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Soldiers to work closely with Iraq reconstruction office

MOSUL, Iraq (Army News Service, April 30, 2003) --The Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, headed by retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, has launched efforts to rebuild the war-torn communities of Iraq as coalition operations weed out the last of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's regime.

ORHA officials met with officers from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Sunday in the northern city of Mosul to discuss future plans.

Maj. Gen. David Petraeus, commanding general, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), met early in the day with ORHA officials, including Col. (Ret.) Richard Naab, and was full of smiles as he discussed the ongoing missions in Mosul.

"We are definitely heading in the right direction," Petraeus said. "Every day a new good thing happens."

The 101st commanding general added that he did not believe the security of the ORHA officials was going to be a problem and that the city of Mosul was once again on its feet and "business is flourishing."

"We really look forward to working with you very much," Petraeus added.

ORHA officials also met Sunday with Col. Joseph Anderson, commander, 2nd Brigade, 101st Abn. Div., to discuss immediate aid that could be provided with the help of the division. Anderson identified issues surrounding the pay of civil servants of the city as a pre-eminent problem facing current reconstruction efforts.

"We're going to integrate with ORHA and get the civil government in place and all the functions that go with that," Anderson said after the 30-minute meeting.

Naab, Lt. Col. Bill Butcher, and U.S. Treasury Department officials with the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance also toured an abandoned Iraqi prison with division officers. The prison, just outside Mosul, once held Iraqi prisoners of war.

The northern region of Iraq is hardly unfamiliar for Naab, who served after the first Gulf War in Operation Provide Comfort, an American-led mission geared toward protecting the northern Kurdish population in Iraq from any aggression from Saddam.

"We're going to help them wherever they need help," Naab said. "It's amazing how well they can do if just given a chance."

Company A, of the 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, is in the forefront of civil military operations as it patrols Mosul, the third largest city in Iraq.

The mission of Co. A is to provide security for people to rebuild, said Capt. Jon Wiley, company commander.

"[The soldiers] are just trying to bring the citizens' lives back to normal," he said.

The soldiers accomplish this mission with daily platoon patrols through the city. The patrols instill a sense of security and protection against looters, and gangs, Wiley said.

The presence patrols also give soldiers a chance to meet with the people that they're helping, and put a face on those who were suffering under Saddam Hussein's regime, said Staff Sgt. Ben Lewis, platoon sergeant, Co. A, 3rd Bn., 502nd Inf. Rgt.

Soldiers also check schools for weapon caches and meet with the school principals to discuss opening schools again.

"We find out what they need to rebuild and open," Wiley said.

Besides securing schools, the soldiers have their hands full with protecting vulnerable people and business establishments. They stand guard at the city's gas stations to ensure that gangs or mobs don't overwhelm the proprietor, Wiley said.

Soldiers must also talk to police and firemen to make sure that the local authorities are still able to provide protection as well.

The platoons aid in restoring lost electricity and water to sections of the city that need it.

"Basically," Wiley said, "we're trying to make peace with the civilians, get them back on their feet and show them that we're not like Saddam said we are."

(Editor's note: Pfc. Thomas Day and Pfc. Joshua Hutcheson are with the 101st Airborne Division.)