Posted on 01/19/2009 11:48:17 AM PST by SandRat
SEDDAH — Community members and Coalition forces participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the grand opening of a new emergency room and youth center here, Jan. 13.
The facilities, built solely with Iraqi government funds and by Iraqi contractors, serve as an accomplishment and milestone for this community and the people of Iraq.
“I want to say congratulations to the Seddah district citizens,” said Jabeer Al-Hamdanie, a chairman with the city’s council. “The project was supported with Iraqi government funding and, God willing, this project will open up opportunities for more building and improvements in this district.”
According to Mayor Ali Naama Azeez Alshamrie of Mussayib, the Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment were invited to the opening out of respect from the Seddah community and to show how Iraq and its people are capable of standing on their own and rebuilding their country.
The projects, which took nearly four months to finish, cost approximately $50,000.
The emergency room renovations included new bathrooms, additional patient rooms, an x-ray room and sanitary stations throughout the building. It also covered the cost of beds and necessary equipment needed to treat patients.
“The emergency room was well needed for this city,” said Eman Naeem Muhammad, a doctor at the facility. “Before, the patients suffered more because they had to go all the way to the hospital in Mussayib, which is about 45 minutes away.”
The youth center renovated through this project will now serve as a safe place for children of the community, where they can go and participate in community events and activities.
“We got this project done with the help of our local government, the Seddah District and the Babil Government,” said Alshamrie. “But we don’t want to forget our American brothers who helped make all this possible for us.”
The Soldiers of 1st Bn., 2nd Inf. Regt. monitored and helped facilitate the project. For the most part, they watched as the people of Iraq and their government took control and accomplished the mission.
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