AL MADINAH, Iraq 1st Marine Division

Ribbon cutting ceremony

AL MADINAH, Iraq -- Local residents and U.S. Marines from the 1st Marine Division of the I Marine Expeditionary Force celebrated the completion of a village improvement project here with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Feb. 10.

The ribbon cutting symbolized a "mission complete" for the Marines of 2nd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, who will return to Camp Lejeune in the coming weeks.

Throughout the past seven months, the Marines worked with village leaders here to build working relationships and identify ways to improve the village's living conditions.

The battalion invested more than $360,000 for the refurbishment of 32 homes, which provided residents with new septic and electrical systems. The projects improved the quality of life for the Iraqi people, and strengthened their local economy - many of them were hired to do the work themselves, according to Chief Warrant Officer Dwight Torres, the information operations officer for the battalion.

Prior to the upgrades, the village was in a state of decay. The ground was covered in litter and the homes lacked such amenities as running water and electricity.

“I don’t believe this change,” said Mamud, a furniture salesman and resident who welcomes new business as a result of the improvement project. “I would never have believed my home would look like this.”

The Marines have spent the deployment building relations and trust with the residents of Al Madinah - one of two local towns the battalion has worked with in an effort to improve quality of life for the residents.

The battalion has also aided Al Kabani, a local fishing village, with a water pipeline system and a means to access electricity. They oversaw the contracting to have Kabani's school reconditioned, and had a soccer field made last fall.

The Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based battalion, which is at the end of a seven-month deployment to Iraq, provides security for Camp Taqaddum, the headquarters base for 1st Force Service Support Group, and other U.S. military posts in Al Anbar province, Iraq.

THIS STORY HAS ACCOMPANYING PHOTOGRAPHS. TO RECEIVE THE PHOTOS, E-MAIL THE CPIC PRESS DESK AT CPICPRESSDESK@BAGHDADFORUM.COM.For more information, please contact Capt. Amy Malugani, public affairs officer, 1st Force Service Support Group, at maluganiae@1fssgdm.usmc.mil Release #A050211k