Women find new opportunity in Arab Jabour

by Kevin Stabinsky
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

ARAB JABOUR, Iraq (June 10, 2008) – She wears a head scarf and long robe covering her from shoulder to toe; only her hands and face are visible. Yet despite her traditional clothing, Maha Aziz Abass Al-Jabouri is working hard to cast aside the stereotypical role of women in the Arab Jabour region. Abass, a language teacher at the al-Hamza School, is one of several women in the village of Alemia who work to empower women in the area. “Before, our future was farming. Now we want jobs like the women in the city,” Abass said.

As the Rasheed Women’s Council representative from Alemia, Abass is striving to realize that dream. Establishing the women’s council was one of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division’s most important accomplishments in the area, said 1st Lt. Charles Staab, from Novi, Mich. Staab, a platoon leader in Company A, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, said starting the council was a remarkable achievement, marking something women had never done there before. “The importance lies in being a part of what’s happening,” he said. “They can either watch what is happening or be a part of it, and they are choosing to be a part.”

Through involvement in the council, these women are getting the Iraqi government to work to provide a better life for them. The improved security infrastructure in the area has provided the Iraqi government with a stronger foothold into helping its people.

“Before, when the bad guys were here, the government would not help. Now (the government is) giving money to make the area better,” Abass said. Abass, like many women in the area, was widowed because of insurgent violence, her husband killed by al-Qaida terrorists, leaving her to raise her three sons and two daughters alone. Now, new opportunities are available, giving hope to Abass and others like her.

Businesses catering to women are opening up, thanks to a combination of funding from coalition forces and the government of Iraq. A women’s sewing shop has already opened in Alemia. Abass hopes the Iraqi government will continue to support women’s initiatives and create more opportunities. In her opinion, training in both health care and literacy are needed. “I want my kids to get a better education,” Abass said. “I hope my daughters go to college and become engineers like their aunt.”

Her sister, Suha Azit, a computer engineer, is also doing her part to empower women in the area. In addition to her regular job, Azit has opened up her own business, with the help of a grant from the Iraqi government. Azit said she has always had an interest in fashion. She is hoping to turn this interest into income through a beauty shop she opened two weeks ago. “At age eight I was watching other women being made beautiful and fell in love with the idea,” Azit said of her inspiration to open the shop. Her shop offers women the latest makeup, hair styles and fashions from catalogs. Just as she once worked as an apprentice at a beauty shop, Azit is now employing another woman to learn the trade. In the mornings, when Azit is working as an engineer, her apprentice takes care of the shop.

“The new kinds of work women are doing in Arab Jabour sends a message that women are valuable members of the community with much to contribute,” Staab said. Empowering women also sends a strong message to al-Qaida members who once operated in the area. “Women moving independently from their homes into the work force and also meeting openly … is showing their defiance toward al-Qaida, and shows their independence in this nation,” Staab said.

A woman in the Alemia sewing shop works on a sewing machine to create a new garment. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky).

Source: CENTCOM.

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Military analyst sees signs of progress in Arab Jabour

by Kevin Stabinsky
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

COMBAT OUTPOST MURRAY, Iraq (June 8, 2008) — The battlefield in Iraq has become a classroom for military analyst Steven Biddle and several associates, who visited 3rd Infantry Division Soldiers on June 4 to get a sense of progress in the area. Biddle, a four-time visitor to Iraq and the author of two military-themed books entitled “Military Power: Explaining Victory and Defeat in Modern Battle” and “Afghanistan and the Future of Warfare: Implications for Army and Defense Policy,” said his visit was multi-purposed.

“Information in the (U.S.) is limited,” said Biddle, a senior fellow for defense policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. “Here, I get to see things with my own eyes. Nothing is filtered.” To assess conditions in Arab Jabour, Biddle spoke with senior leaders in the U.S. and Iraqi Army, and prominent members of the Arab Jabour community. Biddle spoke with key leaders, reviewed charts and maps documenting the decrease in attacks in the area. He also spoke with key leaders such as Capt. Nassim, operations officer for the 6th battalion, 25th brigade, 6th IA division. The IA battalion will soon assume responsibility of the area it currently patrols alongside Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment.

“Before the 1-30th Inf. Regt. arrived,” Nassim said, “the area was an al-Qaida stronghold, with an estimated 1,500 fighters, 200 of whom were foreigners. Now, he said, thanks to the cooperation of coalition forces, Iraqi security forces and Sons of Iraq, the community is becoming secure, with most of the insurgents killed, captured or driven away.”

Biddle’s observations were in line with Nassim’s assessment. “It is definitely a lot safer,” Biddle said of the change he’s seen in Iraq since the implementation of the counterinsurgency policy. He said many places were once too dangerous to visit. Now, through the work of surge brigades like the 2nd BCT, Iraqis are able to live without fear. The 2nd BCT was the last of the five surge brigades to arrive in country and elements of the brigade are scheduled to redeploy to Fort Stewart, Ga., beginning in late June, after completing a 14-month tour of duty.

Having spent more than a year in Iraq, the 2nd BCT’s mission has laid down the groundwork for ISF to build up and take control of the area. An Iraqi police company is scheduled to join the IA forces in securing the area; an IP station is currently being constructed. “I’m impressed by what has been accomplished,” said Biddle, on his third trip to Iraq since the U.S. troop surge began 15 months ago.

Steven Biddle prepares to enter Combat Outpost Murray on June 4. Biddle, a military analyst at the Council on Foreign Relations, was in Iraq assessing progress made in the country. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky).

Source: CENTCOM.

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Iraqi-funded projects boost economy

by Travis Hayes
4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE ISKAN, Iraq (June – Residents of Khidr and Abu Shemshi recently received almost $2.5 million from the government of Iraq to fund eight projects. The money came in the form of Iraqi Commander’s Emergency Response Program funds, which use GoI money in the existing framework of coalition forces CERP. Two of the I-CERP projects are bridges that will allow crucial access for local residents to travel to markets and highways. Another key project is a marketplace that will provide stores for vendors to sell their products, helping develop the local economy.

In addition, the Babil provincial government funded the construction of the al-Jineen and Manahil schools, providing education for hundreds of children who were previously without schools. Reaction to these projects from the community has been exceptional, said Sheik Jaffar, head of the Khidr town council. “This is great,” Jaffar said. “I can’t explain in words what this means to me. I’m so happy. We are all proud to finally have the support and attention of the Iraqi government. This gives us all hope of a peaceful future.”

A civil affairs team based out of FOB Iskan has been working alongside Company B, 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, working for months to ensure the contracting and construction of these vital structures are carried out correctly. Staff Sergeant Mathew Taylor, civil affairs Team A civil-military operations non-commissioned officer in charge, has been responsible for managing and disbursing millions of GoI dollars. His team not only pays contractors but focuses on providing quality control for ongoing projects to ensure contractors are staying on task. Soldiers in 3-7th Inf. Regt. have aggressively pursued I-CERP funding, which allows the GoI to fund and take ownership on projects, said the San Diego native.

This process builds Iraqis’ confidence in both their local and provincial government. Now with the flow of resources and vast funding, a sense of assurance and belief in government has spawned and taken root here.

“The psychological effect these projects have had on the people here is insurmountable,” said Maj. Sean Hood, a Nassau County, N.Y., native and CA Team A chief. “This town has undergone a complete transformation; everything from the new schools, bridges and marketplace. Khidr has grown from a few sparse buildings when we started working here into a booming economic success story. I like to think of Khidr as the phoenix that rose from the ashes.” The Babil provincial government has approved I-CERP funding on reconstruction projects such as schools, water purification plants, health clinics and city planning facilities.

Sergeant 1st Class Earsker Hawkins and Staff Sgt. Mathew Taylor, both with the civil affairs team, visit the al-Jineen School, which is one of eight GoI-funded projects in Khidr. (U.S. Army photo by 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs).

Source: CENTCOM.

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South Baghdad economy booming again

by Sgt. David Turner
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq (June 5, 2008) – When Capt. Shawn Carbone first took a good look at the south Baghdad area’s economy, he found it similar to his studies of America during the Great Depression of the 1930s. “Most of the historically strong businesses were gone,” said Carbone, economics team leader for the Baghdad-7 embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team. “The owners had left; packed up. The businesses were shut down and there was mass unemployment across the board.”

There were many reasons for the economic troubles of Iraqis in the area which 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, took control of in June 2007. The basic lack of security forces left a gap which al-Qaida terrorists filled, using the area as a base. Farms and businesses were damaged and violence caused many to flee – some of whom have yet to return. Sectarian strife heated up following the 2005 elections, which left many in the area without a voice in government. Basic service needs, such as electricity and water, went largely unmet. Until security was restored, citizens felt isolated.

Carbone saw an opportunity to help turn things around. His training in economics at Niagara University, in his hometown of Niagara, N.Y., prepared him for the task of helping the citizens of south Baghdad province. “It’s rewarding because it’s an experiment in economics,” Carbone said. “This is from the ground up. It’s much like our depression-era economics. I’ve actually sent e-mails to my professors, asking them their opinions on some of these things, and researched books on depression-era economics.”

After security was established, the biggest obstacle to economic recovery, said Carbone, was the centralized nature of the economy in the past. Local industries such as a chicken hatchery, a poultry processing plant and a meat processing facility, for example, received inputs from and sold their goods to the Iraqi government at set prices. “Cooperation is the biggest thing. From where I sit, these businesses are complimentary,” Carbone said. “But they never had a capitalist society, which is all about bringing down costs.”

Now the government is in a state of transition and moving toward free trade. “Everyone is going through the change,” Carbone said. “Some of the government systems are not yet in place, but that’s where we’re heading.”

In an effort to revive the local economy, the Baghdad-7 ePRT worked in conjunction with 2nd BCT Civil Affairs, using money as their main tool. Armed with U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development funds, Soldiers and civilians on the Baghdad-7 ePRT looked for projects which would benefit the community as a whole. Civil affairs Soldiers used their battalion’s bulk funds to stimulate individual small businesses through a series of $2,500 microgrants. Though most of the projects focused on agriculture, which dominates the local economy and employs the largest percentage of people, other avenues were explored as well.

Major Douglas Betts, commander of Company A, 415th Civil Affairs Battalion, said Soldiers on the ground identified who could best use the grants. “The troop commanders and company commanders are all very smart guys,” Betts said. “They know what they’re doing, and they know what’s best for their areas.” Microgrants were given to businesses ranging from chicken farms to internet cafes. Most recently, a women’s beauty parlor opened up [woohoo!] in Arab Jabour, something that would have been impossible in that area until recently.

Betts said Soldiers have found other creative ways to involve women in business. One example he gave was women’s sewing cooperatives, which grew out of women’s committees looking for ways to employ themselves and raise revenue for their causes. “Capt. (Trista) Mustaine in the ePRT did a great job with sewing co-ops. That’s a new one to me,” Betts said. “One (co-op) that I know is basically made up of war widows,” Betts said. “These ladies want to do something for orphans and school children. They are actually making clothes and selling them. I thought that was pretty original.” [You would, Sir, you're a man. We've been doing this for centuries. lol.]

The only condition that comes attached to the microgrants is that business owners attend business training and meetings of their local business associations, Betts said. The formation of local business associations has been vital in helping citizens to help themselves, he said. The focus now is in getting business owners weaned off of coalition force funding and to get them working with their own government.

Basil Razzak, a bilingual, bicultural adviser with the Baghdad-7 ePRT, said that it took some adjusting for local farmers and businessmen to get used to the new economic model. “Up until now, it was all supervised by the government. Everybody belonged to the government,” Razzak said. “I remember at one business association meeting, the chairman said, (to Carbone) ‘You are our boss.’ He said, ‘I’m not your boss. I’m here to help you and support you, but it’s your organization and you can conduct your meeting as you like,’” Razzak said.

Razzak, a Canadian citizen who grew up in Baghdad and holds a degree in administration and economics from the University of Baghdad, said the capitalist spirit is slowly but surely taking hold here. “They are open to new ideas,” Razzak said. “They realize the era of state-owned business is gone. They are willing to work and cooperate.”

Carbone said the stimulus coalition forces provided to the local economy has already produced unexpected results. As more businesses reopen and new ones appear, local entrepreneurs have taken it as a sign that it’s okay to open shop again. “When they start to see these places opening with the help of coalition forces, some of the people have come back and opened up on their own,” Carbone said. “That’s something we didn’t expect.”

One business owner who received significant coalition help has been encouraged to invest even further in his business. The owner of a meat-processing plant in Arab Jabour received a grant to get his facility running again after shutting down operation in 2006. Prior to that, the factory employed more than 90 people. “Even though we gave the kupa factory a grant, the owner pitched in $200,000 of his own money. The money is out there,” Carbone said. “The biggest thing was that when the owner came back to the area and saw that the security situation had changed progressively, he was more willing to re-invest and start over,” he said.

Betts sees signs that businesses have returned to stay in the area. “I’ve noticed it in the short time that I’ve been here,” Betts said. “When we first went out, there were some shops, but there weren’t that many. But I’ve noticed in the past several months, in Sayafiyah especially, a lot more of those businesses. They look better and they’re repainted. People are repairing their shops and restocking supplies.” Betts said the greatest benefit of the renewed prosperity was a population that was employed and able to meet their needs. “That’s the key to security. People that are able to take care of themselves and their families are not out there planting bombs and killing people for money,” Betts said. “I want to see a strong economy, because that’s the cornerstone of stability.”

Hussen Jowd, a butcher in Arab Jabour, serves a sandwich at his newly renovated butcher shop and food stand. Jowd received microgrants that enabled him to increase his stock and expand his business. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kevin Stabinsky).

Source: CENTCOM.

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Al-Kut agricultural union headquarters reopen

by Sgt. Daniel T. West
214th Fires Brigade

FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA, Iraq (June 5, 2008) – Agricultural industry representatives from around Wasit province gathered, June 2, 2008, in al-Kut, Iraq, to celebrate the reopening of the province’s agricultural union headquarters after its refurbishment in cooperation with coalition forces. The reopening followed completion of the project’s first phase, which included repairing the offices and conference rooms in the headquarters. The project aims to restore the union’s function in the agricultural industry in Wasit province, said Patrick Moore, agricultural adviser for Provincial Reconstruction Team Wasit.

The headquarters used to be a major part of the agricultural industry in the province, helping farmers with distribution, settling irrigation problems and setting fees for the maintenance of the irrigation system. However, after more than 10 years of neglect, the building was run down and useless.

“Our goal with this project was to help restart services and to give the union a headquarters for meetings, business and to facilitate training,” Moore said. The union is particularly important in Wasit province, where agriculture is a very large part of the economy. Moore estimated that 40 to 50 percent of employment in the province was related to agriculture.

The union remained on the back burner for a long time, with little support from the local government since the general feeling was that it was a responsibility of the government of Iraq, Moore said. This project aims to change that view and revitalize the agricultural industry in Wasit through representation and education. “We are looking at training programs throughout the province,” Moore said. “The union will provide people and locations, and it will begin immediately.”

The training will be held at 17 locations throughout Wasit province, and will educate an estimated 500 to 600 farmers over a six-month period. The trainers will be provided by the union, with coalition oversight. “If the program is successful here, it could be implemented on the national level,” Moore added.

The cost to refurbish the union headquarters was $50,000 for the first phase, with funding split evenly between the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of State. The second phase – refurbishing the meeting hall, is scheduled to begin immediately and is estimated to cost $25,000.

Dignitaries perform a ribbon cutting ceremony at Wasit province’s Agricultural Union headquarters in al-Kut, Iraq, June 2. The ceremony marked the grand re-opening of the headquarters. (Photo by Multi-National Division-Central).

Source: CENTCOM.

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Historical History Lesson

I had started to write my Wednesday Hero, but I ran across this and was very pleased. (Plus I couldn’t pull up the Hero site.) This story is so cool, they wrote about it twice. These three servicemembers surprised Cincinnati students by teaching their history lecture (instead of their normal teacher)! You remember those big ol’ auditoriums turned lecture halls? Yeah.

The history professor had set this up for the second time, because he realizes there is a gap between civillians and the Military. He also knows that they will never be able to speak to the militaries of the Civil War, but they are able to speak to those who have fought for our freedom in the past 8 years.

They did an excellent job of helping the students whose only knowledge about our servicemembers were that they are knuckle-dragging, brain-dead, uneducated morons. Boy, did they get a surprise! Hehehe. They could match them and take them beyond anyplace they’ve ever been. Booyaah!

Both stories are written by John J. Kruzel for the American Forces Press Service. Between the teacher, History Professor Tom Lorman, and the servicemembers: Capt. Edward V. Szczepanik, USAF, Capt. John N. Sand, USMC, Chief Warrant Officer Daniel K. Winnie, USMC, the students received at least one decent day of education on this day. Please read their articles. The links are below.

Biographies:
Chief Warrant Officer Daniel K. Winnie, USMC.
Capt. John N. Sand, USMC.
Capt. Edward Szczepanik, USAF.

Related Sites:
Why We Serve.

Related Articles:
History Professor Taps ‘Why We Serve’ Speakers to Substitute Teach.
Why We Serve: Captain Helps Americans Relate to Troops.
‘Why We Serve’ Speakers Inspire ROTC Cadets.

Update: ConcreteBob over at the Talon has ‘written’ a very special tribute which deserves to be spread far and wide. (Hat tip: Tankerbabes.) A Tribute to SFC Matthew Blaskowski KIA 23 Sept 2007 – Afghanistan.

The above link is to a story and video about the bike that Terry and Cheryl Blaskowski had painted in tribute to their son Matt. The original plan was to have it painted a bit differently to give to Matt after this deployment. After Matt was killed by the Taliban, Terry and Cheryl decided to continue having the bike painted but with a different “theme.” [READ MORE]

Some people will never understand why they fight for our freedom or why it’s even necessary, but there will always be those who greater than others who have a love and calling to protect that which they love. That includes this country, their families, and maybe even you. So when you see a Soldier, shake his/her hand and say, ‘Thank you.’ Then mind your own business if you have something mean to say.

I’m so tired of you pipsqueaks! Those who honor our Heroes, fallen or alive, carry on. My prayers go the family, friends, and loved one left behind. God, please strengthen them daily, walk with them, and grant them Your Peace. In Jesus precious name I pray, Amen.

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Democrat=Socialist: News & Opinion RoundUp (11 June 2008).
A NEWT ONE: Obama’s Ripple Pimple Bump Doesn’t Amount...
Adam’s Blog: Rutherford Hayes Quote Post of the Day.
Walls of the City: Sensor Ping XLII.
Shadowscope: Tornado Hits Boy Scout Camp in Iowa.
Thanks to: Linkfest Haven Deluxe.
Woman Honor Thyself: ‘Ahmed’s Bunker’.
ConcreteBob: A Tribute to SFC Matthew Blaskowski KIA 23 Sept 2007 – Afghanistan.

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Flight 93 Blogburst: 6.11.08

Why the drag lines were removed from the Flight 93 crash site.

When the passengers and crew of flight 93 smashed their murderers to nothing on an open expanse of western Pennsylvania coal country, two towering sentinels stood silent witness to the heroic tragedy.

“Up on Skyline Rd. ,” the news shot around Shanksville and Somerset , “up by the drag lines”:

The drag lines, as seen from what will be the center of the giant Mecca-oriented crescent that is to be planted on the flight 93 crash site. (Photo by Alec Rawls, 2006.)

It is hard to imagine a more fitting marker than these twin colossi. Before the hijackers could send Flight 93 into the White House or the Capitol building, a random draw of forty of our fellow countrymen massed a towering determination to fight back. Their effort to save their own lives ended beneath those artifacts of Pennsylvania ’s own native grit and ingenuity, but their success in defending their country will live forever.

Those silent sentinels could and should have endured as well, and they would have, if not for one man who was determined to see them go: architect Paul Murdoch, the designer of the terrorist memorializing Crescent of Embrace design. As the press reported at the unveiling of the crescent design:

The Flight 93 temporary memorial, the draglines and Skyline Drive will be removed to leave the landscape as natural as possible, Murdoch wrote in a narrative that accompanied the design.

The drag lines were supposed to stay

The presumption from the beginning was that the drag lines would stay. They were actually the first items of property purchased for the new national park.

Support for keeping the drag lines, whatever memorial design was chosen for the crash site itself, was virtually universal. The local historical society was for keeping the drag lines:

Several draglines still stand there, idled since the crash interrupted the mine work. Randy Cooley, director of the Southwest Pennsylvania Heritage Preservation Commission, said that equipment should stay, as part of the story the memorial will tell.

The excavating machines often are the first things visitors to the memorial site see, he said. The booms rise high over the field. They cast shadows, and show what the land once was.

“They’re touchstones,” Cooley said. “For many of the people on that plane, that may well have been the last thing they saw.” [2003]

They were also meaningful to the local population:

The cranes, which served as drag lines for a long-idled strip mining operation, are synonymous with the area, residents said.

“When I think of (Skyline Drive ), I think of those drag lines,” said Erica Zeigler, president of Shanksville Borough Council. “They’re something everybody around here associated with that road.” [2005]

Memorial Project manager Jeff Reinbold acknowledged the hard feelings about the removal of the drag lines:

“You wish you didn’t have to do it. But this was a celebration of the process,” he said. [ibid.]

Why was Murdoch determined to have the drag lines gone?

Because a crescent that Muslims face into to face Mecca is called a mihrab, and is the central feature around which every mosque is built. (Some mihrabs are pointed-arch shape, but the prototypical mihrab is crescent shaped.)

Very simply, Murdoch could not allow his terrorist memorial mosque to be tainted by extraneous infidel artifacts. Those drag lines would have risen up right behind the giant mihrab, disturbing what is supposed to be an undisturbed space within which the Muslim believer can turn face his god for prayer.

Perhaps worst of all from Murdoch’s perspective was the huge American flag that coal miners attached to one of the booms the week after 9/11:

This flag was history. If Murdoch did not get rid of the drag lines, he could not get rid of the American flag, rising up 180 feet behind his giant mihrab. (Photo by Alec Rawls, 2006.)

Unacceptable: the jihadists turn to face their god, and see… an American flag?

This mosque interpretation is no stretch. Murdoch provides endless redundant proof of intent, as when he repeats the Mecca orientation of his giant crescent in the crescents of trees that surround the Tower of Voices part of the memorial.

Still hoisting a flag

When the hijacker is finally tackled and we have a chance to turn to less critical matters, like how to design a proper memorial to OUR heroes instead of to Paul Murdoch’s heroes, one of the costs to be accounted will be the loss of the iconic drag lines. At least Murdoch was not able to destroy them entirely, as 22 tons of steel from the scrapped machinery is being used in the construction of the USS Somerset:

The USS Somerset will be a sister ship of the USS San Antonio (seen here), so the drag lines will still be hoisting a flag.

Interestingly, the single physical requirement set down for design competition entries was that they should respect the rural landscape and leave it as it was. Paul Murdoch’s crescent design is the only one of a thousand entries that violates this lone rule, first by building a raised causeway across the wetlands (necessary to extend his crescent to the full typical Islamic crescent shape, covering 2/3rds of a circle of arc), and then by excising the drag lines, which everyone agreed were central to the historic nature of the site.

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