Food, water delivered to residents in need

Multi-National Force - Iraq ^ | Mary Phillips

[SandRat]

Sgt. Christopher Nekvapil, with Company D, 120th Combined Arms Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team, provides security in the Murtada neighborhood near Mahmudiyah, south of Baghdad, Oct. 15. Nekvapil, of Portland, Ore., and other Company D Soldiers accompanied the Iraqi Army to provide humanitarian assistance to poor families in the area. Photo by Mary Phillips, Multi-National Division – Baghdad.

BAGHDAD — A poor neighborhood near Mahmudiyah, south of the Iraqi capital, was surprised with much needed water and food brought by U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers, Oct. 15.

Soldiers with the 120th Combined Arms Battalion, 30th Heavy Brigade Combat Team and the Iraqi Army’s 2nd Battalion, 25th Brigade provided humanitarian aid in the form of water and 275 bags of food; each containing cooking oil, sugar, tea, rice, lentils and evaporated milk.

"We utilized some of our assets and they utilized some of theirs," said Capt. Christopher Cooper, of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 120th CAB, from Pittsboro, N.C.

"The Iraqi Army provided a tanker of drinking water and brought some of their Soldiers to help hand out the food and bottled water," said Winston-Salem, N.C. native, 2nd Lt. Ryan Read, of Company D, 120th CAB.

This type of operation not only provides assistance to the families, but also reminds them that they are not forgotten.

"The people see the Iraqi Army giving them the goods and are realizing that the IA takes care of their needs," said Cooper.

Read said the IA and the 120th CAB consider many factors when choosing where to execute these kinds of missions.

"Murtada is a very poor neighborhood and it is the main reason this site was chosen," said Read. "We try to help out neighborhoods that are likely to be targeted by insurgent groups. The people there need money. The insurgents are recruiting their workers from neighborhoods like this one.

"Taking the people food and water shows them that the [U.S.] forces and the Iraqi Army care about them and they'll know we are thinking about them."

Company D conducts humanitarian aid drops about once a month, and the Soldiers welcome the change of pace and the chance to do something positive. Read said he looks forward to doing these type of missions.

"It's a good mission. It's a break from our regular missions and we get to do some good for the people of Iraq,” he said.  “That one bag of food and case of water … shows them that we do care about them and are continuing to work together with the Iraqi Army to try to make life better for the Iraqi people."

[SandRat]

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