Daily Interaction With Baghdad Residents Making a Difference

Daily Interaction With Baghdad Residents Making a Difference
Digital Video and Imagery Distribution System
1st Armored Division
Posted on April 9, 2007
1st Lt. Charles Bloomfield

BAGHDAD – For some, daily missions have been described as ‘Groundhog Day,’ where nothing ever seems to change and each day mirrors the last. But 1st Lt. Matthew Offiler, of Hyannis, Vt., a member of Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, sees things differently.

“On many of the streets we noticed there were work crews cleaning up trash, planting trees, and generally cleaning up the area,” he said after a recent patrol.

“Everything is good and there aren’t any real problems,” a local shop owner told the officer during the same patrol.

Offiler and his platoon, the ‘Black Sheep,’ have contributed to the community by providing security and interacting with residents.

While patrolling through the streets of the capital city, platoon members are often given information which range from sites where kidnap victims are being held to where militia members live.

The ‘Proud Americans’ of 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, have maintained their area of operations for more than three weeks now, and the local citizens are responding positively to the patrols. All these tips about insurgent forces help immensely, and push the neighborhoods toward greater security.

“We talked to the local civilians, who again stated that they wanted our help in restoring power to their neighborhood,” said 1st Lt. Patrick Henson, from Orlando, Fla., and assigned to Battery B. “They also helped our teams hand out small pieces of candy, soccer balls, and ‘I Love Iraq’ stickers to children.”

Henson said a spirit of cooperation is being built with Iraqi citizens and coalition forces, which over time helps improve the security situation.

It also helps to make every day different – and better.