By Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp
1st BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs
BOOB AL SHAM, Iraq – Soldiers from the 1st "Red Lion" Battalion, 37th Field Artillery Regiment assisted the city council with the re-opening of the Boob Al Sham Girls Secondary School, April 18, after a $100,000 renovation on the school building.
On this first day of school, since the renovation began a few months ago, nearly 600 students from ages 12 to 17 came back to the facility that now has freshly painted walls, ceilings, new light fixtures, new restrooms, fans, water fountains and repaired roofs.
The renovation is just one of many projects the Boob Al Sham city council, Red Lion Battalion Soldiers along with civilian contractors and civil affairs specialists from Company A, 492nd Civil Affairs Battalion have been bringing to fruition for the people. Other projects for the town include improving electricity, building a water treatment plant and improving sewage systems.
"When we talked to the city council and asked them what was the most important thing they wanted to do first as a project, they told us it was the education of their children," said Capt. Evan Gotkin, battery commander, Battery C, 1st Bn., 37th FA Regt., during a dedication ceremony on the school's basketball court. "They wanted to ensure their children had a clean, safe and well-built building before pursuing other projects like electricity, water and sewage."
"They realized that Iraq does not have a bright future unless its children are educated," added Gotkin, who hails from Long Island, N.Y.
Throughout the morning, Soldiers handed out school supplies to the children. They also donated and put together a swing set in the school's recess yard for the younger children to enjoy.
"We're celebrating a small victory over terrorism by providing a good place for kids to be educated," said Idaho Falls, Idaho, native 1st Lt. Burke Manwaring, a platoon leader for Battery C, 1st Bn., 37th FA Regt. "This is a great way for the public and the coalition to interact and see each other on a personal level to build relationships and trust."
"This is an opportunity for us to show encouragement to the kids, and we're here to let the people know that we're not here to terrorize them, we're here to help them help themselves," said Chaplain (Capt.) Tom Strong, the 1st Bn., 37th FA Regt. chaplain. "One of the things we're starting to see here is Sunni and Shia working together to reinvest their own money in their communities."
Many of the school supplies given to the children in Boob Al Sham, were donated through Operation Lion's Castle, which was established by the 1st Bn., 37th FA Regt. chaplain's office in August to collect donations of clothes, school supplies, shoes and toys among other items to give to people in Iraq. The donations were made by the families and friends of Soldiers currently serving in Iraq.
"There are a lot of generous donors out there in the states who care about what's going on here and about the Iraqi people; so there are a lot of good things going on," added Strong.
In order for projects like the school to continue moving forward, villagers in the town, which has had its share of insurgent activity, have been working closely with Iraqi security forces and coalition forces to kick insurgents out of their neighborhoods.
Slowly but surely things in the village have been improving, according to Gotkin.
"Once people began being intimidated and threatened, the sheiks were angered (by the insurgents) and called a meeting with the Iraqi security forces and coalition forces and said, 'We want security,'" said Gotkin. "There is now a wedge between the local populace and the insurgents."
In response to the demands of the local citizens, the Iraqi army and Iraqi police have now set up 24-hour checkpoints in the area.
| Date Taken: |
04.23.2007 |
| Date Posted: |
04.23.2007 15:16 |
| Story ID: |
10074 |
| Location: |
IQ |
| Web Views: |
640 |
| Downloads: |
584 |
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