Florida soldiers make difference in their Baghdad 'hometown community'

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Dec. 30) -- A couple of years ago, Corbin Sawyer never thought he would spend a Christmas in Baghdad, plan a Christmas party for 300 excited Iraqi boys and girls or play a role in rebuilding an Iraqi neighborhood. He’s infantry.

But, as his unit’s civil affairs officer, 2nd Lt. Sawyer has done all of this and much more along with other Guardsmen from the 3rd Battalion, 124th Infantry Regiment, Florida Army National Guard. The 3rd Battalion is headquartered in Panama City, Fla., and has companies in Tallahassee, Pensacola and Chipley.

"The local Iraqi people are grateful to have us here and it gives us a good feeling, that we are not just guarding the area but have helped them improve their community," said Sawyer, of Orlando.

Mobilized in Florida on Dec. 26, 2002, the 3rd Battalion, with soldiers from all across northern Florida, was sent to Iraq originally to secure a Patriot missile battalion. By the end of April, the 500-member battalion was assigned to Maghrib, a mostly Shiite community in northeastern Baghdad, which received little aid from the previous government.

The Florida unit was one of the first Army units in this zone and they have remained there longer than any other unit.

Hill said establishing a community center was a focal point of the unit’s goal for the community. "We wanted a place for the children to get together, to be in a learning environment and have fun," he said.

With the help of UNICEF and the Norwegian Church Aid Society, more than $20,000 was raised to convert the building into a Youth Center. The soldiers arranged for local contractors to do the work and secured additional money from the Commander’s Emergency Relief Funds to purchase all types of supplies, from computers to sewing machines and sports equipment for the new center.

Next, the 3rd Battalion cleaned up the Al Kachaf soccer stadium that is across the street from the Youth Center. Then they raised money to fix up a local orphanage.

"All of this has helped us stabilize the community, alleviate their fears, and gain their trust and respect," added Sawyer. "We meet regularly with the religious leaders and know all the shop owners. This is now one of the quietest and safest areas in Baghdad. We were the first in our area to stand up a community council."

On Christmas morning, the Florida Guard unit planned a special party for the 300 plus children who regularly attend the Maghrib Youth House. The project was known as Operation Toy Soldier.

Sawyer contacted a close friend who works for the Boys and Girls Club of America which along with Toys R Us and the Good Morning America show raised funds and donations for the toys and gifts. The soldiers donated even more, bringing the total to more than 1,000 gifts for the children.

Some of the children were so excited, their eyes all aglow, seeing Santa Claus for the first time and getting a gift they could not even dream of receiving.

"Line up, line up," shouted Youth Center Director Jenan Kamal Al Azawi to the children as they clamored to see Santa Claus. Al Azawi said "the Florida Guard has been good to us. Our center would not be here without them. And they are good guys and protect us." Al Azawi also was elected vice chairman of the Maghrib Community Council. She said she hopes the Iraqi Ministry for Youth and Sports will take responsibility for the Youth Center in the future.

Later in the day, the children presented the soldiers with pottery gifts and sewn items they had made.

"This makes it all worthwhile. This is the best part of the day," said Staff Sgt. Brian Grey, of Panama City, as he handed out presents to a little girl.

He said his unit does dismounted patrols, walking the neighborhoods and gets to know many of the people. "They wave to us all the time and kids run to see us," Grey said.

Still all has not been quite in this battle zone. The 3rd Battalion has had 15 soldiers seriously injuried and one solider killed since arriving here in April.

"This day with the children makes us real happy," said Capt. David Reeder, the battalion intelligence officer, who now lives in Atlanta, but formerly lived in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. He noted he had to send soldiers out to check on IEDs (improvised explosive devices) Christmas morning.

Noor Abdalla, a software engineering student at Al Mansour University, who speaks perfect English, serves as the interpreter for the Florida Guard unit. At first, she said she did not want to be an interpreter. "After my friend, who was expecting and had to go to the hospital late at night and get permission to leave the area, the National Guard arranged for her to get there," said Abdalla. A few days later she became the unit’s interpreter.

"I love the Florida National Guard," said Abdalla. "They take good care of us and our area."

Sawyer and others in the Florida National Guard unit said they were glad to have played a role in improving their "hometown" community in Iraqi and making a difference for the Iraqi citizens as they rebuild their hometown and nation.

Great post. Thank you, saquin.

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Florida Army National Guard, "Operation Toy Soldier"....w/pics!

More on the Florida National Guard, from Defend America today:

Florida Guard Resources Offer Deployment Tips to Troops, Families

By Senior Airman Thomas Kielbasa
Florida National Guard Public Affairs

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. – When Matt Leve’s daughter was born nearly three months premature, the Florida Army National Guard sergeant was worried.

Leve and his wife waited as their newborn baby – who weighed a scant one pound, eight ounces at birth – spent the first three months of her life under intense scrutiny and care in a hospital.

Lauren Alexis Leve is 19 months old now and her health is still a great concern for the Tampa couple. But what is making the situation even more emotional for the family is that Sgt. Leve could be spending up to a year – maybe more – away from his fragile daughter; Leve’s unit – Co. B, 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment – is preparing for a possible mobilization to active duty.

Already nine Florida soldiers from the aviation regiment have deployed, and nearly 20 others from are preparing to mobilize from Brooksville.

“Being away (from Lauren) for a year will tear me apart,” Leve, a crew chief on a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, said candidly. “I’m going through a mixed amount of emotions…of course I want to serve my country, but at the same time I’m a father.”

Leve and his wife joined nearly 30 other families and soldiers in an informational family readiness briefing at the unit in early December. Throughout the briefing Leve held is daughter on his knee, and afterwards cuddled her as he spoke of his feelings about leaving his daughter.

“Especially being that she was premature I went through a lot with her already,” Leve said while Lauren squirmed in his arms, smiling at her father in his green Army flight suit. “So to leave her is just tearing me apart.”

But, Leve explained enthusiastically he is ready to accept the challenges of deployment and he’ll get advice on being a “deployed father” from some of the other fathers/soldiers in his unit.

“I was single every other time that I deployed, so now that I’m a dad I have to watch some of the other veterans that have been fathers and get advice from them,” he said.

Leve already plans to send is wife and daughter “lots of pictures, lots of letters,” and although Lauren can’t read the letters now, he said when she is older she can go back and read them and understand “why daddy was away” for a year or more.

“I’ll try to be the best father figure I can be a thousand miles away,” he explained.

In all, approximately 75 Florida National Guard helicopter pilots, mechanics, crew members, and technicians from the 171st Aviation Regiment could be affected by this latest deployment.

Spc. Stephanie Marino, an Ocala, Fla., resident and military aircraft technician awaiting the possible mobilization, explained being separated from her one-year-old daughter Elizabeth was also her biggest concern about a deployment.

“She doesn’t know that I’ll be coming back,” Marino, who has never been away from her daughter longer than a week, said. “She doesn’t understand yet that I’ll be going ‘bye-bye’ for more than a day.”

In the event Marino is mobilized, her husband Michael plans to move back home with his mother during the deployment so their daughter will have plenty of care and support.

“I’ve made a couple tapes of me singing songs for (Elizabeth), and we’ve got lots of video tape of me talking to her,” Marino explained how she would remain a mom from a remote location. “And hopefully I’ll get to call often enough that she won’t forget my voice.”

Sgt. Wilfredo Vasquez, a resident of Naples, Fla., and a Blackhawk crew chief, said he told his six-year-old son Carlos that if he was he was being deployed he would be going to help “fight the bad people.”

Vasquez, who has been with the unit since 1992, said he doesn’t think his son would understand how long a deployment could actually be.

Sgt. Wilfredo Vasquez of the Florida National Guard's B. Co., 171st Aviation Regiment, checks a maintenance log while preparing a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter for flight, in Brooksville, Fla., Dec. 10. If his aviation unit deployed for active duty, Vasquez would leave behind his six-year-old son Carlos. U.S. Army photo by Senior Airman Thomas Kielbasa.

19-month-old Lauren Alexis Leve sits on the lap of her father Sgt. Matt Leve, of Co. B, 1st Battalion, 171st Aviation Regiment, during a family readiness briefing in Brooksville, Fla., Dec. 6. U.S. Army photo by Senior Airman Thomas Kielbasa.

“I told him it would be a long time, but he doesn’t know what time is yet,” Vasquez explained. “He knows how to tell time, but when I tell him a year, he really doesn’t comprehend it.”

The Florida National Guard State Family Readiness Office, the American Red Cross, and other military family readiness resources offer these tips for deploying military personnel with children:

Talk about what 'could' happen - When television programs and newspapers articles talk about the war against terrorism and suggest more reservists may be called up, it is important for each soldier or airmen to talk openly and honestly with their family about a possible deployment. There is no reason to scare a spouse or child with deployment rumors, but also there is no reason to shield them from the truth that a call-up could happen at any time.

Make your time together count - Time is always a precious commodity, so make the most of what time you have with your loved ones. Spending time together is always a good idea for families, so during that time encourage children to open up and share their feelings about the deployment. Children sometimes have a difficult time talking about how they feel, and for many it may be the first time they have been separated from a parent or loved one.

Communication is more important than ever - Fortunately during deployment, keeping in touch with loved ones back home is easier than ever for troops deployed half a world away. Letters, telephone calls and care packages remain important means of communication, but email and video teleconferencing have also established themselves firmly as quick means of reaching family and friends.

A phone call can make a person's day on either end of the line, and some overseas sites offer free calls on military lines, but generally placing a call from another country can be costly. Plan for additional charges in your family's phone budget, and remember that overseas calls can be less expensive during off-peak hours.

Remember the children's needs - Families with children and teenagers sometimes have it particularly tough when an extended deployment occurs, so the parent or guardian needs to remember a few extra tips to make everything run smoothly.

Make sure the younger children know they aren't the cause of the separation. Sometimes they may feel they are responsible for their "mommy or daddy leaving because they have been bad," but let them know this isn't the case. Maintain the same levels of respect and discipline the child or teen is used to, and even let them help out more around the house. By letting them do more important chores while a parent is away, they may feel they are making a greater contribution to the family.

http://www.defendamerica.mil/articles/dec2003/a122303c.html

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