Posted on 04/17/2010 7:26:21 PM PDT by SandRat
FORWARD OPERATING BASE MAREZ – Two U.S. Soldiers here are in the process of composing contracts to renovate nearly 150 schools throughout Iraq's Ninewa province in just 100 days.
Staff Sgt. Bryan Lightfoot, Company C, 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion attached to 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, and Spc. Joe Winebarger, Company C, 422nd CA Bn., are doing what Soldiers do best – making a challenging task seem like a piece-of-cake.
Lightfoot said getting the contracts done so the schools can be upgraded, thereby providing better education facilities for Iraqi children, is no doubt a priority.
"All across Ninewa province there are a lot of infrastructure-like schools; they have been neglected for years and need to be refurbished," he said. "After these contracts are finished, new wiring, playgrounds, running water and more efficient classrooms will be something Iraqi children in Ninewa province can look forward to."
Before the two Soldiers were assigned to the task March 5, they were on the ground almost daily, going out with teams to sites where school renovations were being made.
They both have seen, first-hand, the bad shape the schools were in, making it easier to understand the importance of the mission.
"We've seen bullet holes in the windows of the schools. We've known personally how hot it gets in those buildings. They are often overcrowded and unsanitary," said Winebarger. "Having seen all this, it definitely gives a somewhat personal sense of urgency and makes us even more dedicated to the job."
Lightfoot said once the Ninewa Directorate General of Education and the Provincial Reconstruction Team provided him and Winebarger with a compiled list of estimated costs for each school, they had everything they needed to execute their mission.
"Right now we have generated about one hundred contracts,” he said. “We have about fifty more to do. Once all the contracts are approved, we're hoping that contractors can be on the ground in six to eight weeks, putting the plans into action.”
The Iraqi Commander’s Emergency Response Program will fund the renovations and local Iraqi contractors will perform the work, providing an economic stimulus for the local area.
"Not only will the renovations provide much better learning facilities for the children, but this project is also pumping money into local communities," said Lightfoot. "That's killing two birds with one stone."
Winebarger said he feels truly honored to be a part of it all.
"Altogether, this is a very original approach to civil military operations,” he said. “No one else has accomplished a feat like this before. All the long, late nights of work are totally worth it.
"Doing this makes me feel as if I've contributed to the welfare of the Iraqi people and things like this definitely put a very positive spin on Operation Iraqi Freedom," he concluded.
Cool stuff, and probably very good for our GIs attitudes also.
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