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Politics : Impeach George W. Bush -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Land Shark who wrote (76722)	1/24/2007 11:42:19 AM
From: longnshort	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 93284

Marines help build, save school Print E-mail Monday, 17 July 2006 Marines from the 7th Marine Regiment stand post during the grand opening of a grade school in Karabilah. A week before its opening, insurgents planted an improvised explosive device inside the school which would have leveled a good portion of the building, destroying nearly three months of work by Marines and locals. Marines from the 7th Marine Regiment stand post during the grand opening of a grade school in Karabilah. A week before its opening, insurgents planted an improvised explosive device inside the school which would have leveled a good portion of the building, destroying nearly three months of work by Marines and locals. Story and photo by Cpl. Antonio Rosas 1st Marine Division KARABILAH - Thanks to the work of Marines and Iraqi security forces, 800 elementary-aged girls will now have a school to attend this fall. Marines from 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment unveiled a brand-new grade school in this city of about 30,000 on the Iraq-Syria border in western al-Anbar province on July 7. About one week before its ribbon cutting, insurgents planted an improvised explosive device inside the school that would have leveled a good portion of the building, destroying nearly three months of work by Marines and locals, said Gunnery Sgt. Joseph S. Mallicoat, team leader for the civil affairs team here. "The bomb had the potential of taking down both wings of the building and the school would have been unable to open by September," said Capt. Rick Bernier, commanding officer of Company C - the Marines responsible for providing security alongside Iraqis in this city. The Marines discovered the bomb and secured the building leaving Iraqi security forces to provide 24-hour security. The bomb was later disarmed. Local tribal leaders and sheikhs attended the school's grand opening and expressed thanks to the Marines of 3rd Civil Affairs Group, who obtained the necessary manpower to reconstruct the building. Civil Affairs teams oversee funding for a variety of reconstruction projects in the region which bolster Iraqis' quality of life while improving the economy, said Lt. Col. Larry L. White, the civil military operations center director for the Al Qa'im region. The team spent nearly two years finding a contractor to complete the project. The school was destroyed in 2003 during heavy fighting between Marines and insurgents, according to Mallicoat, 33, from Vancouver, Wash. "I want to thank the Coalition forces on behalf of all of the people of Karabilah for finishing the school very fast and for supporting the construction of a fine place," said Mohammed Ahmed Selah, mayor of Karabilah. The mayor and the Marines agree that the school's neighborhood is relatively safe, although there is still the threat of IEDs, according to Bernier. "The bomb was a last ditch effort by insurgents to destroy the progress we've made in this area," said Bernier. Since arriving here four months ago, the Marines have seen a decrease in enemy activity. The Marines have also introduced the city to their new police force and have begun conducting security operations alongside policemen. The Marines say local Iraqi security forces have made significant progress in the past few months by providing security and conducting several independent operations. "We are capturing more of the bad guys with a higher level of expertise in IED-making and that leaves a lot of insurgents with minimal experience in making the bombs," said Bernier. "One guy blew himself up last week trying to plant an IED." Tribal sheikhs expressed pride in the region's new police forces during a visit by al-Anbar provinces' governor to Husaybah last week. Gov. Maamoon Sami Rasheed al-Awani, echoed their sentiments. "The security in this region has changed for the better," Awani said. "Without the work the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police are doing here, we would not be able to move forward with construction projects." The city of Karabilah opened their first police station last month after a three-year hiatus of policemen. More Iraqis are coming forward to join local police forces. Of the 400 Iraqi males who showed up during a police recruiting drive last week in al-Qa'im, more than 100 were accepted for police boot camp - the largest turnout yet.