Military mayor staff liaisons with local communities
Submitted by: 3d Marine Aircraft Wing
Story Identification #: 200442521431
Story by Sgt. J.L. Zimmer III



AL ASAD, Iraq (April 25, 2004) -- The events occurring behind the scenes of the "winning the hearts and minds" campaign are now unfolding with the help of three Marine reservists with the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. They work in what has become known as "the mayor cell."

The crew of Marines includes a colonel, a master gunnery sergeant and a lance corporal, all with different backgrounds but one common mission. They are here to help Iraqi civilians from surrounding areas who seek work opportunities here.

"Al Asad is the largest base (in Iraq)," said Col. Michael A. Thorsby, officer-in-charge, air base staff, 3rd MAW, also known as the mayor. "There might be a few people out there who want to get rich. But quite frankly, the people in this part of the Al Anbar (province) are just looking at getting by."

He added that, to date, the military has been providing jobs for locals in the area, but not all the towns are benefiting from job opportunities.

"Our local span right now has only been (the towns of) Baghdadi and Jooba," he said. "We have stimulated their economy and now when you fly or drive through these places you see more cars and satellite televisions than you did before. Our goal now is to stimulate the other towns surrounding Al Asad by creating job competition."

Thorsby mentioned that finding work in some towns surrounding here is almost impossible.

"There are very little employment opportunities available (inside the towns)," added the 46-year-old Holland, Mich., native. "They look to Al Asad as something that might help them grow economically or become financially secure."

He continued explaining that financial security in Iraq is different from financial security in America.

"Financial independence in the (United States) means you do not have to work anymore," he said. "To the Iraqis, financial security means making it one day to the next."

According to Master Gunnery Sgt. H. Joseph Wright, deputy mayor and staff non-commissioned officer-in-charge of air base staff, 3rd MAW, Iraq is not an industrious country and needs help in training workers in different occupations.

"They have a good work ethic," said the Berkley, Mich., native. "But their support mechanisms are lacking. For example, (they) have auto mechanics here and they share a screwdriver because they do not have enough tools. If we could get them a tool box, who knows what they would be capable of?"

For Lance Cpl. Dana L. Cushing, administrative clerk, air base staff, 3rd MAW and 28-year-old Toronto native, being here supporting the Iraqis is something she enjoys doing.

"I think of Al Asad as an embassy," she said. "We hire the workers to maintain the base and this helps them with the things they need in their towns. These people need as much help as we can give them."