‘Red Dragons’ deliver humanitarian supplies: Battery commanders strengthen international relationships

Photo By Sgt. Quentin Johnson | Local Iraqis help unload donated medical supplies from an Army connex during a humanitarian aid supply drop conducted by Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Advise and Assist), 1st Cavalry Division, in Zoor Albakisma, Iraq, Oct. 24. The medical supplies were delivered to the Zoor Albakisma Medical Clinic, Iraq. The clinic opened in August 2011 to help relieve the overwhelming amount of people seen at the main hospital and help give medical aid to locals that cannot afford to travel to the hospital in Yithrib, said Shouket Ahmed, the mayor of Yithrib.  

JOINT BASE BALAD, IRAQ

10.24.2011

Courtesy Story

2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq – As U.S. forces continue to leave Iraq, they leave behind partnerships and a legacy that will not soon be forgotten.

In keeping with that legacy, soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment “Red Dragons,” 2nd Brigade Combat Team (Advise and Assist), 1st Cavalry Division, made a final push to deliver humanitarian aid supplies to local villages within the Salah-ad-Din province, Iraq, Oct. 24 - Nov. 3.

Headquarters and Headquarters Battery and Battery A, 3rd Bn., 82nd FA Regt., conducted the aid missions which supplied local towns with much need sporting equipment, medical and school supplies, said Capt. Michael Roscoe, the commander for HHB.

For months, both batteries worked in conjunction with Shouket Ahmed, the mayor of Yithrib, and Mohammad Hassan, mayor of Dujayl, and the Red Dragons’ civil affairs team to plan the supply drops in each of the mayor’s respected areas.

“We worked with the Ahmed, the Yithrib City Council and our civil affairs team to coordinate which clinic would receive the medical supplies,” said Roscoe who hails from Richmond, Va.

“We have a great relationship with the Dujayl city council, which enabled us to coordinate with them, our civil affairs team and Hassan to locate locations most in need of the aid supplies,” explained Capt. Bryan Hammond, commander of Battery A, 3rd Bn., 82nd FA Regt.

Soldiers from HHB kicked off the missions by delivering medical supplies to the clinic in the town of Zoor Albakisma, located within the city of Yethrib.

The clinic, established in August 2011 to help alleviate the number of patients seen at the city hospital, will increase care to the locals that are too poverty stricken to seek medical aid, said Alba Hishne Hasoon, the director of the clinic.

The challenge is getting anyone to come to the clinic because of the lack of supplies, explained Hasoon. She is hopeful the medical supplies delivered to them will encourage more people to come seek help at the clinic.

“When the people hear of the supplies they will start to come by more for medical help,” she added.

Hasoon said the clinic has had few patients, about 20 at the most, within the last month.

Ahmed agreed with Hasoon saying the supplies would generate a larger influx of patients within Zoor Albakisma. With approximately 10,000 people living in Yethrib, the clinic will provide an avenue for locals who cannot get to the main hospital.

Additionally, humanitarian missions such these add to the already close relationship the U.S. forces have with the locals, added Ahmed. He has worked with every U.S. Army unit for the past eight years but has never seen cooperation, friendship and trust as with the Red Dragons.

“This unit [3-82nd FA Regt.] is the friendliest I’ve met,” he said. “They give us full cooperation every time we work together.”

Working together with the Mayor has also made an impact on community leaders, stated Ahmed. The aid shows the Government of Iraq local clinics need support too.

“These gifts, supplies, are simple things that have big results here,” he said.

Additional results were seen across the province, as Battery A soldiers conducted two aid drops, one in Dujayl and one in Jamboria, later that week, explained Hammond, a Magazine, Ark. native.

Medical supplies were delivered to the hospital in Dujayl, a center with good medical care but strained with a growing populace.

“The hospital is a capable medical facility, but with a large population in the qada there is a growing demand for smaller clinics and supplies,” said Mohammad Hassan, mayor of Dujayl.

Other demands in the city came in the form of recreational outreach for the children of Dujayl, stated Hammond. His battery delivered sporting equipment to a Ministry of Youth and Sports center, an Iraq version of the YMCA, in the city.

“We delivered items such as soccer balls, baseball equipment, shoes and uniforms,” said Hammond.

All the equipment delivered was greatly appreciated by the children and local leaders within Dujayl, he said. Sports not only afford the local children an alternative to crime, but the equipment helps bring relief to an already strained budget in the youth center.

“The center receives an allotted amount of funds from the GOI, which are allocated to maintain the building and buy equipment,” according to the director of the youth center. “However, the one time aid drop is worth more than a month’s worth of funding.”

Battery A also delivered school supplies to three schools within the town of Jamboria, said Hammond. The supplies were drop off at a central location in the city before being distributed to the schools.

“We delivered items such as paper, pencils, coloring books, globes, English learning material and higher level books for the teachers,” he explained.

Shehab Saleh, the local sheik and principal of the schools, was there to receive the supplies, stated Hammond. Battery A has worked with Sheik Saleh for the past six months, and has developed a strong relationship with him and the local populace.

“Working with the sheik as been outstanding, and the supply drop was an opportunity to show our appreciation for the relationship we’ve had for the last six months,” he added.

Roscoe said the aid missions were a success and couldn’t have asked for a more grateful people to leave the supplies with.

“It was great to give supplies to cities that are trying to take care of themselves,” he added. “The aid missions are a great way for U.S. Forces to say goodbye to the Iraqi people we have supported and served with for the past eight years.”

• Date Taken: 10.24.2011
• Date Posted: 11.05.2011 12:24
• Story ID: 79611
• Location: JOINT BASE BALAD, IQ