Cleaning up Iraq

1/23 works with civil affairs in winning hearts and minds. By J.M. Simpson

“I Need Help”:  A Shia sheik in Ghazaliya pleads for more electrical power to his neighborhood.  1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment works closely with the 412th Civil Affairs Battalion in cleaning up the neighborhood to ensure force protection.

The streets of Ghazaliya are littered with garbage.  Vacant lots are landfills; sheep and goats eat what they find there.  Huge puddles full of human waste stand stagnant on some streets, in some instances filling the street for a hundred yards.
A section of Baghdad, Ghazaliya is an area the 1st Brigade, 23rd Infantry Regiment patrols in order to bring violence to an end.  It also works to rebuild the area’s infrastructure.
A Company, 412th Civil Affairs Battalion has been working with the battalion in a coordinated effort with Iraqis to clean up the garbage, ensure propane gas distribution, and get rid of the sewage.
“We’ve had the 412th attached to us, and they are doing a great job,” said Sgt. Jeffery Wilson, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment.  “They’re the experts; they’re enabling the Iraqis to take on this work for themselves,” he added.
The 412th comprises reservists from Columbus, Ohio.  They are street savvy and well trained.  One of them is a building contractor; another works in business management; and another understands the propane business.  They manage dozens of cleanup projects in the area.
“These guys are experts,” pointed out Wilson.  “And they are very good at carrying out the commander’s intent; they meet the civil and military needs of the battalion,” he added.
One of those needs is force protection.
“By clearing out the trash, we eliminate areas where insurgents can plant IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and EFPs (explosively formed projectiles),” explained Capt. Ray McQuire, 412th Civil Affairs.  “Not only do we employ Iraqis and clean up the neighborhoods, we protect our own guys, too,” he added.
McQuire and his soldiers moved in armored Humvees from job site to job site.  They checked to see that the contractors were present and working; they answered questions, and they listened to and wrote down complaints.
One common complaint was the uneven distribution of propane gas.  Concerned about distribution, McQuire decided to visit the plant and talked to the manager.
Once there, McQuire asked questions about distribution, walked around the plant and inspected equipment, and checked the company’s books.
“I used to work for a gas company,” commented McQuire as he finished up.  “I know what they are talking about; I know what they should be doing, and people in this Shia and Sunni neighborhood need to be treated fairly,” he added.
In order to ensure that local leaders were up to speed on the work being accomplished, McQuire and his men attended a neighborhood advisory council, or NAC, meeting.  While there, they briefed the local leaders on their efforts.
It was not an easy meeting.
Crammed into a small and stifling hot room, local Iraqi leaders seemed to want to talk more about men being detained by the Americans and did not seem to want to understand that a mosque full of explosives and weapons is of concern to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment.
As the sweat flowed, tempers rose a bit too.
“I’ve had soldiers shot at here,” emphasized Lt. Col. Avanulas Smiley, the battalion’s commander.  “We’re willing to help you, but you need to put the word out that we will be aggressive in our efforts to protect ourselves,” he added.
Eventually the neighborhood leaders finally began to talk about the sewage, cleanup and gas distribution problems.  They appeared pleased at the progress.
Smiley and the local leaders also discussed the possibility of expanding a medical clinic into a hospital.  Although he made no promises, Smiley did say that he would do what he could to help.
A surprise visitor, Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, spokesman for Multi-National Forces Iraq, expressed hope for Ghazaliya.  “We want to succeed here, and with our Iraqi counterparts I think we can,” he said.