Multi-National Division Baghdad

Story by Spc. Douglas York

By Spc. Douglas York
Multi-National Division - Baghdad

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Anyone old enough to remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001, will likely never be able to put to rest the thoughts, feelings and emotions invoked by the senseless tragedies of that day.

Most will always remember where they were that day and will be able to recount the horror that unfolded – live – before our eyes and the uncertainty that forever changed our nation in the aftermath.

During the Town Hall meeting, Sept. 25, 2008, which was spearheaded by the efforts, thoughts and leadership of Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, a native of Hattiesburg, Miss., the commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division and Multi-National Division – Baghdad, the division's senior leaders took the opportunity to remember those who lost their lives on that painful day and honored a few Soldiers who took up their nation's fight against terrorism because of their overwhelming feelings to serve based on those events.

"Our theme today is reflecting on 9/11," Hammond said, opening the meeting. "We're going to look back a little bit, and we're going to talk a little bit about some experiences that members of this team had during 9/11 and why some of these young folks chose to serve their nation following that event," he added, recalling how he also narrowly avoided losing his life when the plane was flown into the Pentagon.

Hammond then turned the floor over to Command Sgt. Maj. John Gioia, the 4th Inf. Div. and MND-B senior enlisted leader, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., who introduced the meeting's two guest hosts: Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Bobb, a native of Killeen, Texas, who serves as the senior enlisted leader of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div., based out of Fort Hood, Texas, and Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel Dailey, a native of Palmerton, Pa., who is the senior enlisted leader of 3rd BCT, 4th Inf. Div., based out of Fort Carson, Colo.

"I've been truly blessed by a supporting cast of some truly outstanding professional brigade sergeants major," Gioia said. "What makes my job extremely easy when I go into their battle space, is knowing that they are there," he added, giving the floor to the hosts as well as the 9/11 honorees.

The first Soldier to share his experiences was Staff Sgt. Juan Vega, a native of the Bronx, N.Y., currently serving with Company D, 404th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne), in support of 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., who is also a former firefighter and medical first responder from the New York City area.

"The morning of Sept. 11, I woke up and looked at the TV set: Tower 2 was on fire," Vega said, doing his best to maintain his emotions. "I quickly got on the phone and called the station, called my family, called my friends and then donned my uniform and headed outside because I heard the convoys of fire trucks and ambulances heading down to Manhattan, and I hopped on one of the rigs," he added.

Vega went on to paint a picture of horror and terror as he described running for his life, trying to rescue people while the twin towers came crashing down on or around himself and his fellow rescue workers.

"Hell gave New York City a visit," Vega said.

Following Vega's remarks, 1st Lt. Patrick Dowdell, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., who serves as platoon leader with 3rd Platoon, Battery A, 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regt., 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., attached to 101st Airborne Div., MND-B, shared his experiences and explained why he joined the Army following 9/11.

"I decided I wanted to deploy seven years ago, after 9/11, and am glad I finally made it over here," Dowdell said. "My father was a 21-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department, who was killed on 9/11. I worked with the men from his firehouse at Ground Zero as part of the recovery effort in the months following Sep. 11," he added, noting that he loves his job in the Army and how proud he is of his Soldiers.

Next up were two brothers, originally from Las Vegas, who come from a military background and felt it their duty to their nation to serve in the wake of that dark day.

"We enlisted in the U.S. Army in May of 2004 after the attacks of Sept. 11," said Sgt. Marquis Walker, who serves in the Honor Guard, Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Inf. Div., and with the division commandant section. "After the attacks, it became clear that we should serve our nation in some way because both of our parents served in the Army as well – establishing a tradition of service to country in my brother and I," Walker added, speaking about himself and his brother standing next to him, Sgt. Tarius Walker, who is a medic with 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Regt., 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.

Shifting the focus of the meeting to a couple of current and ongoing events in Baghdad, Bobb and Dailey introduced Lt. Col. David Ristedt, a native of Logansport, Ind., who serves as the division surgeon with 4th Inf. Div. and MND-B, who in turn introduced Dr. Jalil al Shumari, who is the director general for health in the Karkh District of Baghdad.

"He is responsible for the healthcare management of the entire population on the southern and western side of Baghdad, covering about four million people," Ristedt said, turning the floor over to Dr. al Shumari, who candidly spoke about the status of healthcare and healthcare facilities in the area as well as the country as a whole.

"These hospitals and medical centers are only enough to provide 30 percent of the Iraqi health needs, and this is because of the neglect of Saddam's regime," al Shumari said. "For example, since 1985, there has not been a single hospital built all over Iraq."

However, al Shumari was quick to point out the successes that have been made since Saddam was removed from power.

"Since the fall of Saddam, we have built 124 new medical centers, and the plan is to build 130 medical centers per year until we reach the goal of 3,000. There are more than 1,000 doctors and pharmacists, which have returned to Iraq, especially after the improvement of the security," he said.

Ristedt and al Shumari were both quick to cite the reasons for the improvements and gave the proper credit where it was due.

"There is support from the government of Iraq to enhance the health situation in Iraq, and we would like to thank America for its continuous support to the Iraqi people, and my special thanks to [Maj.]Gen. Hammond and his medical team for their continuing support," al Shumari said.

Following al Shumari, the meeting's final special guest was introduced: Mr. Bruce Everson, a native of Townsville, which is located in Queensland, Australia. Everson is the manager of the Oasis Water Treatment Plant on Camp Victory and spoke about his company's efforts in supporting and providing fresh water for the troops.

"We produce an average 420,000 to 450,000 bottles of purified water per day, 365 days per year," Everson said. "Our water that we purify comes from the Tigris River through a number of canals and then finally into what we call Z Lake," he added, going into detail about the purification process.

Following Everson, Bobb and Dailey continued the 4th Inf. Div. Town Hall tradition of providing members of the audiences at Fort Hood and Fort Carson the opportunity to ask questions to the division's leadership. The questions, answered by the appropriate subject-matter experts best suited to provide the most accurate answers, were mostly regarding redeployment issues ranging from block leave timeframes to the pending move of the division to Fort Carson.

Despite the updates from al Shumari, Ristedt and Everson, and the question and answer period, the meeting definitely belonged to its 9-11 honorees, and Bobb, Dailey and Hammond took special care to recognize them and their peers in their closing remarks.

"The young men and women – our Soldiers – are doing a tremendous job. They've made significant progress just in the last six months, helping the Iraqi people rebuild their neighborhoods, their businesses and return to their homes," Bobb said.

"It is truly rewarding to witness the efforts of our Soldiers as they transition security and provide a safe and peaceful life to the Iraqi people," Dailey added. "You should be very proud of the job your Soldiers are doing over here every day. I can tell you that the Soldiers are doing great."

Hammond finished the meeting flanked by the four honorees.

"These are your nation's credentials. Somewhere in their lives, they were raised by parents, who turned out some pretty good kids – men of character and moral courage. I thank God for their service, and I thank God that he chose to bless our wonderful nation with the wonderful men and women like these guys here."

While the troops of the 4th Inf. Div. remain "steadfast and loyal" to their duties, the people of Iraq, and most importantly their Families – they, like most of us, will never forget the real reasons they are serving here.

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