Posted on 05/18/2008 4:41:34 PM PDT by SandRat
FORWARD OPERATING BASE DELTA — Salvadoran dignitaries and the American ambassador to El Salvador visited the Cuscatlan Battalion, rotation X, here to assess its mission and morale May 14 and 15.
Division general and minister of national defense, Jorge Alberto Molina Contreras; chief of greater state assembly armed forces Eduardo Ernesto Mendoza Morales; and Ambassador Charles Glazer formed the official party for the visit.
“This opportunity here is to be in contact with Coalition authorities to see the advancement of the … progress of the reconstruction of Iraq,” Contreras said.
The primary tasks of this rotation have been reconstruction projects and the delivery of humanitarian aid, he said.
“They (Salvadoran troops since 2003) have completed almost 300 projects and benefited nearly seven million Iraqi people.”
The people like the fact that their troops are bringing benefits to the Iraqi people and love to learn about the good projects the troops are working on here, said Contreras.
“In this way, we get support from the Salvadoran people,” he added.
Colonel Peter Baker, commander of the 214th Fires Brigade and FOB Delta, commended the Salvadoran troops.
“I want to recognize the significant contribution the people of El Salvador have made to the people of Iraq,” Baker said. “Coalition forces have distributed more than 365 million dollars in aid in Wasit province since 2003, and Salvadoran troops have been involved in most of it.”
The official visit included a parade in honor of the party’s arrival, meetings with all the Coalition forces at FOB Delta, a feast with artistic presentations by Cuscatlan Battalion soldiers, a visit to the al-Kut courthouse, site of much work by the Salvadoran soldiers, and a feast with sheikhs from around Wasit Province.
Got to hand it to the El Salvadorians, they have stuck with it through good times and bad.
It’s nice to have at least one staunch ally in Central America.
We helped them against communist "rebels" (thugs sponsored by Nicaragua), they help us.
That's the way it works with friends and allies.
Just hope some Iraqi doesn't say something bad about one of their mothers. :)
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