41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team

Story by Cory Grogan

AL ASAD, Iraq – Soldiers from the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team's Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, are getting the chance to meet and help local nationals from a village near Camp Korean Village, Iraq, where the Roseburg, Ore., Soldiers are stationed.

First Lt. Matt Branstetter said an agreement with the town of Rupas city council was made that ten individuals can come out and sort through the trash, and that they are allowed two truckloads twice a day.

"We go out and guard the trash to make sure they don't grab anything they could make IEDs with," said Branstetter.

However, Branstetter also mentioned that the things they find help the villagers more than they could have imagined, and that Charlie Company is building strong bonds with the locals.

He said they are able to feed their sheep food that is thrown away from the chow hall and often get a lot of good things like lumber and clothes.

"They are kind of hurting so anything they can take out of there they appreciate, and it is nice that we can help them a little bit."

The Soldiers often bring the villagers some of their own things like hygiene products or other items they have bought or received from care packages.

Spc. Josef Lewis said that Charlie Company Soldiers are developing positive relationships with the people from Rupas.

"Anything that they can use on a regular basis they will use. We also set a lot of the things we get from home aside so we can give it to them; we'll give them stuff like toothbrushes and tea," Lewis said.

Spc. Justin Fox said it is a good feeling when the villagers find things like shoes and shirts because he knows they appreciate it.

Charlie Company Soldiers have bonded with the people from Rupas who come out to look for treasures that are trash to the Soldiers. They frequently laugh or play games with the villagers and Fox and Lewis say it has been a great life experience.

When one of the villagers was asked why he likes coming out to sort through the trash, he said it is because he can feed his sheep, find shoes, and that the Soldiers are good.

Lewis said that most of the Soldiers like going out and interacting with the local nationals because as he puts it, "There are a lot of good people out here."

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