| Engineers improve conditions in northern Iraq village
 September 16, 2004
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2nd Lt. Adam Cote, a Portland native from the 133rd Engineer Battalion, speaks to a group of Soldiers and residents of Hamzan during a ceremony to celebrate the opening of a new school in the village which was built by the engineers.
Spc. Blair Larson
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Soldiers from the 133rd Engineer Battalion are working on a series of projects in the rural village of Hamzan in northern Iraq.
The National Guard Soldiers from Belfast, Maine, replaced the village’s small mud schoolhouse with a concrete structure. The new school has three classrooms with plumbing and electricity.
As part of an initiative to train former Peshmerga fighters to learn construction skills, the engineers worked with nine former fighters to train them in masonry and carpentry skills during the construction of the school.
In addition to rebuilding the village school, the engineers brought in a 20,000-liter water tank and a 75-kilowatt generator which will serve the 17 families in the area who do not have plumbing or electricity. They also improved the local roads which were in disrepair.
“This is why we’re here, to make a difference in the lives of the Iraqi people,” said 2nd Lt. Adam Cote, a Portland, Maine, native from Company B. “This project will not only improve the lives of the people but also improve the way the people see the mission of Multinational Forces here in Iraq.” |
