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Field Artillery Soldiers Build Hope in Assriya

By Spc. Andrea Merritt

1st Sustainment Brigade PAO

ASSRIYA, Iraq - The Soldiers of Battery A, 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery, a California National Guard unit attached to the 1103rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, spend most of their nights conducting convoy security missions.

Although they have a job that requires them to be nocturnal, a few of the Soldiers have chosen to use their daylight hours to work in a village located outside of Camp Taji.

Since February, Soldiers of 2nd Platoon, Battery A, 1st Bn., 143rd FA, use their personal time between missions to deliver supplies and make repairs to schools in the village of Assriya, Iraq.

Soldiers of 2nd Platoon, Battery A, 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery, a California National Guard unit attached to 1103rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, unload concertina wire to place around the wall of a girls' school in Assriya, Iraq, a village located outside of Camp Taji. Since February, the Soldiers have delivered school supplies and made some repairs to the schools in the village. "When we first started, we started with volunteers, but everybody volunteered so it ended up 100 percent participation," said Sgt. 1st Class Richard Weaver, a Greenville, Calif., native and the platoon leader for 2nd Plt., Battery A, 1st Bn., 143rd FA. "It's a good cultural awakening for these guys. It gives them a side of Iraq that they normally don't get to see and a chance to interact with the Iraqi people." (U.S. Army photo provided by 2nd Platoon, Battery A, 1st Bn., 143rd FA)

"When we first started, we started with volunteers, but everybody volunteered so it ended up 100 percent participation," said Sgt. 1st Class Richard Weaver, a Greenville, Calif., native and the platoon leader for 2nd Plt., Battery A, 1st Bn., 143rd FA.

"It's a good cultural awakening for these guys. It gives them a side of Iraq that they normally don't get to see and a chance to interact with the Iraqi people," said Weaver.

Weaver, who is a teacher in the civilian world, organized a drive at his school back in California to collect school supplies after he saw the need Iraqi schools had for basic materials during a previous deployment to Iraq in 2005.

After he was given clearance to go into Assriya, the platoon distributed the initial packages, which were filled with notebook paper, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, chalk and staplers.

"When we first came in, they only had one stapler for the whole school, and keep in mind there are about 450 students. There were no computers, no copiers," Weaver explained.

Soldiers of 2nd Platoon, Battery A, 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery, a California National Guard unit attached to 1103rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, place concertina wire around the wall of a girls' school in Assriya, Iraq, a village located outside of Camp Taji. Since February, the Soldiers have delivered school supplies and made some repairs to the schools in the village. The unit is due to return home in April and the Soldiers, who conduct convoy security missions at night, are proud of the work they have done in the village. "I actually volunteered for this mission because I wanted to do something more to help out ... I'm glad I did this because there's a lot of positive things and a lot of good memories I'm getting out of this too," said Staff Sgt. Richard Martinez, a squad leader in the platoon, who is also a principal in his civilian career. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrea Merritt, 1st Sustainment Brigade PAO)

"I have a $1 million budget to run my school back home and here they only had one stapler. It's an extreme situation over here," said Staff Sgt. Richard Martinez, a squad leader in the platoon and a gun truck commander for the unit, who is also a principal at Washington School in Cloverdale Unified School District in California.

Once the supplies were delivered, the platoon asked if there was anything else they could assist with. The platoon has also placed concertina wire around the wall of the girls' school and worked on repairing a leaky roof.

Working on the school house in Assriya has been hard work for the Soldiers, but it is a task that many of them find rewarding, especially because of the children in the village.

A few Iraqi children from the Assriya village in Iraq gather around Lt. Col. Lee Ellis, commander of the 1103rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 1st Sustainment Brigade, during his visit to the village March 30. He came along with Col. Kevin O'Connell, commander of the 1st SB, to view the work that the Soldiers of 2nd Platoon, Battery A, 1st Battalion, 143rd Field Artillery, had done at schools in the area. "I am very proud of everything they are doing," said Ellis. "Seeing the added security improvements was particularly rewarding. Although it may seem small in the scheme of things, I think the Iraqis understand that we want to help develop a secure environment and promote conditions for growth." (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Andrea Merritt, 1st Sustainment Brigade PAO)

"I'm just real glad to be on this. I don't get to go on a lot of missions as an armorer, but this definitely would have been the one I chose if I had my choice of missions," said Sgt. Brent Courtney, a Hesperia, Calif., native and armorer for Battery A, 1st Bn., 143rd FA.

"The kids make my day when I go out there. As bad as things are, they still have a good attitude about everything," added Courtney, who was asked to get involved with the project because of his background as a general contractor.

The platoon is mostly made up of combat engineers, so doing the work at the schools was not a problem. Courtney did much of the construction around the unit's area of operations and was asked to run the work crew for the mission at the school.

The children bonded with the 2nd Platoon Soldiers and even try to help them with some of the projects as they work. The village sheikh, Sheikh Luqman Raheem, is very grateful for the work that has been done in his area.

"Thank you so much for what you do. You have done more for my village than anyone else has done," said Sheik Luqman.

The unit is scheduled to return home in April and the work they have done will leave a lasting impression on the villagers in Assriya as well as the Soldiers of 2nd Platoon.

"It's been an eye opener. It's a totally different experience that nobody could ever understand unless they came here and were a part of it themselves," said Spc. Shane Miniger, a Hughson, Calif., native and a gun truck driver for 2nd Plt., Battery A, 1st Bn., 143rd FA.

"Maybe they will have a little bit of a different opinion about troops in this country and know that we're here to help out and affect them in some positive ways," Miniger added.