FR WAR NEWS! WAR News at Home and Abroad You'll Hear Nowhere Else!
All the News the MSM refuses to use!
Or if they do report it, without the anti-War Agenda Spin!
Not for commercial use. For educational and discussion purposes only.
Posted on 09/27/2007 7:00:37 PM PDT by SandRat
Task Force Guardian honors residents for their volunteer efforts in keeping their neighborhoods safe.
By Lance Cpl. Charles E. McKelvey II Marine Expeditionary Force
FALLUJAH, Iraq, Sept. 27, 2007 — Iraqi citizens who have volunteered time and effort to keeping their neighborhoods safe were honored during a ceremony at a schoolhouse here. Most of the volunteers had attempted to join the local police force, but were turned away because of the overwhelming number of applicants.
“These are just regular people who finally got fed up of being told what to do by insurgent groups.” 1st Lt. Brennan Simi
To reinforce the fact that their efforts to join the police force were appreciated, the citizens were given the opportunity to volunteer at area checkpoints with the possibility of payment as funds became available.
“This was an important step for us working along with the Iraqis,” said 1st Lt. Brennan Simi, platoon commander, Task Force Guardian. “Now, not only are they getting paid for the work they are doing, we also have a way of making sure we’re not paying people more than we should, or worse, paying known insurgents.”
Marines entered information about more than 250 Iraqis into a national database, enabling coalition forces and Iraqi police to positively identify and pay the volunteers. Marines used the Biometric Automated Toolset to certify the identity of the volunteers by matching their fingerprints and iris scans to records on file.
“These are just regular people who finally got fed up of being told what to do by insurgent groups,” said Simi. “They’ve been standing these checkpoints for about two months now and attacks have already dramatically reduced.”
Daily patrols from Task Force Guardian make sure the checkpoints have basic provisions such as water. They also
answer, to the best of their ability, any questions the checkpoint workers may have.
“These guys have been manning these checkpoints for a couple months now and are already doing a pretty good job,” said Cpl. Aaron J. Lewis, engineer technician, Task Force Guardian.
Lewis said the success of the operations is a sign that local citizens are poised to effect real change in their neighborhoods.
The checkpoints are manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“They mainly check civilian vehicles for weapons and items that could be used to make improvised explosive devices,” said Simi. “But, they also supply us with important information of what’s going on throughout the towns.”
Having the Iraqi volunteers at the checkpoints has allowed for reduction in the number of Marine patrols required to maintain security in the area, officials said.
Maj. James H. Bain, commanding officer, Task Force Guardian, told the volunteers that he appreciated the time and effort they have put forth to make the area safer.
“Each and every Marine I am here with today I consider my brother, and by the time I leave Iraq, I want to consider each and every one of you my brother too,” Bain told the volunteers.
The ceremony was significant because it highlights the fact that local tribe leaders and their men are ready and willing to come together and work with one another to provide security for the homes and villages, said Sgt. Maj. Timothy J. Didas, Headquarters Battalion, Multinational Force-West, who attended the event.
FR WAR NEWS! Cool beans.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.