Sep 29 2007
Al Shura Village
Last week, I went on a site visit to a project south of Mosul. The nearest town, Al Shura, is about 7 kilometers away from this water compact unit (WCU) that is being built. Although the site is only about 30 miles south of Mosul, the drive lasted about 2 hours. The trip there was worth it. This WCU is going to provide clean drinking water for 5 small villages in the area. The WCU draws water from the Tigris River, purifies it, and then pumps it into the water distribution network for the villagers. While we were visiting the site, there were some local kids swimming in the Tigris.
Of course after inspecting the status of the construction project, we still had a 2 hour drive to get back to FOB Diamondback. My Project Engineer for this site, Gene, didn’t enjoy the ride at all. He was feeling a bit quesy by the time we were done. In the picture above, Gene is standing with his back toward the camera. He is wearing his Desert Combat Uniform (DCU) with body armor and kevlar helmet. When we go outside the wire, the Department of the Army (DA) civilians wear the DCUs; while we are on the FOB, they generally wear civies. Gene has been working for USACE for over 44 years now. Gene’s an inspiration. He’s pushing 70 and volunteers to deploy to Iraq!
hi there!!
just wanted to say THANKS to YOU & YOUR FAMILY for all you do for me,
mine, ours & theirs.. and may your deployment fly by at warp speed..
God Bless Soldiers everywhere for putting THEIR
lives on the line to protect us ALL from terrorism!
take care..