Cavalry Unit conducts humanitarian aid mission
Sunday, 19 August 2007 By Spc. Courtney Marulli
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Public Affairs
Sgt. Gary M. Wilkerson, fire support section sergeant from Monroe, La., talks with a woman concerning items her family needs during a recent humanitarian assistance delivery to residents of the Shawra wa um Jidir neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. Members of Company B, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, a Fort Hood, Texas,-based unit with the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, handed out boxes of food and gathered information during the mission. Photo by Spc. Courtney Marulli, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division Public Affairs.
FORWARD OPERATING BASE HOPE — Fighting a war can leave a wake of destruction, but some Iraqis are given hope through humanitarian aid missions conducted by troops from the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, operating in eastern Baghdad as part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.
Humanitarian aid missions enable Soldiers to go door-to-door to deliver food and see what else the Iraqis may need. Information is also passed out on how residents can get other supplies and medicine.
Sgt. Gary Wilkerson, fire support section sergeant for Company B, 1-8 Cavalry, said the reception by residents was good, as his platoon conducted its first humanitarian assistance delivery recently to the Shawra wa um Jidir neighborhood of the New Baghdad District.
“They accepted us over there,†Wilkerson said. “There’s actually more support for coalition forces in that area.â€
A majority of those neighborhoods are poor. Women and children shyly answer the knock of Soldiers at their gate, their bare feet treading over broken rock and brick. Their clothes are dirty, but they smile and gratefully accept the packages the Soldiers give them.
While they handed out food, Wilkerson, a native of Monroe, La., and his Soldiers asked what residents think of plans being carried out in Baghdad.
Wilkerson said a lot of thought was put into what food would be handed out, and it was geared toward a Muslim diet. Boxes included corn oil and beans and other items residents can use to cook for their families.
Inside the boxes, Wilkerson placed an information packet telling residents about curfews in effect and information regarding no-interest small business grants. In this way, Wilkerson said, they will know what’s available and where to get grants to help get their businesses up and running.
“It’s geared toward businesses that have been affected by the war or militia activity particularly,†Wilkerson said.
Wilkerson said his unit will assess the impact of the humanitarian aid missions when he speaks with community leaders. Conducting the humanitarian drops and ensuring the platoon is secure is a job for the Soldiers who accompany Wilkerson.
Spc. Jesus A. Santana, an infantryman in Company B, 1-8 Cavalry, said he saw some mixed reactions from the people when his platoon conducted the humanitarian aid mission.
“From what it seems yesterday, the first couple houses were excited and the rest were not,†he said. “Then people filled the streets wanting something.†Santana, a native of Los Angeles, said they try to help the people out as much as they can.