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U.S. Soldiers bring food, water, supplies to Iraqis

Courtesy Photo | BAGHDAD -- Staff Sgt. Pablo Trevino, A Company, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry hands key...... read more read more

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

11.25.2005

Courtesy Story

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Capt. Douglas Herrmann and Spc. Carlos Caro
1/10th Mountain Division

BAGHDAD --Taking the fight aggressively to terrorists comes naturally for 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Soldiers, but they've also been doing other things that are equally important.

Supported by F Company, 10th Brigade Support Battalion, the 10th Mountain Division Soldiers have been busy conducting humanitarian assistance missions in a neighborhood a few miles west of Baghdad where the capital city's crowded tenements give way to clusters of old homes.

The people there face austere conditions like a lack of basic sewage service and running water. The A Company commander, Capt. Dennis Faulkner, met with a local sheik Nov. 6 to discuss ways to improve conditions.

"We want to get to know the key leaders out here," Faulkner said.

Soon after the meeting, Soldiers began unloading pallets of food, water, children's shoes, basic first aid supplies, school supplies, blankets and clothing.

Local residents soon joined the Soldiers to help with the unloading, forming a human chain to carry the supplies to the sheik so he could distribute the supplies to the people.

The sheik's dedication to his people was impressive, Faulkner said. "It's always good to see a leader trying to help his people during hard times. We like helping with that."

"We were well received," said 2nd Lt. Maxwell Funk. "The sheik made it abundantly clear he appreciated our help and wanted our presence up there."

"The looks on the kids" faces when they saw the school supplies and toys made the entire trip worthwhile," said Pfc. Shane Scicluna, assigned to F Co. "This mission made me realize how lucky I was growing up and how much I shouldn't take for granted."

"This mission helped me understand the big mission here in Iraq," said Spc. Eric Norberg, also with F Co. "Working with A Company is awesome. This mission went perfectly as planned, just as we"d rehearsed it."

Soldiers from B Company, 1st Bn., 87th Inf., completed a similar humanitarian mission Nov. 9 when they delivered school supplies to a primary school in a joint effort with the Iraqi Police and the Ghazaliyah Neighborhood Advisory Council.

"We are helping facilitate good relations between the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government and local police," said 1st Lt. Ty Adelman, of B Co.