Photo By Sgt. Dennis Gravelle | Capt. Timothy Sawyer, commander, Bravo company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment,...... read more read more
QARA QOSH, IRAQ (May 31, 2006) -- Having the basic necessities in life like water and electricity are important to all people, no matter where you live in the world.
If you live in Qara Qosh, Iraq, having the basic necessities is limited, and there are many needs to satisfy.
That is where the U.S. Army comes in, Soldiers of Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, along with the 403rd Civil Affairs Battalion, recently completed a village assessment to find out exactly what the village needs.
"Our mission was to meet with the mayor of Qara Qosh and determine some of the projects that he may need done in his area," said Capt. Mark Harhai, CAT-A team leader, 403rd CA Bn. Harhai is from Pittsburgh, Pa.
According to Capt. Timothy Sawyer, commander, 2nd Bn., 1st Inf. Rgt., 172nd SBCT, the biggest concern that the mayor had was the water, and the pump station that pumps the water into his village.
"It is about 60 kilometers away and the mayor is concerned about the pumping capabilities," said Sawyer. "The last time the pump station was serviced was back in 1970."
Sawyer said the population has doubled, if not almost tripled since then, we don't even know how effective the pumping station is.
Another main concern for the village is a run down medical clinic that serves about 700 residents a month and is in need of several repairs.
"The building has a leaky roof, and the sanitation is not good," said Sawyer. "There is no clean water, yet they still continue to treat people here."
According to Harhai, the next step in the process is to send an Iraqi engineer who works for the Army, to complete a 'scope of work" on areas that need to be fixed.
"They send the 'scope of work" to us, and then we send the paper work to the 101st," said Harhai. "Then we wait for the 101st to approve the work that needs to be done. Nothing will get done until it gets approved."
According to Sawyer projects like these demonstrate to the Iraqi people that when they have needs, they can go to their elected officials, like the mayor or police chief, and by doing so things will get done. Things are relevant and the government is improving.
"The gentlemen in power today are very smart individuals, and know what needs to be done," Sawyer said. "By going to them directly, it gives them legitimacy to continue their governance."
"These cities have grown, the infrastructure doesn't always meets the needs," said Harhai. "We want to make sure they are on the right track before we leave this country."
| Date Taken: | 06.02.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 06.02.2006 10:43 |
| Story ID: | 6636 |
| Location: | QARA QOSH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 249 |
| Downloads: | 170 |
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