Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Phillip Valentine | (From right) Capt. Jesse Allgeyer, commander, Company C, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry...... read more read more
BAGHDAD – Ebn Kuthrir School in Abu Ghraib was in desperate need of repair.
Children attended classes with outdated or broken equipment and had to suffer through the heat of summer without air conditioning. All of this made learning difficult for them.
Not anymore.
For the last few months, the school has been undergoing a facelift and is ready to receive the children. Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Inf. Division, United States Division – Center, who helped coordinate the renovation, traveled to Abu Ghraib, July 17, to open the reconditioned school.
“It’s been a big change,” said 2nd Lt. Will Daigle, fire support officer and a Cleveland, Tenn., native assigned to Company C, 1st Bn. “It was run down. Now it is the nicest building in the neighborhood. It is something they can look up to.”
Daigle said he believes education is the way ahead for the people of Iraq. It gives children a chance for a better future.
Although Company C had the lead on the mission, the school would never have been completed without their Iraqi counterparts’ involvement.
“Due to the great combined efforts of the Iraqis and the support of the U.S. forces, we made it a better place for a better future,” said Lt. Col. John Leffers, the commander of 1st Bn. and a Utica, N.Y., native. “This school symbolizes how important education is and that this country will get better and better.”
He said he hopes the school will be a positive example for all other schools in the area.
Before the school was transferred completely, key leaders in the Abu Ghraib area and U.S. Soldiers had a meeting to discuss any issues that may occur and what can be done to rectify them. Afterward, the group made a tour of the facility and finished with lunch. Everyone ate together and, despite some language barriers, enjoyed each other’s company.
Dhari al-Dhari, education chairman on the Abu Ghraib Council, said he was glad for the help the school received from U.S. forces.
“I thank them for what they have done here,” said Dhari. “If they were not here, it would have never been done. We are very grateful.”
He said there are 184 schools in the Abu Ghraib area and they all need help to create a better environment for the children to learn. He believes education is important for the future of his country.
“Why is education important?” asked Dhari, with a smile. “I wouldn’t be here speaking English with all the Soldiers.”
Capt. Jesse Allgeyer, commander of Company C, and a Warrenton, Ore., native, said it has been interesting to see how effective missions like this can be in rebuilding the country and gaining the confidence of the local population.
As a parent, Allgeyer had another reason to find this mission important.
“I hope that it is a place where parents would want to send their children,” he said. “I hope we created a better place, a clean and comfortable place, where kids can focus on their studies. It has opened my eyes to where my children will go to school.”
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.20.2010 05:00 |
| Story ID: | 53086 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 700 |
| Downloads: | 587 |
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