Team STEEL pays dividends in northern Baghdad neighborhood

By Capt. Clint Rusch

co. C, 1-68 Ar, 3rd Bct Pao, 4th Inf. Div., Mnd-B

BEIDHA'A, Iraq - Ibrahim's gnarled grip, handicapped by his hard years of living in Baghdad's Beidha'a neighborhood, did not require an interpreter; its meaning was clear to the members of Team STEEL's Red Platoon at first glance.

His smile, expressed with his whole face, only reinforced that he was overjoyed at the assistance the men of Company C, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, provided for him.

In early July, Capt. Todd Allison, of Austin, Texas, led an initiative to reconnoiter the businesses along what the men operating out of Combat Outpost Ford refer to as the 'Miller Street Market.' This is a long stretch of loosely organized businesses, often co-located with the owner's homes. The assessments helped determine the suitability of each for a small business assistance payment under the Army's microgrant program

The long hours of work that he and his men put in, talking with business owners, explaining the process, developing a list of businesses to nominate, and then conducting the nomination process with them would, Allison said, "hopefully pay dividends as we show the Iraqis in the area that we're not just committed to their security. We're committed to long-term, sustainable growth for their businesses and communities."

Capt. Clint Rusch, of Bloomington, Minn., shakes hands with Iraqi business owner Ibrahim as he delivers a business assistance payment under the Army's Micro-Grants Program. Rusch is the fire support officer for Company C, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad.

The money did not come easily; but after a month of waiting for the approval process to work itself out, Team STEEL drew an initial stipend that would cover approximately 20 grants. Ibrahim was one of them; he is a shopkeeper who operated a small 'ration shop,' most analogous to a corner store in the United States.

Ibrahim's shop is where Iraqis can get their rations of food, cooking oil and various household supplies, but it suffered from a lack of safe shelving, fresh paint and accurate weights and measures used for doling out the necessary rations.

Ibrahim's wife, an elderly woman who, like her husband, suffered from physical disabilities, was unable to assist him sufficiently to modernize the store. The grant Team STEEL was able to secure for the business will assist not only Ibrahim and his wife, but all Iraqis in the area, as the process of getting rations is now easier, more modern and more convenient.

As the men of Red Platoon moved through the market, looking for Ibrahim, Sgt. Mario Rivera, a native of San Diego, on his second deployment to Iraq, pointed out the number of shopkeepers that responded favorably to the Coalition Forces presence.

"I think they're seeing that we're here to help them, not just do a year and go home," said Rivera, a member of Co. C, 1-68 AR.

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