Old Hickory Soldiers maintain relationships with Iraqi army

Photo By Staff Sgt. Jon Soles | Spc. Ronald Chavis, an infantryman assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, pulls security outside an Iraqi army station near Forward Operating Base Mahmudiyah, here, Aug. 11. Chavis, a Lumbee Indian from Rowland, N.C., is a police officer in his civilian job.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

08.13.2009

Story by Sgt. Jon Soles 

Multi-National Division Baghdad

BAGHDAD - Soldiers of the North Carolina National Guard are helping bring clean water to Iraqi citizens in the form of water filters, but it's the coordination that goes along with such a project that is fostering a good working relationship with the Iraqi army.

Soldiers of Company B, 1st Battalion, 120th Infantry Regiment, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team met with Iraqi army officers near Forward Operating Base Mahmudiyah, here, Aug. 11, to discuss the placement of two solar-powered water filters.

The Soldiers may be able to provide the water filters, but it's up to the Iraqis to decide who takes responsibility for them, said platoon leader, 1st Lt. Matthew Mason, of Garner, N.C. At the meeting with 1st Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Brigade, 17th Iraqi Army Division, it was decided that two sheikhs, one Sunni and one Shi'a, would be in charge of the water filters.

"This helps support the government of Iraq and they will be an impartial distributor of water, people who won't think of their own benefit, but of the greater good of the people," said Mason. "It [the meeting] went really well; we got a lot accomplished."

It was a simple meeting, but the coordination of the water filter project was just another building block in the relationship with the Iraqi security forces, said Mason, an infantry officer.

"Personally, I know we have a good working relationship and we share information and intelligence," Mason said. "Like every relationship, it takes time and commitment."

The IA knows the area and is receiving support from the local population, according to Mason.

"They're extremely proficient and know their area and they've got a real lockdown on everything that goes on," Mason said. "The people know they can trust the IA."

The water filter project is in the works, but the overall relationship with the IA will continue to pay dividends on future peace and stability.

"You feel like you're accomplishing something, showing support for the IA, still showing that [U.S. forces] are present in rural areas," Mason said.

• Date Taken: 08.13.2009
• Date Posted: 08.13.2009 19:05
• Story ID: 37474
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ