• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

V CORPS ENGINEERS, MPs TEAM UP WITH IRAQI COPS, CONTRACTORS TO RENOVATE POLICE STATION

V Corps

Release Date: 7/31/2003

By Sgt. Jeremy Lee for V Corps

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Celebrating the product of a month-long working relationship with local citizens, two V Corps units conducted a ribbon-cutting ceremony July 23 for the Al-Jezaaer police station here.

The 18th Military Police Brigade, headquartered in Mannheim, Germany, has overseen the reconstruction of this city's Iraqi police force, repairing, reopening and helping to staff and man police stations, and conducting operations and training in concert with Iraqi police. But when it came to renovating the station at Al-Jezaaer, they had to call on some more experienced help. That help came from the corps' 94th Engineer Battalion, based in Vilseck, Germany.

The soldiers of the 94th have been busy since they arrived in the Iraqi capital. Renovating the station, located on the southwestern edge of Al-Sadr City -- formerly known as Saddam City -- is just one of the many jobs they've done.

Led by platoon leader 2nd Lt. Jessica Durbin, the unit's carpenters, masons, electricians and plumbers began work on the station June 15. While V Corps units have worked on several police stations here, the Al-Jesaaer station is only one renovated by an Army engineer unit in coordination with local contractors.

The Americans and Iraqis worked side-by-side on the station while sharing and learning construction techniques. The Iraqi contractors were pleased to learn that the U.S. troops had skills other than soldiering, and were willing to use them to renovate local facilities.

After the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, the station was looted and vandalized. When the 1st Platoon of the 94th's Bravo Company began renovating, they found that they had taken on a real challenge.

The language barrier was another big hurdle, said B Company's Staff Sgt. Erik Faris. But there were even more. To complete the project, the engineers had to "work around" the Iraqi police officers and soldiers of the 307th Military Police Company who work at the station, and endure rolling power blackouts and tool shortages.

Americans and Iraqis alike said the job was a great learning experience. Faris commented that the Iraqi contractors were better at masonry than their multi-tasked U.S. counterparts. Due to their vast experience, Faris said, the Iraqi masons could "run laps around" the engineers in plastering the station's walls.

Throughout the project, soldiers and contractors worked hand-in-hand. For example, as an Army electrician installed a light fixture, an Iraqi electrician was wiring it in. As the work progressed, the engineers formed solid professional working relationships with many of the Iraqi contractors.

"This is not only about building a police station - it is about building relationships," said Durbin.