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The outgoing commander, Artillery Col. Jose Atilio Benitez Parada, spoke of his country’s continued goal to assist the people of Iraq.
“We Salvadorian soldiers of all ranks that form the Cuscatlan Battalion, Ninth Rotation, feel satisfied and proud of the labor … achieved with our efforts and the will to carry out our orders given to us by the president of the republic, commander and chief of our armed forces and by the people of El Salvador.”
The Ninth Rotation conducted 34 humanitarian assistance missions benefiting more than 15,000 Iraqi citizens; they also completed 22 projects worth more than $2 million. Three projects are still in progress, worth approximately $300,000, and 24 more are awaiting approval, totaling more than $3 million.
The projects run the gamut from health, electricity, water, education, communication, business development, transportation and reconstruction. The battalion worked closely with the Wasit Provincial Reconstruction Team to develop and execute the projects, U.S. officials said.
Several sheiks of nearby villages and towns who worked with Benitez attended the ceremony.
(Army Staff Sgt. Carlos Lazo is assigned to Multinational Division Center.)