UNITS OF V CORPS'S TASK FORCE 1ST ARMORED DIVISION HARD AT WORK REHABILITATING BAGHDAD'S SADR CITY
V Corps Release
Release Date: 9/10/2003
By Master Sgt. David Melancon 1st Armored Division Public Affairs Office
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- "This place was a lot like the wild west three months ago," said 1st Lt. William Richardson as his team cruised through the near-deserted city on a Friday night.
Richardson is a platoon leader with G Troop, 2nd Squadron, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment, currently assigned to V Corps's Task Force 1st Armored Division.
"It is not like that now. It's quieter, there are fewer people on the streets, and it's a lot safer for everyone now," he said.
The G Troop "Ghost Riders" were conducting a nightly presence patrol through the Jamilia neighborhood of Baghdad's Sadr City. Teamed up with officers from the Iraqi Police Service, the team was looking for curfew violators, looters and other street criminals. It was a quiet night. Street-side restaurants were starting to close. Merchants were pulling down window gratings over their shops. Pushcart vendors were moving out into the darkness, and small groups of men were beginning to return to their homes. After 11 p.m., which is curfew time, the streets were deserted except for the occasional feral cat.
Richardson's squadron is responsible for Sadr City, a 52-square kilometer section of Baghdad. An estimated two million people live there in a six-square mile district -- a population about the size of Houston, Texas.
Once known as Saddam City, then as Al Thawra, Sadr City is named for the Imam Mohammed Sadr, an Iraqi religious leader killed by Saddam Hussein. But many residents still call it Al Thawra.
Sadr City is subdivided into six sections, explained Maj. George Sarabia, 2nd Squadron executive officer. The district is one of the poorest in Baghdad. Unemployment is rampant. Homes are in disrepair. The population consists mostly of Shiite Moslems. It is also a haven for criminals released from Iraqi prisons by Saddam shortly before the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Sadr City, built by Saddam Hussein, has been the scene of numerous confrontations between coalition forces and residents. Infrastructure problems still plague portions of the district. Electrical services are intermittent. Parts of some streets in some neighborhoods are flooded with sewage from long-neglected pipes. Trash pickup stopped during the war, and residents started dumping their trash on the medians in the potholed streets.
The centerpiece of Sadr City is the municipal building, said the squadron's community relations officer, Maj. Arthur Vidal of Detachment A, 411th Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit from Danbury, Conn.
According to reports from Iraqi guards and unit translators, Saddam ordered that the Sadr City municipal building be constructed, gave one speech from the balcony of the new building and then never set foot in that low-income district again.
When U.S. forces arrived in the district three months ago, looters had stripped the building of everything -- even its wiring, plumbing, and marble stairs. After hauling away anything of value, they torched what was left, leaving a burned shell of a building.
U.S. soldiers assessed the building's condition, determined what repairs were needed, and hired contractors to make repairs. About three weeks and $30,000 later, Sadr City's 30-member district advisory council now meets regularly in the once-gutted building.
During their sometimes loud, sometimes contentious, discussions, members work together to rebuild their neighborhood. The council works with the squadron and the Coalition Provisional Authority to prioritize neighborhood projects and serves as the community's sounding board. The council sets renovation and repair priorities for their community and serves the community by communicating its needs to the U.S. forces.
During the business day, residents from throughout the community stream into the building to meet with council members and department chiefs. Knots of men and women gather inside the courtyard -- all under the watchful eyes of Iraqi security guards trained by U.S. forces to protect this small toehold of a new city government.
So far, about $600,000 in aid and funds controlled by the squadron's commander have been invested into the community, Vidal said. An additional $4 million has been spent in the community by private corporations and non-governmental agencies.
"All the money goes to the local people," Vidal said. "It goes to the painters, the plumbers, landscapers and laborers - all local guys."
During a recent street cleanup, more than 4,000 residents earned a day's wages, he added.
Vidal said he is creating teams of contractors who will continue to work with the U.S. Army on future projects. "It's all about Iraqis helping Iraqis," he said.
In addition to the main municipal building, also known as the town hall meeting building, contractors are renovating an office building for the community's officials. Also, two police precinct stations and a traffic control police station have been repaired or are nearing completion.
Additionally, soldiers, non-governmental agencies and private corporations have been working in Sadr City to clear ammunition cashes, renovate schools and hospitals, build community playgrounds and soccer fields, clear city streets of trash, disabled civilian and military vehicles, and other debris.
"It's been only a few months, but it seems like it's been five years," Vidal said. "It is amazing to see the impact and fast turnaround we've had." But, he added, "The challenges here will last for years."
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