CEREMONY CELEBRATES COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS MADE BY SOLDIERS OF V CORPS' TASK FORCE 1ST ARMORED DIVISION
V Corps Release
Release Date: 2/12/2004
By Sgt. Mark Rickert 372nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Residents of the western region of Abu Ghuraib have plenty to celebrate these days. In less than two months, their water is safer to drink, the condition of their mosque is better, and they now have a medical clinic close at hand, thanks to help from Soldiers of V Corps' Task Force 1st Armored Division.
The 414th Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve unit based in Utica, N.Y. and currently supporting the division task force, gathered with the residents of a small community within the Abu Ghraib neighborhood district Jan. 24 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of those three projects.
Now that the Abala Medical Clinic is open, it will provide primary medical treatment for the area. Until now, Abu Ghuraib residents had to travel 10 miles for the nearest hospital - a long distance for a people with little transportation, said Sgt. Amy Fish, a member of the direct support team for the 414th. "We're proud to open the medical clinic here because it is providing medical service for an under-serviced population," said Col. John Huntley, commander of the 414th.
While contractors started rebuilding the clinic, the civil affairs team also acquired funds to repair the mosque next door. According to Staff Sgt. Louis Poliselli, leader of the direct support team, backing this second project exemplifies the coalition forces' broad support of the Iraqi people.
"This shows that we're working with religious leaders," said Poliselli. "It doesn't matter if they are Christian or Muslim. We want to help everybody out."
"They see that we're willing to do anything we can to help rebuild the country," added Fish. "This means a lot to the people here."
As the funds for those two projects came in, the civil affairs team went another step further, by getting funding to reroute the community's drinking water supply. According to Fish, residents were drawing unsafe water from wells with a high concentration of sulfur.
"Now we've tapped into a main line that is hooked to a purification system," said Fish. "From the main line, we ran drinking water pipes to the schools in this area, as well as the medical center and the mosque."
As the residents of the community celebrate these steps toward better living conditions, the civil affairs Soldiers also celebrate their part in Iraq's progress.
"We are in the business of pulling together infrastructure," said Huntley. "It's going to help the county carry on by itself after we leave. So we're very interested in setting the stage for success. It's just a start, but we're going to use this as a springboard to continued progress here."
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