Army Captain puts civillian work experience to work in Iraq

Courtesy Photo | Capt. Lorene Rodan hands a pair of shoes to a young Kurdish boy during a civil affairs mission out of Habur Gate Nov. 20.  

12.02.2005

Courtesy Story

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SGT Ashly N. Rice
101st Sustainment Brigade
20 NOV 05

Helping others is second nature to Capt. Lorene Rodan. A former social worker, Rodan joined the Army four years ago and serves as the company commander of 627th Movement Control Team, 27th Movement Control Battalion out of Germany.

Now deployed to Habur Gate, Iraq, one of Rodan's efforts is in helping surrounding villages near the Turkish and Syrian border.

Before taking another trip to a nearby village, Rodan traveled to a downtown area to pick up some supplies for the Kurdish village of Soyra Nov. 20.

"People in the village asked for buckets and toys for various ages, including baby dolls and puzzles," said Rodan. "I picked up some paint and plaster for the schoolhouse walls. Some of the older girls wanted to color their hair, so I got hair dye too."

Boxes of donated school supplies, clothes, and shoes are packed away to hand out to the families. Candy and ice-cream accompanied the donations as added treats.

The village of Soyra has 18 families, which was three more families than were there on Rodan's last visit. Houses are constantly under construction in this small village and are warmed by a generator that is connected throughout the houses.

Electricity for the village is one of Rodan's top priorities, as well as ordering parts and continuing to provide maintenance on the generator.

Soyra is two miles off the closest paved road, where vehicles must park in order not to get stuck in the mud during the rainy and cold seasons. This makes it difficult for emergency vehicles or anyone to travel to Soyra during those times.

"They have had a school for 13 years, but no one has ever attended it because they have not had a teacher," said Rodan. "It would be hard for a teacher to try and get to the school during a rainy day when the road is deep in mud."

Rodan added, another mission is to get gravel for the road so the residents of Soyra can travel more easily, and then to try and find a teacher for the village. Rodan received word from the local department of education, that if the school could get ready, they would assist in finding a teacher.

Right now, workers are clearing the school building of debris and painting and plastering the walls. Desks and chairs are under construction and should arrive in the weeks ahead to place inside the school, according to Rodan.

Rodan acknowledges that there are other villages that need just as much help, but says her philosophy is to "get one village self-sustained and work on from there."

Other items on the agenda in the future for the Soyra village include obtaining the right documents needed for families to receive kerosene to warm their homes, and for medical teams to come out and give classes on hygiene and infection prevention.

Rodan divides her time to help the area: "Go to a village during the day, work and sleep at night."

• Date Taken: 12.02.2005
• Date Posted: 12.02.2005 16:04
• Story ID: 3942