by Sgt. 1st Class Steven Petibone
138th MPAD
SINJAR, Iraq – Civil Affairs Soldiers gather every morning at 8:30 a.m. with Capt. Steven Zimmerle, team leader, Civil Affairs Team-A, Company B, 403rd CA Battalion, to prepare themselves for another day of extraordinary dealings with the people and places of Sinjar, Iraq.
The overall mission of Co. B, 403rd CA Bn. is to build common centers of goodwill around their maneuver unit's manned by U.S. civil affairs-trained Soldiers. Their ultimate goal is a stable Iraq and a secure America.
In order to run a civil affairs team effectively, it takes key officers and enlisted personnel willing to meet the challenges of day-to-day, wartime operations.
Zimmerle commands a working team of five enlisted Soldiers. They are Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Popolizio, CA NCO and M240b gunner from Rotterdam, N.Y., Staff Sgt. Perry Putnam, CA NCO and M240b gunner from St. Louis, Mo., Staff Sgt. Alberto Lopez, CA NCO and the Civil and Military Operations Center's NCOIC from El Paso, Texas, Sgt. Robert Harms, CA NCO and Project NCOIC from Buffalo, N.Y. and Sgt. Victor Mendoza, CA NCO and driver from Temecula, Calif.
Zimmerle, who is from Eau Claire, Mich. is hard-working, diligent, and well-trained to take on the tasks of organizing and implementing a demanding civil affairs agenda.
During a typical workday, Zimmerle may talk to a licensed Iraqi contractor about an impending water-well project or he may have to be candid with another licensed contractor for falling behind schedule on the amount of work being done on a CA funded project.
Zimmerle is also concerned for the comfort and well-being of Soldiers assigned to him.
The unit recently purchased a washer and dryer to be placed in the unit's common latrine, and shower area.
"The reason that the purchase was made was that many of the team members were not satisfied with their clothing when it returned from the laundry," said Zimmerle. "The laundry facility uses hot water and apparently no soap so sometimes the laundry smells worse when it comes back."
According to Zimmerle, future group-purchases are questionable for now, however, we are still trying to acquire satellite internet as the Spy Ware has been down for more than two months. It is better than standing in line to get internet access from a couple of computers at the joint operations center.
On another typical workday, Zimmerle and his team will go to a nearby Sinjar maternity ward to talk about completion of a new maternity ward.
While there, his team visits the old and overcrowded maternity ward to hand out toys to Iraqi children.
On yet another day, he and his team will load their Humvees with ammunition, Meals-Ready-to-Eat and lots of frozen water and drive all day to some of the most remote villages in the western Ninewa province.
One of the villages they visit is less than a kilometer from the Syrian border.
During these extended missions he checks on problems that villagers have with completed wells, such as power issues and security of the wells, for example, locked doors to prevent vandalism.
He is well-respected by some village leaders and has earned their respect with his willingness to discuss civic projects that can benefit their villages.
"At this point we are trying to shift our focus away from well projects and attempting to provide other alternatives for water," said Zimmerle, "There are some projects designed to take advantage of the natural springs from Sinjar Mountain to provide drinking water to the people of the districts."
Beyond the scope of water projects, there are social issues that civil affairs can focus on.
"We are also trying to repair or remodel the existing schools in the areas. It is our belief that education will be the key that helps stabilize Iraq for now and the future," said Zimmerle.
Another future social endeavor to work on according to Zimmerle, is employment. We would like to develop a plan to build a factory to take advantage of the natural resources and provide employment. At this point, the factory could provide a stable annual income.
Although there is no description of what or who a civil affairs officer should be, Zimmerle brings a streamlined and detailed amount of experience to his responsibilities as a CA Team leader.
He began his military career in the Michigan Army National Guard in the Simultaneous Membership program from 1989 to 1991. This program allowed him to be in the guard and an officer cadet.
"It is a way that a cadet can be in the military and function as an officer while still a cadet," said Zimmerle.
While enrolled at Western Michigan University-Kalamazoo studying criminal justice, he participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program serving as the assistant chemical officer for 46th Infantry Brigade, located in Wyoming, Mich.
Getting his U.S. Army commission in 1991, he switched to the Army reserve, getting his first assignment with the 428th Military Police Company as a platoon leader, combat support in South Bend, Ind. until 1996.
His full-time civilian employment consisted of working for a juvenile detention facility also in South Bend.
After five years with the 428th MP Co., he switched to the 604th MP Bn., Combat Support, as assistant S-3 area security officer in Terra Haute, Ind., where he worked for two years.
Finally, in 1998, he joined the 384th MP Bn., Enemy Prisoners of War/Counter-Intelligence as the S-1 in Fort Wayne, Ind.
In 2000, he left the Army reserve and went into the Inactive Ready Reserve for about four years.
In December, 2004, he volunteered for a six-month tour in Kuwait, working for Coalition Forces Land Component Command/C9 Civil Affairs section at Camp Arifjan, where he served as the assistant plans Civil/Military Officer.
"I heard good things about being a CA Team leader, so I looked into it as an option but, there were no positions available at the time," said Zimmerle.
He returned to his civilian job as a Protective Services Investigator for the State of Michigan, Department of Human Services in June, 2005 until he was mobilized again in December 2005 for an involuntary mobilization as a CA officer.
"I don't think there is a specific background needed to be civil affairs team leader," said Zimmerle, who confided that his civilian career and experiences have been helpful.
"I have a lot of construction experience and I am also a volunteer fire fighter in Eau Claire, Michigan," he said.
Zimmerle attended a one month civil affairs officer's course at Fort Bragg, N.C. and then four more months of Warrior Brigade training with the 403rd CA Bn. before deploying to Sinjar with his present team.
Zimmerle is working on and expects to receive his Master of Public Administration degree when he redeploys.
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 08.19.2006 12:00 |
| Story ID: | 7477 |
| Location: |
| Web Views: | 123 |
| Downloads: | 21 |
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