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Rebuilding Iraq, One Providence at a Time

Photo By Jennifer Eidson | 1st Lt. Jeremy Krueger, civil military operations officer for 1-30th, and native of...... read more read more

FORWARD OPERATING BASE NORMANDY, IRAQ

08.19.2005

Courtesy Story

22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

By Sgt. Jennifer J. Eidson
22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

FORWARD OPERATING BASE NORMANDY, Iraq -- Coalition Soldiers are providing Iraqis with money to improve their way of life, and in order to ensure projects like the ones in Diyala Province are progressing on schedule, Soldiers conduct routine checks of these sites.

Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry, Task Force Liberty are working with the people of Diyala Province to build schools, improve the water supply, pave roads and rebuild their local government.

The work the Soldiers are doing is helping to rebuild the city services, said 1st Lt. Jeremy Krueger, civil military operations officer, and native of Pensacola, Fla.

"I think the projects in our (area of operations) are important," said Krueger.
"What we are doing is improving the infrastructure for this whole area that has been torn down over the last several years. It's helping the population immensely. It is providing new schools for them, new roads, new water projects, water supplies that they have never had, and also some of the projects are businesses that are going to provide some revenue for the area."

The unit is still working on developing more projects in order to better the area, said Sgt. Maj. Matthew J. West, civil military operations sergeant major and a native of Dallas.

"Currently we've got 83 projects that have been submitted or currently working," West said. "Out of those we have a variety of different types of projects. The majority of our projects right now (include) anywhere from 35 to 40 schools that are being rebuilt. We have a lot of water projects through three of our major cities and also sewage projects, which are probably the next highest big money projects that we are working right now."

Krueger said he believes they are making progress with the people of Diyala Province.

"We get a lot of support from cities and even with a lot of the individual residents," he said. "We get a lot of positive feedback when we go out and do some of these projects and inspect them."

Part of the unit's job is to help local leaders learn how to develop their infrastructure and run operations on their own, Krueger said.

"Every day that we go out and interact with the local governments, the city councils, and try to show them that we are there to help and at the same time teach them how to solve problems and provide solutions on their own with less and less of our help," Krueger said.

The democratic government is working well in the area, West said.

"The individuals know they have a right to vote," West said. "They are working on voting registration right now and with the upcoming elections between October and December time frame, I think we are going to have a good turn out. People understand that democracy in this area is going to be the road ahead."

West said he believes they are able to help the Iraqis rebuild their cities because they are taking notice of the steps that need to be taken for the province's future.

"I think the key thing is understanding where these people are at and where they need to go," West said. "I think the best thing that we do is our engagements that we do five times a week with the different city councils. We ensure they're managing the city in an appropriate fashion, they're understanding the democratic process and also we ensure that these projects are being accomplished to benefit the people of the Diyala Province."