Posted on 12/29/2003 12:58:48 PM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl
Soldiers adopt village with educational results
MOSUL, Iraq The children and schools of one northern Iraqi village have benefited by being adopted by soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).
The soldiers of Crusader Battery, 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment, attached to the 101st, adopted the small Assyrian-Christian village of Karmless and began Operation Provide Classroom Comfort when they saw the deplorable conditions in the villages schools.
Classrooms were in a state of disaster and by any American building code standard would have been condemned, said Capt. Mark Sherkey, company commander.
The condition of the pre-school, secondary school and two primary schools made for an environment where the students were more focused on staying warm then learning. Many classrooms had no doors, leaving the children to the mercy of the weather.
During our visit in December, students sat shoulder-to-shoulder, wrapped in whatever winter gear they could, to stay warm, Sherkey said. If a student is cold and tired and theres no chalkboard, then he cant learn.
Using more than $50,000 acquired from the 101st Division Artillery Commanders Emergency Relief Fund, the soldiers of Crusader Battery began the task of making the schools a more conducive environment for learning, Sherkey said.
Our number one focus regarding this project is the winterization of classrooms, he said. Once we repair the basic necessities we believe teachers and students alike will be in a comfortable environment where learning will flourish and suffering will diminish.
The local contractors and laborers used for the operation were hired from the village population. Many of them also worked at the Crusader base in the city of Mosul.
The workers quickly set themselves to the job of building bathrooms and repairing existing ones. A few of the schools had no running water at all, in others a complete renovation of the building plumbing system was needed. The contractors also built doors and chalkboards for the classrooms, Sherkey said.
Crusader Battery did more then just rebuild and refurbish the schools. They also used their connections in America to have school supplies sent to Karmless. Soldiers appealed to schools and people to send as much as they could. The result included schools from all over America who sent boxes of supplies, Sherkey said.
1st Lt. Iven Sugai, 2nd platoon leader, Crusader Battery, is a Hawaii Pacific University alumnus. He used his alumni connections to have the school donate boxes of pens, pencils, paper, notebooks and other items.
Besides colleges and high schools, private citizens in Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Kentucky, California and almost 10 other states sent in items.
So far, Operation Provide Classroom Comfort has received boxes full of items, like chalk, a two-year supply of National Geographic, textbooks, world maps and computers, Sherkey said.
The soldiers have coordinated to continue the operation even after Crusader Battery has left the country.
The best thing about this project is that even when we leave it will still keep going, Sherkey said.
In addition to providing school supplies, the troops also funded the construction of a playground for the village pre-school, with swings, a seesaw and a merry-go-round. The citizens of the village are pleased with the work that has been done to the schools.
We are very glad, said Farag Pouleef Yousef, a resident of Karmless village. We appreciate the work theyve done.
Were glad because school is the base of things and we want classroom comfort, seconded Ismael Mathews, also a resident of the village.
The soldiers of Crusader Battery feel that ensuring the educational future of the children of Karmless village is time well spent. They know that theyre not just helping the students learn, they are also cementing positive ties between Americans and Iraqis.
Our presence changes the course of anti-American sentiment and begins the building process of an American-Iraqi coalition for bettering Iraq, Sherkey said.
During our visit in December, students sat shoulder-to-shoulder, wrapped in whatever winter gear they could, to stay warm, Sherkey said.
The local contractors and laborers used for the operation were hired from the village population.
.....colleges and high schools, private citizens in Maryland, Virginia, Texas, Kentucky, California and almost 10 other states sent in items.
The soldiers have coordinated to continue the operation even after Crusader Battery has left the country.
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Crusader Battery, 1st Battalion, 377th Field Artillery Regiment, attached to the 101st Airborne, veering off the plan again, ping!
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Carolyn
we could but then it would only serve to embarass the "saddams" and baath party of our public schools....
(^:
/sarcasm
The only good use for the site...for our intel guys to identify and hunt down anyone who still sides with Saddam and against our troops.
I wouldn't waste a moment of time on them. Prayer, maybe...but only after prayers and efforts for our troops. Fortunately, that takes up most of my time.
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