Flashback to Hawijah before 1-87 IN

Hawijah: A small city with big problems- Oct 06

War Stories: Staring down a truckload of death- OCT 06

U.S. night patrols in Iraq require balancing act- MARCH 07

This is what we inherited in September 07. Now 11 months later this region is dramatically different.

1-87 IN Battalion showcased in the news.

As many of you know, we have acheived great success on our deployment. The result is attention from the US Army commanders, Iraqi government officials and national media.



I have not done a great job sharing what is happening here, so in an attempt to unveil the work I do, I will link several articles that have been written recently as a reporter traveled through our area.

1. "A tweaked approach, a little money and a reconciliation program have helped one unit tame the violent Hawijah area"
2. "Hawijah progress continues after walls come down"
3. "Pilot program helps 'Sons of Iraq' learn literary skills to land jobs"
4. "Soccer game showcases unity, progress in Iraq"
5. "Hawijah drivers will no longer have to move aside for U.S. convoys"

There are usually complaints that the national media only focuses on the negative and likes to sensationalize the current events. I suppose we have proven that if you give them a positive picture, they have no choice but to write positive articles.

Our success continues to be considered ground-breaking across Iraq. I hope that the sacrifices we have made brings the Iraqi people closer to a safe and democratically free country. Eventually bringing a group of Americans that work hard for others benefits back to safe place they call home.