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KurdistanObserver.com
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American Soldiers Report About Kurds In
Southern Kurdistan
"Adopt A School" project
Blackanthem Military News, BAGHDAD,
Iraq, January 30, 2006 9:14
Impressions - #33 (First of three
parts)
By Tom Clarkson
LTC, Army (Ret)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Gulf Region Division
Public Affairs Office
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School principal Avindar Zubair Ali, and
one of her classroom teachers in an Al Faida elementary school |
Back in the early 50’s, while in Miss Ruby
Unruh’s third grade class at Northside Elementary, I may have heard of
Kurdistan, but doubt having imagined actually going there.
Miss Unruh taught us manners and politeness, as well as concern and care for
others. She would have liked the Kurds. She would have deeply appreciated
those good personal attributes so readily evident in all with whom we dealt
on this trip. Their many sensitive considerations of us were all the more
appreciated as we learned how, in fact, they potentially had every reason to
act to the contrary as a result of the horrendous suffering inflicted upon
them by Saddam Hussein.
It all commenced last Tuesday when Frank Serafino and Dr. Linda Allen from
the State Department, along with two of our Project and Contracting Office
professionals Reid Bicknell and Sue Kutcher and my affable, shaved head,
Oklahoma chum, MAJ Mike Vickrey and I flew out of LZ Washington headed north
to visit project sites. Our Blackhawk flew low and fast so as to present the
hardest to hit possible target, stopping only to refuel at Kirkuk and Balad.
Fast out of the urban environs of Baghdad, the terrain presented itself as a
picture of antiquity - stretching on and on, wrinkled, cracked and worn.
When, eventually, hills came into view, they looked to be covered with
thousands upon thousands of interwoven, capillary appearing tiers. No one
aboard seemed able to explain their geological origin - though meaningful
discussion was virtually impossible over the roar of the aircraft.
Zipping up and over a snow spackled mountain range, we swooped down into the
city of Summayl - unlike the constant, bland, beige coloration of Baghdad’s
buildings - awash in pinks, light blues and greens. Gone were the ubiquitous
Date Palms of Central and Southern Iraq. Various conifers flourished
throughout the area. What kind of pine or evergreen they were, we knew not,
but our visual environs and cool temperature led to a feeling akin to that
felt in Boulder, Colorado. But we were still in the country of Iraq.
Not, however, as far as the residents of the area were concerned. To them,
this was Kurdistan - pure and simple. Nowhere could be seen the Iraqi flag.
Everywhere the flag of Kurdistan waved, was posted, or painted - on
buildings, mountainside and even on the large, nearby dam. They are Kurds.
Period.
Indeed, for the most part, little affection is felt by them for much of
anything Iraqi. It was, after all, the leader of Iraq - Saddam Hussein -
that systematically killed hundreds of thousands of them. Beyond these
brutal murders, all told throughout Kurdistan, he had his soldiers bulldoze
and complete raze over 4,500 Kurdish communities.
Yet, all with whom we met or saw were exceedingly friendly to Americans.
Gracious and polite, all were fast with a smile and wave. Furthermore, they
- clearly - are taking the initiative in re-building their own
infrastructure with care, determination, precision and pride.
Our U.S. military hosts were member of the 401st Civil Affairs Battalion
based in Dahuk a community of over 400,000. Gregarious and exceedingly
helpful, Captain Steve Hayden, from Griffen GA, hand carried us throughout
our stay in the region. While on active duty he found himself on nine month
deployments each of his eight years of service; thinking that his military
obligation had been satisfactorily completed, he transferred to the Inactive
Ready Reserve only to find himself activated and sent on a one year tour to
Iraq! Assisting him and putting up with our countless - often inane, I am
sure - questions were Staff Sergeant Robert Osborn from Vandalia IL and
Specialist Jim Anderson whose home is Dalton GA.
The first project we visited was a small Health Center - one of eight
intended to provide such services for all within 30 kilometers. Earlier,
with holes in the ceiling and broken windows, it had been a sorry sight.
Now, fully re-built, it sported an efficient, but friendly, nurse - the
doctor was away - who toured us through the three room structure proudly
pointing out the examination room and meager medical supplies.
Next we visited one of six water wells. Bored through rocks to a depth of
around 200 meters this would soon provide clean potable water to a village
heretofore without such. One small boy, around four years of age in a yellow
and green, vertical striped coat, shyly ventured forth and was rewarded with
a toy truck and candy from Mike. Glancing back over his shoulder to make
sure we weren’t coming after him to retrieve the booty, he scurried back to
his mother to show off his new treasures.
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State Department representative Frank
Serafini and MAJ Vickrey with children outside of the Qasara Health
Clinic |
Oblivious to the mud, Dr. Linda Allen of the
Iraq Reconstruction Management Office and one of the State Department’s
senior members addressing water concerns in Iraq, trudged in, around and
through the two small buildings, peering at every aspect of the endeavor,
took numerous pictures, nodding acknowledgment of work well done.
Located in Faida, a community of around 30,000, the last project we visited
that first day was an elementary school for children aged 6 - 12. Over 1,050
students attended the school through three shifts of four hours each. With
their coats and stocking caps on they sat two and three per desk. One small
kerosene heater futilely afforded scant heat from the front middle of the
walls barren, but packed, room. Immediately upon entering, in unison, each
class we visited loudly chanted a Kurdish patriotic verse almost a minute in
length. Then, politely setting with their arms crossed across their chests,
they respectfully eyed their entourage of visitors.
We noted signs posted in each classroom and in the outside corridors
displaying pictures and warning of commonly found types of mines and
munitions (concerns completely foreign to grade schoolers back in the
States). Then we were welcomed by, as stated on his business card, the
"Manager of Faida," the city’s mayor, Waheed Ali Abdi - a young, nattily
attired, handsome, effusive and easy to enjoy, gentleman. He proudly
introduced the school’s attractive, equally young, principal, Avindar Zubair
Ali. With dignity she graciously passed among us a small basket of
individually wrapped candies. These are, simply, people of class and pride.
Badly needed throughout the school are warm coats for the children, paper,
pencils, pencil sharpeners, color crayons, erasers and other rudimentary
school basics. CPT Hayden offered himself and his team as a conduit for
forwarding such materials stating that he and his team would ensure fair and
equitable distribution of such to the schools throughout the area.
It would seem to be a good stateside "adopt a school" project for either a
local US school or civic, social or fraternal organization. Any wishing to
do so may communicate with Steve via steven.hayden@us.army.mil or send such
directly to him at: CPT Steve Hayden, 401st CA BN, APO AO 09334.
Tell him Tommy sent ya’ and remember, Miss Unruh would be proud!
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LTC Clarkston's Visit with the
People of Dahuk
Blackanthem Military News, BAGHDAD,
Iraq, February 07, 2006 14:15
Impressions - #34 (Second of three parts)
(Did I mention that, while packing for our
trek to the chilly, snowy, mountainous environs of farthermost Iraq, I forgot to
lug along my sleeping bag? Well, I did. Thank goodness for SSG Osborne of the
401st Civil affairs Battalion who graciously let me use his!)
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SSG Osborne with one of the Kurdish water
improvement project contractors. |
Our
second day in Dahuk started out before 6:00 AM with coffee around the conference
table discussing the previous day’s visits and comparing the marked differences
between this area and that from which we’d come. Not only were we not in "Kansas
anymore" but it seemed that, for all intents and purposes, we weren’t in Iraq
either.
Even the traditional clothing was different. Numerous of the men wore the
traditional Kurdish shashbik uniform comprised of large legged (almost
ballooned) trousers called shirwal, a short tight fitting jacket and a broad
cloth swath wrapped around the midsection. The female’s traditional attire is
called a kraskawi. Other men wore shashiks (turbans). As I understand it, a
white shashik connotes a mullah or holy man, red and white indicates a leader,
green and white shows that the wearer has made the trek to Mecca and black and
white has no primary significance.
The Kurds are Indo-European and Aryan in both their language and race. They live
in an area that straddles Iraq, Iran, Turkey and parts of the former USSR.
Individually and collectively, they are a fiercely proud people. Pictures of
Mustapha Berzani, a Kurdish patriarch, hang prominently in shops and homes. They
are fast to assert that they are NOT Arabic.
Mosa Ali Bakir is an excellent example of the Kurdish race. Responsible for the
Dohuk Governorate of In-country Displaced Persons and Refugees he is a man with
a mission! Intense and animated his long, slender fingers emphatically punctuate
his impassioned words. Hearing his carefully prepared comments, we sat in his
office noting our warm breath cloud and dissipate before us as we spoke.
As we listened it became increasingly obvious that here was a man of great
convictions. His office’s motto is "Let’s be the voice for those who have none."
He opened his slightly broken English comments with "I want to express my thanks
to all of the United States - from the President to the most simple person in
the state - for the brave and historical decision for moving the Saddam regime
from power. We highly respect those who left their countries and families for
our freedom. They will stay bright names in the brains of all generations."
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Mosa Ali Bakir, Director of the Dohuk
Governorate of In-country Displaced Persons and Refugees. |
With the tiniest of spoons, we stirred the thick sugar which lay in the bottom
of petite gold rimmed glasses that set upon delicate saucers enjoying the local
hot, sweet tea. Mosa shared nearly horrors heaped upon his people under the
previous despotic regime. This "Big wound inflicted upon the Kurdish body" he
said included 20 million mines planted throughout Kurdistan still, regularly
claiming innocent lives, use of chemical weapons on defenseless women and
children and the total razing of over 4,500 villages.
Next we visited new water sites at the villages of Bagerat, Swaratoka and Sharya
that now provide fresh drinking water for those who had previously not had such.
At two - such was the importance these Reconstruction projects - formal ribbon
cutting ceremonies were played out requiring our collegues, Dr. Linda Allen and
Frank Serafini of the Iraq Reconstruction Management Office, to convey remarks
on behalf of the United States.
Following several short speeches, snipping of a wide yellow ribbon, soft drinks,
fresh fruit (including bananas from El Salvador) and delicious, flaky, baklava
were served. Coming from the flat sandy area of Baghdad, standing in snow at our
fist stop seemed strangely incongruous to it all!
Then, late in the afternoon as we were returning to our quarters we did - what
to those of us who dare not venture "outside the wire into the red zone" in
Baghdad - we walked through an open air market. Though our armed guard was
nearby we were, obviously, very safe.
The area seemed to be like an intriguing amalgam of Tangiers, Mexico and
Bangkok. Though the day was gray and rainy the bright colors, banter bargaining
with peddlers and clearly sincere greetings to our American group stood in sharp
contrast to that which we are unable to do a few hundred miles south.
Mark this region on your "places to visit" list as it is a fast growing, market
expanding locale of focused folk who know where they’ve been and are determined
to now control where they’re going!
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LTC Clarkston Wraps Up His
Trip to Kurdish Iraq
Blackanthem Military News, BAGHDAD,
Iraq, February 13, 2006 13:16
Impressions - #35 (Third of a series
of three)
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U.S. Army photo |
The third day of our trek to Kurdistan dawned
bright and clear but cool and damp from the chilly, overnight rain. Early
on, after wadding clothes into an assortment of travel bags and chucking
them into the rear of our vehicle, we loaded up and headed out.
Our morning visits were similar to those of the preceding two days - to
small project sites making a big difference in the lives of Kurds!
Perhaps the most impactful of these stops was the one made with the Syrian
Kurds - refugees from their own country. Makeshift, tented structures
comprised the community yet outside many stood a satellite dish connecting
them with a world far from their muddy, stark and beleaguered, exile
existence. Yet their broad smiles were obviously genuine. One woman, holding
a child of perhaps one, repeated to me, "I’m so happy. I’m so happy!"
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U.S. Army photo |
Emotionally drained, close to noon we headed
to the LZ to await our return home - Home?
As we rotary-winged over the millennia aged, tired and worn terrain we noted
war scars of villages destroyed, berms built for artillery or tank security
and even siege trench dugouts on hilltops. This is a locale where war has
long been a way of life - be it tribal or armies of state.
One struggles not to scream, "Give it a rest! Let peace have a chance! Stop
with the stupid fighting already! Can we not accept that, in fact, we are
all equal! Enough!" But, sadly such would be for naught. It is not that
simplistic. The human race, as a whole, is not yet that mature. Tragically,
virtually every culture maintains bias against others and prejudice against
those different from themselves.
But for we travelers, again and again throughout this visit, the obvious
presented itself. Before us would flock floods of children with smiling
faces, appreciative of our attention; enthusiastic to communicate with us;
ecstatic to receive our troves of candy. So trite yet so true - They are the
future.
If only those of the Western World could experience a few moments
interacting in and with their lives. Should any have a wish to make even the
smallest of a difference, this is a great place to begin.
Adopt a school. Support a refugee camp. Take time to positively effect lives
beyond that of your immediate safe, secure and sanitized community. Make a
difference!
Related Stories :
"Adopt A
School" project
LTC
Clarkston's Visit with the People of Dahuk
By Tom Clarkson
LTC, Army (Ret)
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Gulf Region Division
Public Affairs Office
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