Something I Should've Done Months Ago

Every day I spend here in Iraq, I hear (but mostly read) stories about the GOOD things that are happening in this country. No, I am not hearing it from one of the four televisions perched up on the wall in the Media Operations Center at 3rd Infantry Division Headquarters in Baghdad. No, no, that would be silly. That would mean one of the Big Four networks would break from the norm and actually produce a story on the progress being made. Let me also say I realize that stories about the new Fish Farm Association in North Babil that employs thousands of local citizens to produce seven million pounds of much needed fish for Baghdad residents isn't as sexy as a story about a female suicide bomber strapping on a vest and killing herself and several Iraqis in their home. I get it. I make my living in television. I like to think I have a good understanding of what will and won't make the news.

But that doesn't make my job any easier.

In addition to being a journalist, I am also responsible for Media Relations. In fact, that is ALL I do down here under the 3rd Infantry Division. My job is to push our story to local and national media outlets as well as the Baghdad Bureaus here in Iraq. Let me just say this: it is no easy task.

Day in and day out, I sit behind a desk and call, email, and schmooze Baghdad media so they'll pay attention to the progress being made in the 3rd Infantry Division's Area of Operation - an area rougly the size of West Virginia.

3ID is part of last year's surge. It is the main division efforting (I don't know if this is a verb the military made up or a real word but I use "efforting" a lot here) the surge. 3ID's mission is to block accelerants (insurgents/terrorists/militias) into Baghdad, secure the population, and defeat sectarian violence in order to create conditions for long term Iraqi self-reliance.

For almost 14 months now, with almost 20,000 soldiers, 3ID has served remarkably, kicking down doors of terrorist safehouses, killing the enemy while protecting the popoulation, living on barely functioning patrol bases and combat outposts established in order to live among Iraqi communities (to better protect citizens from terrorists/insurgents). They are basically sacrificing the comforts and relative safety offered on a FOB (Forward Operation Base) to ensure a more stable life for Iraqis.

I don't say this to garner sympathy and/or pity for these soldiers; I say this to paint a better picture about what life is like out here.

The point is, that despite all the horrid images you see on the news - things that DEFINITELY occur out here - there are small miracles happening every day as well - and somewhere, in some province or holy city or farming community, SOLDIERS are providing a better life for IRAQIS. I'm telling you, it's happening. That doesn't mean the bad stuff isn't important...it is...but so are these stories and though you rarely hear about them, they are happening.

How do I know this if I am sitting behind a desk? Because every day, military journalists (myself included) risk their lives to tell the stories the mainstream media are reluctant to tell. I'm not naive; I get WHY they don't tell these stories. There are limited minutes and more important stories in the world to tell; If it bleeds, it leads; Polygamists, Popes, and Primaries take the top slots. Believe me, I get it. And I don't think everyone is reluctant to tell the stories; just the ones who ultimately make the decisions.

So that is why I've decided, in all of my frustration in not being able to deliver good news to Major Conway (truly, the best media relations officer I've ever met in the military and my boss), that I would post the good stories I can't sell to the Big Four on my blog.

I may have a relatively small audience, but if you spread the word, perhaps the audience will grow and the Big Four will see there are people out there who care about what we, the SOLDIERS, are doing EVERY SINGLE DAY to make this a better place for the people of Iraq. For us, it's not about politics; it's about caring and helping and compassion. It's about the value of another human life.

It's no wonder the powers-that-be at the Big Four aren't sold on these stories. They aren't the ones meeting these wonderful men and women, children, babies - Iraqis...touching them, hugging them, drinking chai with them, rebuilding with them, talking with them. They have no idea what their life is like, what OUR life is like.

So since they won't tell our story, we will. I should have done this months ago.

The following is a story written by SGT Kevin Stabinsky of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division on FOB Kalsu, Iraq. This is a wonderful story and not one media outlet picked up on it, despite my best efforts. From now on, I will post these stories here...and I ask you to spread the word if they touch you...or even if they don't. This is the kind of work your American soldiers do in addition to ridding this place of bad guys. They deserve recognition.



FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq - Her hands run across his hand, her fingers explore his features. She asks her father: Is he fat or skinny? Tall or short? She is trying to learn about the man she cannot see, the one who strives to end the mystery surrounding him and the world around her. First Lt. Michael Kendrick, platoon leader of 2nd Platoon, Company D, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, said it is his goal to replace the mental picture young Noor Taha Najee has of her father with the actual image. Noor, a 5-year-old girl who lives in al Buaytha, has been blind since birth, a condition caused by poorly-developed corneas, said her father Taha. It is a problem which runs in the family. Taha's brother, Mustafa, also suffers from the birth defect, one that prevents the eyes from registering anything other than light sensitivity. Although the condition is genetic, it is one that can be fixed through surgery. Kendrick, a native of Phoenix, Ariz., and his unit have been working closely with doctors to try to get something done for the family. "To have her see her family, her brothers, to put a face to the voice, it would be a blessing," Taha said of the opportunity to help give sight to his daughter and brother. The Eye Defects Research Foundation, a nongovernmental organization based in Los Angeles, is already trying to schedule a surgery for the girl. On March 14, the Soldiers took Noor and her uncle to the 86th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad to get an evaluation done on the two, which showed a higher potential for success with Noor. "We're on standby now, waiting for a doctor in L.A.," Kendrick said. He said they are now trying to find a local Iraqi doctor who would be willing to travel with Noor and her family to California. An Iraqi doctor is needed who could be shown the necessary follow-up care. Such a gift would seem appropriate for a girl who is described as very generous and giving by her father. "She's different from many other kids," Taha said. "She's always sharing. She'll give you anything." It is a personality trait which has endeared her to the 2nd Platoon Soldiers. "We've taken a real vested interest in the people here," Kendrick said, adding his Soldiers spend a lot of time on the ground, interacting with residents. "We empathize with the people. It pays dividends winning the hearts and minds. It keeps things quiet." Noor has developed quite an attachment to Kendrick, Taha said. "She likes to sit by him, and is always asking me about him and loves it when I tell her stories about him," he said. "She's only like that with Kendrick." As a father of two young girls himself - Presley, 3, and Parker, 1, Kendrick said he knows the importance of family and providing for them. While she may not be able to see what the Soldiers are doing for her, Taha said Noor can definitely sense the good will of Kendrick's platoon. "Love begins in the mind, not the eyes," Taha said.