iraqi army, and the Iraqi army can worry about protecting their own country and let the police handle policing. When that occurs, there will be no environment for an insurgency to flourish and we can begin to help them repair their economy and infrastructure.”
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