KHARABRUD, Iraq, June 25, 2004 — It had to be an exciting day for the people of this small village when soldiers of Task Force 2-11 Field Artillery, 96th Civil Affairs Battalion and the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps came here May 31.

It was a day of two significant ceremonies for the village and its surrounding communities, as a new health clinic was opened and a ground breaking ceremony was held to mark the start of construction on a new elementary school.

The new health clinic replaces a one-room shack that was previously used by the village for their medical care. This was one of the reasons, 1st Lt. Edward "Tripp" Baldwin, physician assistant for the task force, wanted to build a new health clinic.

"The thing that impressed me about the Kharabrud village was that the sheik out there was renting a shack and he had a paramedic run a clinic out of it," Baldwin said. "They were doing that all by themselves, which to me said they were actually trying to help themselves. That's why I wanted to see if I could do something to help them."

Baldwin, along with the assistance of Iraq's Ministry of Health, moved a health clinic project from another village to Kharabrud, where it could affect more people.

"It took more than two months to get the clinic project to this area where 20 to 25 villages can seek health care at this clinic in Kharabrud," Baldwin said.

The new clinic has two rooms, a restroom, running water, electricity and air conditioning.

"In Kharabrud, it is by far the nicest building in the whole village," Baldwin said.

Ziydan Ahmad Khalaf, the head physician at the Kharabrud clinic, said he was very glad to have the new clinic.

"We've never had anything like this before," Khalaf said. "It will help serve the people in this area, including the other villages." The total cost for the clinic was about $17,000, which came from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team Commander Emergency Relief Program funds.

During their time in Iraq, the task force soldiers have helped renovate four health clinics, including a veterinary clinic in their area of operations.

Spc. Guillermo Castaneda, a M240B gunner with Battery C, Task Force 2-11 Field Artillery, was present during the Kharabrud clinic opening and said it felt great to help the Iraqi people.

"A lot of these people do not have the facilities they need, and many get sick from diseases that can be prevented," Castaneda said.

Following the health clinic opening, a ground breaking ceremony was held for an elementary school that will be attached to the health clinic.

The school project will renovate an existing out of date school, where more than 100 children will attend.

"We're going to fix this school as a gift to the children of Kharabrud," Capt. Whitney Campbell, commander of Battery C, Task Force 2-11 Field Artillery, said during the ground breaking.

"Children are the future of this country," Campbell said. "We have to provide them a good place to go to school, so we can take care of the long range problem in this country and prepare these children to be future leaders of their country."

In March, Forward Operating Base Dibbis, where many Battery C, Task Force 2-11 Field Artillery soldiers reside, had three rockets land about 150 meters away. Since then, there hasn't been any more. Baldwin thinks this is because of the projects his unit is completing in the area.

"I don't know if it's winning hearts and minds, I think its helping us not get shot at ...," Baldwin said.

It must be winning something, as more and more Iraqi citizens are informing the soldiers of weapon caches and improvised explosive devices in this area.