Gulf Region Division begins consolidation of engineer districts
Multi-National Force-Iraq
Thursday, 23 July 2009
Gulf Region Division
News release # 090723-1
July 23, 2009
Gulf Region Division begins consolidation of engineer districts
Gulf Region North
COB Speicher, Iraq— The Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Iraq began its transformation as part of the responsible drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq when it discontinued two of its three subordinate districts July 20 and merged them into the Gulf Region district, or GRd.
The Division’s Gulf Region North and Gulf Region Central districts became the newly-formed GRd. GRd, along with the division’s South district, will continue to provide full-spectrum construction management in support of the U.S. government and the government of Iraq.
The consolidation began at a discontinuance ceremony where Col. Margaret W. Burcham performed her last official duties as the Gulf Region North district commander.
A discontinuance ceremony, similar to a unit deactivation, is performed when the unit is originally formed to perform a specific mission. The Gulf Region Division and its three provisional engineer districts was activated January 25, 2004 to provide a sustainable engineer presence in Iraq.
GRN, headquartered in Tikrit at Contingency Operating Base Speicher, administered the operations of three area engineering offices based in northern Iraq, while GRC, headquartered near Baghdad at Victory Base Complex, administered the operations of three area engineering offices based in central Iraq.
Col. Dan Anninos, the GRC commander, assumed command of GRd during the ceremony, calling it a “difficult but promising day” and stressing that what will endure is the great effort and work performed by GRN and GRC.
“Your hearts, your minds and your hands will continue to build and support the Iraqi government and the Iraqi nation and help it to get on its feet,” said Anninos. “We have a challenging workload and numerous projects to get across the finish line… and we must do that as a team.”
GRD Commander Maj. Gen. Michael R. Eyre was the guest speaker at the ceremony and told GRN employees they “significantly improved the lives of the Iraqi people and provided an economic foundation for long-term growth.”
Success, Eyre said, is not measured solely by the number of projects the GRN team completed. “We recognize that there is an increased training capability of Iraqi police forces in and around the city of Mosul because you built the Baghdad Police College (North); we know that residents of the town of Choman are healthier because your team installed a pipeline that ensures they have fresh water available every day; and we see the hope for the future of Iraq in the children who are attending the Shindokha school that you built in Dahuk… you were part of a mission that helped plant and continues to nurture the seeds of democracy for the citizens of Iraq.”
GRN’s area of operation covered more than 66,000 square miles in northern Iraq. The district was responsible for more than 1,583 reconstruction projects, including schools, hospitals, oil infrastructure facilities, water treatment plants, justice department structures and correctional facilities. GRN projects totaled more than $3.32 billion during the district’s five-year existence.
GRC’s area of operation encompassed 141,645 square kilometers throughout central Iraq. The district was responsible for more than 2,221 reconstruction projects, including schools, hospitals, oil infrastructure facilities and water treatment plants. GRC projects totaled more than $4.57 billion during its existence.
Burcham’s next assignment is with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Director of Force Structure, Resources and Assessments (J-8) Office at the Pentagon.
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For high resolution photos: www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/index.asp <http://www.grd.usace.army.mil/news/releases/index.asp>
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