Original Source: Multi-National Force - Iraq
 Local Iraqi boys laugh and smile while painting a concrete barrier in Falahat, Iraq, July 7 during a "fun day" in the village that was sponsored by Soldiers from Troop D, 1st Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment. The children were allowed to paint whatever they wanted on the barriers, with most of the children choosing to paint their names. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs.
The Soldiers handed out paint brushes and paint and watched as the children painted pictures and their names on concrete barriers. They also played with the children, kicking soccer balls to them. When the painting was done, the troops gave the children toys and candy.
In addition to the children, the Soldiers from the troop continued building relationships with parents and other adults in the village—a place that was once plagued by daily violence.
Things in the village have changed, thanks to area sheiks gathering together with their people and the local government to end sectarian violence and promote reconciliation in this town which just a month ago was shaken by constant improvised explosive device attacks and gunfire, said Capt. Martin Wohlgemuth, the troop commander and a native of Anchorage, Alaska.
Now, mainly quiet, thanks in part to a neighborhood watch made up of local concerned citizens which informs on insurgents, reports terrorist acts and notifies coalition and Iraqi security forces if caches are found, the village is beginning to come back to life, said Wohlgemuth, and the fun day was a good sign that soon the focus on security can move more towards reconstruction efforts and projects.
“This has been something we’ve been hoping to do since we got here, turning from more of a security operations role to helping the people, which is great news,” said Wohlgemuth. “Today, we are giving the children and their parents a day that they can enjoy together, that allows for them a time to have fun and some normalcy in their lives.”
“It also allows us the chance to get out on the street to get to know the locals better and talk to each other,” Wohlgemuth added.
Interacting with children in a setting that was once wrought with violence has been an interesting experience for the Soldiers, who have been performing cordon and searches and other major operations in the area for the past seven months.
“This is unique, and it’s really quite different than when we first started coming down here,” said Spc. Matthew Dixon, a forward observer with the troop who hails from Pottstown, Pa. “You can definitely see a change in the neighborhood—adult males are not afraid to come out of their houses and you see kids playing outside. It’s becoming like any typical neighborhood again.”
“I feel really good about it, because you can actually see the results, before it didn’t feel like anything was happening and there was no proof that anything would ever change,” added Dixon. “Now you actually see people waving and smiling at you.”
Soldiers explained what it means to have villagers here taking on their own fight against the insurgency.
“They’re taking ownership in taking back the streets here,” said 1st Lt. Mike Blake, a platoon leader from Baltimore, whose troops work out of an outpost in the village.
“It’s not much different than what happens in the states when gangs try to come into an area and take over. The people get fed up with it and fight them—that’s exactly what the people here are doing against the insurgents,” said Staff Sgt. Danny Garner, a squad leader who claims Cherokee, Ala., and Longbeach, Calif., as his hometowns.
“It was not something we came up with, but it was the people who came to us and said they were fed up with the violence. I remember seeing a brother of a man who was killed by insurgents crying and saying that he was ready to fight the insurgents right now.”
In recent weeks, locals working in Falahat’s neighborhood watch program have led the troop to several weapons caches and improvised explosive device materials. They have also reported on insurgents lurking in their neighborhoods.
“The people here are the ones who knew who the foreign fighters were in their neighborhoods and they have helped rid the area of those foreign fighters,” said Blake.
“This has been a great step forward, seeing this community stand up, and this is truly a blessing,” injected Garner.
Also at the request of the villagers, Troop D Soldiers set up an outpost in the village to assist with security when necessary.
One of the next steps to getting the village back to normalcy will be working short term projects in conjunction with the local Iraqi government to get the people back to work.
“We will be working with them on projects that will pay them and employ them,” said Wohlgemuth. “Some of the projects will be similar to the Conservation Corps back in the 1920s and 1930s in which people were hired to clean canals and pick up garbage.”
In addition, said Wohlegmuth, the village will soon be moving ahead with some projects to refurbish schools, fix water mains and electrical lines—things that, until now, could not be given a green light due to security concerns.
“There are so many things going on now in the village that it’s simply amazing,” added Wohlgemuth.
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