TIKRIT, Iraq — U.S. Soldiers are doing more than working alongside Iraqi soldiers to provide a secure and stable Iraq, they are also working with their Iraqi partners to improve health and sanitation.
Soldiers of Company C, 701st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley, Kan., welcomed and showed 1st Lt. Hazam Hashim Muhammed, a Medical Service Corps officer with the 48th Iraqi Army Battalion, 4th Iraqi Division ways to maintain the health of his Soldiers, Jan. 14 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher's Troop Medical Center.
"I was tasked with showing First Lieutenant Hazam with how the U.S. Army makes an effort to make the water and living situations safe and sanitary for Soldiers," said Spc. Carlos A. Warfield of California City, Calif., a preventive medicine specialist with Company C, 701st BSB.
"We showed him different ways to check for bacteria that's in drinking water [and] what the U.S. Army's standards are for different levels of pH and chlorine levels — the things that are important for the bacteriological analyst of water. We [also] showed him how to abate some vector control issues about insects."
The visit made the 48th IA medical officer aware of the alternatives he had when providing water to his Soldiers.
"He can integrate [what he learned] by watching the water and being mindful of the different sources of water," said Warfield. "To be able to test the pH of the water, we were able to supply him with some testing strips ... so he would be able to ensure that the water is safe for his people."
According to 2nd Lt. Robert White, an environmental science officer with Company C, 701st BSB, the visit was part of a larger plan to help Iraqis within the region to improve their general sanitation.