Why We Serve: Army Major Cites Communication for Iraq Success

By Gerry J. Gilmore

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2, 2007 – An Army officer who commanded an infantry company in Iraq says enhanced communication with local Iraqis increased civic cooperation and boosted stability within his area of operations.

Maj. Cedric L. Burden, 32, deployed to Iraq in September 2005 for a one-year tour of duty. Burden’s unit was responsible for conducting security operations in an area about 18 miles west of Kirkuk.

“It was more like Dodge City,” Burden said of the situation when he arrived in Iraq, comparing his area of operations to the wild Kansas frontier town of America’s Old West.

Burden said he quickly realized that mission success would be predicated on gaining the respect and trust of the Iraqi citizens he and his soldiers were pledged to protect. The then-captain directed his troops to get out of their vehicles during patrols and walk among and communicate with local residents.

“It showed that we’re here for security, but we didn’t want to ‘bully’ them off their own streets,” he explained.

Getting to know the Iraqi people was a turning point, Burden recalled. “We went from people not even speaking to us, to having Iraqis knowing our names,” he said.

As relations improved, more Iraqis came forward with information that was used to disrupt insurgent operations, and instances of violence decreased, the Gary, Ind.-born officer said.

Burden, who wanted to be a soldier since he was a young child, also wants to tell speaking-tour audiences about the importance of supporting U.S. servicemembers. “It’s important to support soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen,” Burden said. “Freedom isn’t free, and someone has to do hard things during hard times.”

There “is no greater honor” than to serve your country in its time of need, the captain said.

Military service is “a noble thing to do, because it is being selfless,” Burden said.

More Good from Iraq

This needs to make headline news...Not some of the other junk that makes
the news these days!!!

Like the Rosie/Donald war of words... Celeb weddings...who's not wearing
undies...e t c.

It's a tough, but heartwarming story...with a picture of John Gebhardt
in Iraq.

John Gebhardt's wife, Mindy, said that this little girl's entire family
was executed. The insurgents intended to execute e the little girl
also, and shot her in the head...but they failed to kill her. She was
cared for in John's hospital and is healing up, but continues to cry and
moan. The nurses said John is the only one who seems to calm her down,
so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both slept
in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.

He is a real Star of the war, and represents what America is trying to
do.

This, my friends, is worth sharing with the WORLD! You'll never see
things like this in the news.

The American public needs to see pictures like this and needs to realize
that what we're doing over there is making a difference. Even if it is
just one little girl at a time.

Good News From Iraq (yes there is good news if you do more than turn on MSNBC or CNN or the big 4 networks)

Ramadi Unity Parade Marks Key Event in Iraqi Reconciliation

By David Mays
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2007 – A remarkable parade in Iraq’s Anbar province, openly attended by citizens from all walks of life, demonstrates that Iraqi reconciliation efforts are working, a coalition commander said today.

“Out in al Anbar, which you know has been a difficult area about six months ago: a total change,” Army Brig. Gen. Dave Phillips told online journalists and bloggers during a conference call from Baghdad. “When they say there is an awakening, I think that's almost an understatement.”

Phillips, deputy commanding general for the Civilian Police Assistance Training Team, said he personally attended an event earlier this week that proved the awakening movement encouraged by Sunni sheiks is working.

“This past Tuesday, I went out to Ramadi,” the general explained. “The Iraqis came up with a concept of a Unity Day parade. Never in my wildest imagination did I ever think Ramadi would host a parade which would be led with a band playing and then also young Iraqi boy scouts marching with flags, young Iraqi girl scouts marching with flags, followed by the fire department, the national police, the regular police, ambulances. Never dreamed I would see something like that.”

Increased security in Iraqi communities allows such open celebrations to take place, Phillips explained. To that end, the general said, he and his team have helped hire more than 13,000 new Iraqi police officers just in the past two months.

“We have more people signing up than what we actually have ability to hire,” Phillips explained. “And when I say ‘we,’ I'm referring to the Iraqis.”

Tomorrow, 450 Iraqi police officers will begin 10 weeks of specialized training led by Italy’s fabled Carabinieri force, the general said.

“The national police of Iraq are structured very similar to the Carabinieri in Italy,” Phillips explained. “The Carabinieri have nationwide authority; so do the (Iraqi) national police. They can deploy anywhere in the country, and they're a high-end police force that can transition very rapidly to almost light infantry. And so we saw the parallels there.”

In addition to the thousands of police applicants, thousands more Iraqis are volunteering to patrol their own neighborhoods as “concerned local citizens” the general said.

“Most of them bring their own weapons with them,” Phillips said. “They will work with the Iraqi police, and they will be responsible for guarding a block or a corner or some area. And they basically are auxiliaries. They help the police. They can't make arrests, but they are there as eyes and ears on the street, and they provide information.”

So far, more than 50,000 concerned local citizens have offered their services in and around Fallujah, Muqdadiyah, and Diyala, the general said.

“Some are paid. A vast majority are not paid,” Phillips said. “They're doing it because they want to see a difference in their community.”

It’s clear, the general said, that Iraqi citizens are making a difference in their community when they are able to openly celebrate as they did this week in Ramadi.

“When I sat there at the Ramadi parade, that evening I contacted my wife and told her that for one of the first times in a long time, I was very optimistic,” he said. “In the past, I was cautiously optimistic, but what I saw at Ramadi, to me, that was one of those days to where you realized you are witnessing something extremely special.”