Published: March 31, 2008
MND-B Soldiers Remain Committed to 'Forgotten' Village
By Sgt. Jerome Bishop
Troops offload supplies for IP station, connect to villager
2nd SBCT PAO, 25th Inf. Div., MND-B
CAMP TAJI, Iraq - Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment "Golden Dragons," 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, took several more steps March 30 to show the people of Abayachi, a village north of Camp Taji, they haven't been forgotten.
As part of an effort to assist the locals in the village, the Soldiers of 1st Bn., 14th Inf. Regt., offloaded force protection supplies at the Abayachi Iraqi Police Station to get them on their way to providing law and order for the area.
"The Tarmiyah district police have decided to occupy and start to rebuild the Abayachi Police station. There's no furniture, and we delivered the initial package of wire and wood and a tip line phone to get them on their feet," said Lt. Col. Thomas Boccardi, a native of Colorado Springs, Colo., who serves as the battalion commander of the 1st Bn., 14th Inf. Regt.
Lt. Col. Thomas Boccardi, a Colorado Springs, Colo., native, who serves as the battalion commander for the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, talks through an interpreter with an Iraqi Police commander March 30 about conditions in the village of Abayachi, north of Camp Taji, while on a mission to drop off supplies at the IP station. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jerome Bishop, 2nd SBCT PAO, 25th Inf. Div., MND-B)
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Boccardi traveled to the village to meet with local leaders as Soldiers from his battalion, as well as the 411th Military Police Company, assisted the Iraqi Police at the fledgling station in getting the supplies, such as barrier wood, sand bags, Hesco barriers and concertina wire, offloaded at the station.
"Our top goal right now is to improve the force protection of the current police station," said Capt. Norma James, a Lawrenceburg, Ky., native, who serves as the commander of the 411th MP Co.
Along with improving the station's force protection, the MPs also plan on getting the station operable, with the assistance of the Golden Dragons, and getting essential services like law and order back in Abayachi, she said.
An Iraqi police officer offloads bundles of empty sandbags from a pallet of force protection supplies dropped off at the Abayachi IP station March 30 by Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jerome Bishop, 2nd SBCT PAO, 25th Inf. Div., MND-B)
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While in the village, Boccardi also took the opportunity to visit a Nahia council member, who recently suffered the tragic loss of his infant son.
"In this culture, you can never compensate the loss of a loved one - a child in this case. You have to do something instead of nothing," said Boccardi. "I went through the claims program and tried to compensate him as best we could for the loss of his son."
While traveling to Ramadi, a ricochet from an escalation of force incident struck his son, said Boccardi. "The people up here, they're not forgotten. It's all too often you can't reach out and touch certain people just by the number of troops you have available or how far the bases are away. If you can get out to the little remote areas, you can make a big impact by just doing small things."
Iraqi Police officers and Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, offload wood from a pallet of force protection supplies dropped off at the Abayachi IP station March 30 by the Soldiers from 1st Bn., 14th Inf. Regt. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jerome Bishop, 2nd SBCT PAO, 25th Inf. Div., MND-B)
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The difference between the visit to the IP Station and the resolution of the claims appear to be separate; however, the completion of both objectives came together to better integrate the meaning of the mission.
"They intertwine because you reach out and show that you care about someone. Just that little bit of hope and little bit of reach sparks a little fire that they aren't out here and forgotten," said Boccardi.
While the visit to the Abayachi IP Station by Golden Dragon Soldiers and the 411th MP Co. didn't end with a ceremony or a grand opening, the end result of the mission was still a success.
"We didn't cut a ribbon today; we didn't give life back to his son; we didn't bring the people who were responsible to bear," said Boccardi, "but we made a step forward in making a police station functional, and we made a step forward in making the people believe that the American aren't egregious people who don't care about anything."
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