New Iraqi police station opens in Wahida

Photo By Sgt. Natalie Loucks | An Iraqi policeman salutes Lt. Col. Ryan Kuhn, from Clarks, Neb., deputy commanding officer of the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, before receiving a gift for outstanding support at the newly opened Wahida police station in Iraq July 17.  

COMBAT OUTPOST CLEARY, IRAQ

07.18.2007

Story by Sgt. Natalie Loucks 

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

By Sgt. Natalie Rostek
3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

COMBAT OUTPOST CLEARY, Iraq – The Wahida City Council opened a new police station July 17 in the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment's area of operation.

When Lt. Col. Jack Marr, of Minneapolis, the 1-15 commander, Lt. Col. Ryan Kuhn, of Clarks, Neb., the 3rd (Heavy) Brigade Combat Team's deputy commanding officer, and Capt. Ravindra Wagh, of Waterford, Mich., commander of Company E, 1st Battalion, 125th Infantry Regiment, arrived at the new police station, they were greeted by a mob of excited Iraqi policemen and local leaders.

The visit began with a tour of the new facility followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony signifying the end of the project and the opening of a new Iraqi police station.

On paper, the project began in October 2006 with a request for a new police station, according to Wagh, with the 125th Inf. Regt., a Michigan National Guard unit, serving as the national police training team. He headed the project from start to finish. The Iraqi police of Wahida received the title to an empty lot and the appropriate funds to get the project under way.

Wagh said the former Wahida police station, which was co-located with a mosque, did not have the resources fit for a unit whose main mission is providing security to Wahida.

"The old police station was right down the road from the new one," Wagh said. "It had three rooms and the front of the building was a mosque. It wasn't fit for jurisdiction in Wahida."

After the ribbon cutting ceremony, members of the Wahida police, along with leaders of the community and coalition forces, sat down for a conference to discuss the new station.

"It is very nice to have the new police station here (in Wahida,)" Mr. Jawad Khadum, chairman of the Wahida city council said through a translator. "I would like for you to all be equal, to work as one, to serve the community and enforce the law."

He then saluted the policemen for a job well done on the project.

Lt. Col. Kareem, the station commander, also spoke at the conference. He thanked coalition forces for their efforts on the project. He also reminded his policemen that they have a brand new station and encouraged them to maintain the station as it stands today.

According to Wagh, the project is a symbol the citizens of Wahida can see that proves the government is capable of listening to the requests of the community and spending the $3.5 million it took to fund the project on the community.

"This government has a commitment to security," he said. "Many people believed the government was getting all this money and they would never see it. This project proves the government is spending the money on their communities."

Wagh, who has been in Iraq since August 2006, said he was privileged to be able to see the new Wahida police station project from start to finish.

"The problem with many of these projects is that one unit is there for the beginning and then has to leave so another unit gets to the final outcome," he said. "I am glad I was able to see the conception on paper all the way up to the building we see today."

Although the new police station doesn't necessarily increase the capability or the capacity of the Iraqi police, Marr believes it does a lot for the morale of the policemen. He said it also shows the Wahida citizens that progress is being made and normalcy is being restored.

"This project gives the good people of Wahida confidence in their police," Marr said. "The project was Iraqi driven, which means we are coming along the way we have always wanted. We want to help the Iraqi people help themselves. The best solutions are the Iraqi solutions."

The 1-15, 3rd HBCT, is part of the 3rd Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Benning, Ga.

• Date Taken: 07.18.2007
• Date Posted: 07.18.2007 12:34
• Story ID: 11340
• Location: COMBAT OUTPOST CLEARY, IQ