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Soldiers Keep Promise to Village, Gain Trust
ABU ETHA, Iraq - 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers recently set up a soccer field in the tiny village of Abu Etha, fulfilling a promise made by the 82nd Airborne Division.
The village had been a hostile area for the Soldiers up until a month ago when First Team troopers started doing daily patrols in the area.
"When we first arrived, the locals were very afraid, very nervous of our presence because this village had seen a lot of turmoil and a lot of raids in the past," said Capt. Ben Ring, company commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment. "The villagers now are friendly. Since we've come here, over the past six weeks, we've been very friendly and we've engaged the populace, and now the kids run up to our vehicles and greet us with cheers."
Before the turnaround, the roads near the village were littered with improvised explosive devices.
"The road we're going on right now had seven IEDs in a week," Ring said. "Since we began operations in that village, we've detained one person who was the cell leader for the whole terrorist cell in the area. Then we've pretty much treated [the villagers] kindly and given them candy and just talked to them and we haven't had any IEDs on the road ever since."
When Ring learned of 82nd Airborne's promise, he started working to get soccer goals for the children. He said it started out as a simple project. He had some local Iraqis build the goals from scratch. However, he was surprised to find the goals larger than he expected.
"It was a little shocking at first. We asked for soccer goals and somehow we got regulation, international-standard size soccer goals," Ring said. "But when you put them on the field, the kids see them and it doesn't make that big of a difference."
When the Soldiers pulled into the village with the enormous goals, children came running from down the road. Soon a large crowd formed around the Soldiers. Men from the village helped carry the metal posts and little children gathered picks and shovels to dig holes for the poles. Other children rushed to get wheel barrels for the concrete to set the posts into the ground.
As the plan came together, 5- and 6-year-old youngsters helped unravel the fluorescent green soccer net, and everyone wore huge smiles.
"This is pretty much what it's all about," Ring said. "Our mission here in Iraq can be tiresome. It can be difficult and very arduous, but events like these really make it worthwhile. When you see the expressions on kids' faces as you arrive with soccer goals and they are cheering, it really warms your heart."
The Soldiers also handed out T-shirts, candy, school supplies and toys donated from friends and family back in the States.
"It's definitely making a difference," 2nd Lt. Brandon Titus, of 1-8 Cav., said. "It's amazing what a smile and saying 'Hi' and just getting to know the people will do; it's great."
The Soldiers left behind a bright blue soccer ball for the children and left the little village knowing they had made a difference.
"It's just gratifying at the end of the day to know that we did make a difference in somebody's life," said 1st Lt. Hannibal Olmeda, a platoon leader for 68th Chemical Company of the 1st Cavalry Division. "These kids here, they're the future of this country. So the more of them [who] like us, the better opportunities we have with them in the future."
Release #040515h |
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