Strike Brigade Delivers English School Books

By Staff Sgt. James Hunter

2nd BCT PAO, 101st Abn. Div., MND-B

BAGHDAD - With a new school year approaching, Multi-National Division - Baghdad Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), are reaching out to the schools in northwest Baghdad as part of a School Partnership Program.

The Strike Brigade began the program as part of a way to build educational capacity within northwest Baghdad through communication and donations of English school books and supplies.

Baghdad Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), deliver English language teaching aides to the Ministry of Education in northwest Baghdad Sept. 23.

Capt. Casey Plamann, a native of Hortonville, Wis., reached back to his native homeland in northeast Wisconsin, where he serves as a school teacher, to stimulate interest and request support for the program.

"They expressed interest in helping out with this program. What we talked about with the Iraqis was getting educational materials to aide in their English instruction," said Plamann, with Company A, 432nd Civil Affairs Battalion, currently attached to the 2nd BCT, 101st Abn. Div., MND-B. "So what better way to do that than through American English text books?"

Baghdad Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), deliver English language teaching aides to the Ministry of Education in northwest Baghdad Sept. 23.

Many quickly answered back and gathered more than 10,000 English language teaching aids and supplies as donations to the Ministry of Education in northwest Baghdad.

The Strike Brigade delivered the supplies Sept. 23 to the Iraqi Ministry of Education for future distribution to schools throughout the region.

"I am very glad and happy to have these books in my schools and our facilities," said Dr. Nehad, with the Iraqi MOE, upon receiving the books. "I am glad the students of Iraq will be able to learn from these. Not only learning language or science, but also culture from other countries likes America. We hope in the future this cooperation will be in all Iraq, and not just Baghdad."

Capt. Casey Plamann, a native of Hortonville, Wis., talks with Dr. Nehad, an Iraq Minister of Education official, prior to delivering English language teaching aides to the Ministry of Education in northwest Baghdad Sept. 23.

Nehad said he believes it is important that all children learn and gain from the benefits this program is offering.

"Hopefully in the future, this relationship will continue to grow, not just with fixing schools or bringing books to us, but to have educators from the United States visit us," Nehad said. "We hope in the future we gain a higher level of learning."

The next step will be to distribute the books to the various schools throughout the region. In the meantime, they will continue to foster this growing relationship.

"We are looking to establish communication between the teachers in the States and the teachers here in Iraq to go beyond the brick and mortar concept of just building the school," said Plamann. "We want to actually establish the communications and help with their curriculum over here so that the students will learn and understand with cohesiveness."

Baghdad Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and Iraqi Ministry of Education officials look at English language books in northwest Baghdad Sept. 23.

This program, however, would never have been able to go forth without the increase in security and stability throughout northwest Baghdad.

"With the security and stability that we are seeing right now, I think this program is very important as a step ahead toward normalcy in Iraq," Plamann said. "As you can see here with the things we have been able to do thus far would have never been possible even a year ago. I think we are taking giant steps forward in returning this country back to normalcy and one of the best ways to do that is through youth education."

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