[xzins]

“The Iraqi people see the improvements and are optimistic,” Brig. Gen. David N. Blackledge, head of the 352nd Civil Affairs Command, said in a meeting with reporters. “Seven out of 10 Iraqis expect their country and their personal lives to be better five years from now.” Blackledge’s soldiers work directly with units on the ground, responding outside the bureaucracy to immediate needs such as renovating schools and reopening hospitals. More students are enrolled in school now than before the war, Blackledge said. And all of Iraq’s hospitals and most of its clinics are open. These and other efforts have received $172 million, $126 million of which has been spent

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

“I didn’t come here for the money,” said one engineer, Miles Carlson. “None of us did. You couldn’t pay us enough to get shot at. I came to make a difference, and to make a difference to an entire country.”

Ping for our awesome troops and civilian contractors.

Thank you, xzins...and for the great title. (^: