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BAGHDAD, Iraq (July 9, 2008) - Every day, Soldiers from
Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 1st Battalion, 320th Field
Artillery Regiment, patrol the streets of the Iraqi Family Village,
an area near the Victory Base Complex here that is relatively safe
and is home to citizens from throughout Iraq.
When the war began in 2003, many families fled their homes to
come to this once-abandoned orphanage on the outskirts of
Baghdad.
The Soldiers' mission in the village is simple: to keep the
people safe and to work with the local council to improve the
quality of life for the village's struggling residents.
Army 1st Lt. Andrew Bowling, a native of Medfield, Mass., said
he believes a great many of the residents once were wealthy, but
fell on hard times when the war began and needed to flee their
homes, leaving their lives and their jobs behind.
The Soldiers of HHB work tirelessly with the local council to
improve the villagers' everyday lives in any way they can, Bowling
said. For example, the Soldiers are conducting a census to gather
as much information as possible to give them a better understanding
of who lives in the village and what they need.
Once a week, the Soldiers meet with a panel of village council
members who are important, well-respected people within the
community. They talk about many of the issues and concerns of the
community, Bowling said, and try to work out ways to solve their
problems. For example, Bowling explained, the council is working on
what to do about drug addicts and dealers who flee to the village
because they believe it is a good place to hide out. Many are
believed to be criminals escaping from Kadhamiyah, Shulla and
Hurriyah, and the residents want to keep these men out, away from
the good people of their quiet, stable area, Bowling said.
"The drug addicts come in and give drugs to the kids," he said.
"They are a pretty legit threat to their safety." As they work on a
long-term solution, the council members plan to lock up empty homes
to keep away those fleeing away from a criminal past.
When U.S. Soldiers began patrolling the area just over a month
ago, trash littered the streets, Army Pfc. Blake Widner, a native
of Bristol, Tenn., said. The Soldiers organized two Iraqi Family
Village Earth Day events, aimed at picking up trash within the
community. Nearly 100 men, women and children gathered to police
the littered streets, Widner said.
"If they want us to help, they've got to put in a little effort
into it as well," Widner explained. "If they want it clean, they
have to do a little bit of it themselves. It's starting to look
better, one step at a time. It's getting cleaner and cleaner."
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