Proud to be a 3/2 Stryker Mom:

http://www.dvidshub.net/?script=news/news_show.php&id=12103

Baqubah Produces Own Food - American, Iraqi Troops Break Bread, Celebrate

By Sgt. Patrick Lair
115th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

BAQUBAH, Iraq— Setting down their combat helmets in order to pass loaves of bread, Iraqi and American forces celebrated the reopening of a Baqubah flour mill on Aug. 21, nearly one year after Diyala government food production collapsed.

“Of all the things we’ve done here in Iraq, from Mosul to Baghdad to Baqubah, to help them make this bread is probably one of the most important things we’ve done,” said Lt. Col. Fred Johnson, deputy commanding officer of the 3rd Brigade Stryker Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, speaking to his troops at the mill. “Know that when you go back home, you’ve left something behind that means something.”

American and Iraqi soldiers, and a group of mill workers, gathered at the Muradiyah flour mill, located in the Diyala province capital of Baqubah, to taste the bread which has been months in the making. After 60 days of working with local officials to overcome security and logistical issues, flour had been produced and bread baked. American officials expect the Diyala government to continue being able to import, produce and distribute much of its own food.

The food production is part of the Public Distribution System, an Iraqi program dating back to the 1980’s. Under the system, the government imports, produces and distributes items such as flour, rice, chai, cooking oil and fuel to people who need them. An estimated 45 percent of the people in Diyala province depend on these services.

When al-Qaida seized control of Baqubah last year, the distribution system largely collapsed. Truckers were afraid to haul the food, workers were afraid to show up to work, the mill closed and food prices soared, Johnson said.

In addition to heavy combat operations to remove al-Qaida from power, American Soldiers also began rebuilding local infrastructure and working with local officials to restore essential systems and services.

“Baqubah was virtually dead when we got here,” said Spc. Bryan Henning of the 3rd Brigade Stryker Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. “But once we got the roads cleared and they could see that we were actually helping them out, I think they like us here now.”

“From our perspective, this city was done,” said Diyala province Assistant Governor Amed, who withholds his full name for security reasons. “This city is making the transition from a ghost town to what it is today. What’s been done is phenomenal.”

Some of those changes include the following. Sixty-seven stores in the downtown market have recently reopened their shutters. Water and sewer lines are repaired by the municipal government without U.S. financial support. Decreasing fuel prices have led to a rise in civilian vehicle traffic. Women, confined to wear black under al-Qaida, move about town in colorful clothing and families walk freely through the streets.

One of the challenges of reconstruction was understanding the system which operated previously, Johnson said, and helping local officials work together to restore those services.

“The biggest problem has been our lack of understanding of how Iraq works,” Johnson said. “Dialogue is the key to what we’re doing here.”

On June 19, U.S. forces began escorting convoys of food from Baghdad to Baqubah, some 30 miles away, with the goal of eventually turning responsibility for the shipments over to the Iraqi government. At the same time, provincial reconstruction teams entered into a series of negotiations with local sheiks and government officials to coordinate the transfer of responsibility over to their Iraqi counterparts.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq and the Iraqi Minister of Trade visited Baqubah in early August and shortly after that twenty-one trucks hauling 560 tons of imported wheat arrived at the Muradiyah flour mill. The convoy arrived under Iraqi army protection for the first time.

“We were told that this would never happen. We were told there was too much sectarian strife,” Johnson said of the plans to turn authority over to the local government. “But it did happen, and it happened because of the hope and optimism of everyone involved.”

The Muradiyah mill, capable of processing 200 tons of grain per day, is expected to provide around 100 jobs and mill wheat for the entire province.

A hopeful sign in Baquba. Maybe this time, next year, the wheat won't have to be imported and the food convoys can go unescorted.

Other recent reports from the Baquba area indicate it is still a war zone, a war zone with a flour mill.

Baby steps are good. . . and yes, perhaps next year they will be able to "walk" without our assistance. . .

Let's pray it is so, for their sakes, as well as ours.

Each flour mill or business that opens acts as a force multiplier. DS was stationed in Baqubah for the surge, and is returning home in a few days. I will be anxious to see what his view of the situation is there.

If we succeed in Iraq, it will be amazing to see an entire civilization unfold before our eyes.

quote:

Originally posted by SgtSchaeffersMom:
Baby steps are good. . . and yes, perhaps next year they will be able to "walk" without our assistance. . .

Let's pray it is so, for their sakes, as well as ours.

Each flour mill or business that opens acts as a force multiplier. DS was stationed in Baqubah for the surge, and is returning home in a few days. I will be anxious to see what his view of the situation is there.

If we succeed in Iraq, it will be amazing to see an entire civilization unfold before our eyes.

Ma'am, the first "baby step" they had to take was overcoming the official State Department position that state enterprises like the flour mill in question should not be supported with government funds, ours or Iraqi, and that they should all be privatized by attracting private investment. That is one reason why it sat idle so long, although the security situation did contribute.

This is the kind of building of infrastructure we ought to have started with ... but far, far better late than never. Kudos to 3/2 Stryker for the excellent work.