Iraqis appreciate U.S. help -- contrary to news

Since 07-22-04

by Bonnie Murphy
BALAD, Iraq
(ANS, July 2, 2004) -- I'm appalled at the "news" as it's reported from Iraq.

Just as disturbing is the lack of knowledge a lot of people have about what's really going on, why we're there, and what it's really like. I'd like to set the record straight.

My job as an environmentalist is primarily the protection of the environment and the disposal of Department of Defense-generated hazardous wastes. I volunteered to go to Iraq, and last December I was selected to set up the first disposal operations in the forward deployed area.

I have been stationed at Balad Air Base, LSA Anaconda, since Dec. 28. On several occasions, my work has taken me to Baghdad. I extended my initial tour from 120 days to 155 days, and June 7 I went baation of $3,500 of hospital disinfectant and dental amalgam to the local hospital from the DRMS inventory of excess property. Our Balad team of doctors and medics make regular scheduled visits to the surrounding communities to provide medical care and assistance to the people and teach new technologies to Iraqi medical personnel.

People are being taught field sanitation and hand-washing techniques to prevent the spread of germs. About 400,000 children have now received up-to-date immunizations. And 100 percent of the existing hospitals are now open and staffed, compared to 35 percent before the war.

On behalf of my organization, the Defense Logistics Agency, and its partner, Army Materiel Command, we're sponsoring a local secondary school. We've received $65,500 of Saddam's money to completely rebuild the school. Our school is only one of 11 schools being sponsored by different units on LSA Anaconda. School attendance is up 80 percent, and for earn side by side with our soldiers, and they are proud to be learning from us and eager to help in the battle against the handful of insurgents making life miserable in Iraq. Every day our troops are finding buried weapons and chemicals that must be disposed of. The dangerous chemicals pose a threat to the environment, health and safety of not only the Iraqi people but the world if they were to come into the wrong hands.

I've met some wonderful soldiers serving in Iraq. As a nation, we should all be proud and supportive of the mission, Operation Iraqi Freedom.

I believe in my job, my country, and I want my grandchildren to always be able to enjoy their freedoms. That's why I'm going back.

(Editor's note: Bonnie Murphy is a Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service employee who volunteered to go to Iraq in December. Prior to her work at Balad Air Base, LSA Anaconda, Murphy worked for DRMS out of its headquarters in Battle Creek, Mich. DRMS

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