Photo By Capt. Tony Massari | Soldiers from the Mad Dog Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd Brigade...... read more read more
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CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – The ancient Babylonian empire was ruled over by King Hammurabi from 1792 to 1750 B.C., and encompassed a great deal of modern-day Iraq, including the current operating area of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
King Hammurabi established the code of Hammurabi, circa 1790 B.C, believed to be the first set of written laws that governed mankind in this area. These codes outlined property rights, rights of accused individuals, and punishments for acts of injustice.
Almost 4,000 years later, the Mad Dog Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 3rd BCT, 4th Inf. Div. is helping increase the local government’s rule-of-law capacity in Iraq’s Dhi Qar Province.
In coordination with the Dhi Qar Provincial Reconstruction Team, the Mad Dog platoon has been supervising the construction of a courthouse in Al Fajir. The Iraqi Government began construction of the courthouse in 2009 but could not complete the project due to a lack of funds.
The courthouse is an important project designed to help alleviate a backlog of other courts in the area. Therefore, the Dhi Qar PRT turned to the U.S. Army, who then funded the remainder of the construction under the Commander’s Emergency Response Fund Program.
Over the last four months, Mad Dog Soldiers have worked intensely to supervise the construction of the courthouse. Recently, they saw their efforts pay off as the contractor placed the finishing touches on the building. The Iraqi judges were so excited that they began to move in before the formal commemoration and ribbon cutting ceremony.
“The judges are ready and willing to accept the courthouse,” says Staff Sgt. Kenneth Sergeant, of Colorado Springs, Colo., Mad Dog platoon sergeant. “Currently, criminal trials are being held in a rundown courtroom across town [that] has too many cases for them to handle.”
In addition to supervising the construction of the courthouse, HHT, 3rd BCT also supports local, PRT-sponsored training courses in Nasiriyah. The training courses focus on bringing lawyers, judges, and Iraqi Police officers together to discuss evidence collection, criminal investigation techniques, weapons simulation training, codes of ethics and proper evidence handling.
“They are helping bring Iraqis who work in the justice sector together at the Mittica Training Center. We recently had a seminar where judges helped police investigators learn how to successfully collect evidence and procedurally use that evidence in criminal prosecutions,” said Maj. Dan McAuliffe, of Denver, deputy brigade judge advocate and rule-of-law coordinator for Dhi Qar and Muthanna, 1st Army Training Support Division West, attached to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.
In another recent course, members of the 3rd BCT taught Iraqi Security Force personnel the proper way to collect evidence, such as fingerprints, from explosive devices.
“There are a lot of great things going on in Dhi Qar Province right now,” said Sgt. William Nelson, of Phoenix, armor crewman, partnered with the Dhi Qar PRT. “It’s a wonderful feeling to know that I’m involved in helping Iraq prepare for its future.”
Though the mission is no longer to enforce the Code of Hammurabi, the Al Fajir courthouse, along with Dhi Qar PRT training, have helped Iraqi judges preserve justice in the province.
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 08.05.2010 06:25 |
| Story ID: | 53975 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 60 |
| Downloads: | 38 |
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