Courtesy Photo | Miriam Mohsen, headmistress, addresses the assembly and recognized those students who...... read more read more
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By 1st Lt. Jamen Miller
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
SADR CITY, Iraq – Imagine a city where education is not valued for the immense impact it has on a child's life – or where attending a school of formal education could mean forfeiting your life.
One did not have to travel far into Sadr City during the governance of the extremists and militants to witness the injustices firsthand. Children did not attend schools, especially girls, mainly because veteran teachers had either fled the city due to violence or simply ceased teaching because of the threat to their safety.
Schools that were not being used by the militia as staging points and hideouts were in such a degraded state that class could not effectively be held.
Now fast-forward to the present day, when children feel safe enough to walk to school alone without their parents escorting them. Neighborhood councils are fighting political battles to ensure schools are re-supplied beyond previous levels, and the importance of a formal education at all ages is valued.
With the help of Soldiers from Task Force 1-6 and 3rd Battalion, 42nd Brigade, 11th Iraqi Army Division, schools in Sadr City have not only been reconstructed, but reconstituted with the mission to spread education in an attempt to end illiteracy and ignorance that makes militia groups so prevalent – a subtle way of waging war against Special Groups.
In this war-torn city, teachers are now armed with the dedication to teach children once again and to attempt to rebuild their city one child at a time.
The 3rd Platoon, which is part of Company C "Warlord," 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment and Task Force Regulars, which is in turn attached to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, in conjunction with their Iraqi security force counterparts from 4th Company, 3rd Bn., 42nd Bde., 11th IA Div., conducted an operation to deliver backpacks and food and water to the needy children of the Al-Nahareen Girls Primary school in the Thawra I region of Sadr City. The tokens go a long way to further instill the importance of education in the minds of the developing girls who attend the school.
Many of the children received backpacks already through efforts by the headmistress, Miriam Mohsen, and teachers of the school. However, a group of students that have suffered the saddening loss of their fathers due to violence have not been rewarded for their dedication to education. The girls are at the 4th and 5th levels of their school, are more than deserving of recognition for their sacrifices. Upon the platoon's arrival, the headmistress called the girls from their classes and assembled them in the courtyard.
There were more students occupying the newly renovated school than the platoon imagined. The girls were looking around and giggling at the Warlord Company and 4th Company Soldiers who flanked them on all sides.
"I believe these girls will help to heal the wounds of the fighting that has been caused by the militias – not just figuratively, but also literally," said Spc. Eric Williams, medic with 3rd Platoon, Co. C, 1-35 AR. "So many doctors and nurses have fled the city due to sectarian violence. My hope is that these girls will go to college to become the next generation of doctors and nurses that will help cure the country of suffering."
An Iraqi army officer, 2nd Lt. Farass, was called forward to help distribute backpacks to the students, who were organized in front of the assembly.
Speaking with the headmistress when the event concluded and hearing her appreciation for 3rd Platoon's efforts made the time spent organizing the logistics and including it into the planning worthwhile for the Soldiers.
"The dedication that American forces have shown [in Sadr City] is amazing. Every day, you show us how much you care for the children. My wish would be that everyone in the city can see your good deeds and help to make sure everything continues to improve, if only for the children," Mohsen said
Soldiers on both sides said they support her view and look forward to the day when education is a right afforded to every child around the country.
Although the scope of the operation was small when looking at the number of children reached, the magnitude of the impact on the community is tremendous. Gaining support for schools, especially schools for girls, from the neighborhoods can help ensure the successes that have been gained in Sadr City are maintained upon the unit's departure.
With more public outpouring of support and the return of teachers to the area to educate, the potential for more opportunities for children in the poverty stricken area of the city can continue in the years and decades to come.
| Date Taken: | 12.28.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 12.28.2008 09:26 |
| Story ID: | 28215 |
| Location: | SADR CITY, IQ |
| Web Views: | 234 |
| Downloads: | 218 |
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