A report of the ground-breaking for a new school in Ishaki, north-west of Balad, Iraq.

On Wednesday, August 4th, soldiers from C Company, Task Force 1-77 participated in a ground breaking ceremony for the soon to be built Abo-Seffa Primary School. This school, which will be located in the town of Ishaki, will help to alleviate the overcrowding of the schools in the area. Currently, two schools, the Abo-Seffa Primary School and the Ishaki Secondary School for Girls, occupy one building. This building is old, and unable to provide adequate space in order to meet the educational needs of the over 800 students who attend the schools. A separate school house for the Abo-Seffa School will allow the nearly 600 primary school aged children from the surrounding villages to have the space required to provide them with a sound education.

The project, expected to be completed by the time school begins in the area, September 15th, will be a significant addition to the local community. “Building schools and helping these kids goes a long way to helping the area,” stated Specialist Steven Workman, of C Company. “These kids deserve to have a chance to attend a nice school.” School projects such as the Abo-Seffa School help to improve the relationship between the soldiers of Task Force 1-77 and the people of Iraq. “When the Iraqi people see projects such as this one, they realize that we really are here trying to help them,” said Sergeant Frank Sternisha, also of C Company. This school is just one of a number of schools that Task Force 1-77 has begun work on or will be starting within the coming weeks. Under OPERATION TIGER CUB, Task Force 1-77 has identified 9 area schools that it will either be helping to build new facilities for, such as Abo-Seffa, or repair existing facilities. When school begins in the middle of September the Task Force plans to deliver school supplies to the children of these schools to celebrate their openings. The projects are all a part of a joint effort between the soldiers of 1-77 and the soldiers of the 272nd Engineer Group, who have co-sponsored these school projects, to provide a better opportunity for local children to receive an education.

The ceremony began with some words from C Company Commander Captain Matt Archambault and the local village leaders from the area, followed by the ceremonial first shovel of dirt being dug. Afterwards, refreshments were passed out to the dozens of local children, residents of the community, and the soldiers present. “These ceremonies are a nice change from our normal activities,” said Sergeant Sternisha. “We get an opportunity to celebrate something positive with the locals, and it is always fun to see the smiles on the children’s faces when we talk to them.” The school, which will cost $79,000.00 to complete, will not only help the children who will be attending it in the fall, but also the 65 local workers hired to help build it. “This is just a great project for our community,” said Sheik Baqir Jafar, head of one of the local villages whose children will attend the school. “Not only are we providing our children with a terrific new school, but we are also providing our families with greatly needed jobs. Thank you very much to the soldiers of the Steel Tigers!”