BARWANA, Iraq, June 28, 2006 -- As U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Brett Bartels stood in front of a military vehicle handing out hundreds of stuffed animals and soccer balls on a road in Barwana, his goal was simple - make sure each child went home with a smile on his face. Such humanitarian operations are the reason many of the local residents are starting to trust Marines and why insurgents are quickly losing their foothold in the city of 40,000 nestled along the Euphrates River, just southeast of Haditha, the 23-year-old native of Canoga, Park, Calif., said.
People here trust us. With that trust we are hoping to build the basic programs needed to properly govern a city.
U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Brett Bartels |
When we arrived in Barwana in March, the insurgents would threaten and intimidate anyone who cooperated with Marines, said Bartel, a team leader with 3rd Civil Affairs Group, a Marine unit with the primary mission of assisting Iraqi communities with improving local infrastructures and governance. The insurgents do not have that power anymore and they are desperate to get it back, said Bartel. It is evident in their futile attacks that rarely produce the results they want. As the insurgency is quelled, Marines here are focusing on developing and implementing programs that will one day be turned over to Iraqi government workers in Barwana after coalition forces withdraw from the city, said Bartels. Many male residents have expressed an interest in becoming police officers and are willing to attend a police training camp in Baghdad, said U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Jose Soto, an assistant team leader with a civil affairs group. A police force, coupled with an Army capable of independent operations, is necessary in order to provide security to residents without the assistance of coalition forces, said Soto. It is just a matter of time before people will start seeing some of the residents who are currently unemployed wearing a police uniform and protecting them from insurgents, said Soto. The insurgency is crumbling in this city and we are winning the fight. |