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HUSSEINIYA, Iraq (February 29, 2008) - Children swarmed around
the men in uniform and extended their hands, eager to receive a
newspaper. Although some of the children could not yet read, the
colorful pictures were enough to ignite their curiosity.
If they could get through the crowd of children, the men would
give one of the newspapers to an adult who happened to be out on
the street. Whether they received it from an Iraqi or an American,
a policeman or a soldier, the people were eager to hold the
newspaper.
Police officers from the Ali-Salaam Iraqi Police Station and
soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division's Company B, 1st Combined
Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team,
Multinational Division Baghdad, conducted a joint patrol here Feb.
26 to show a unity of purpose between Iraqi and coalition
forces.
"We do dismounted patrols to show the Iraqi civilians and to
show the Iraqi police that we are willing to work with them," said
Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Gomez, a Sacramento, Calif., native, who
serves as a squad leader with 2nd Platoon, Company B.
While the Silver Lions brought the "Baghdad Now" newspapers,
both the soldiers and the police passed them out to the residents.
Ideally, the soldiers said, the joint effort will affect how the
people view the two security groups.
"It's good to ... show the people that we are working together
with the Iraqi police," said 1st Lt. Dale Donaldson, who serves as
a platoon leader with 2nd Platoon, Company B. "That way, we're not
the only ones (giving the papers out)," added the Bartlesville,
Okla., native, "and they can associate the good things that happen
with the police as well as us."
Handing out newspapers to the people is one of the "good things"
citizens see coming from the joint effort.
"It seems like they really like the newspaper," Gomez said.
"They always stop to grab some and, as they drive by, they stop and
ask us for newspapers."
For the area citizens, the newspaper is a window into the larger
community of Baghdad to which they belong. Coalition forces are
working with a local contractor to begin publishing a
Husseiniya-centric newspaper.
When all the newspapers were handed out, the neighborhood
children continued to follow the men in blue and the men in faded
green as they moved up and down the street alongside each
other.
"We are working together to make Iraq a safer place for the
civilians," Gomez said.
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