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By Staff Sgt. Jason Douglas
1st Cavalry Division
Staff Sgt. Dean Hills, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, helps Iraqi Police distribute food in the village of Qutan, Kirkuk province, June 6. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jason Douglas, 1st Cavalry Division.
KIRKUK
— Iraqi Police (IP) and Coalition forces brought a little relief to the Iraqi village of Qutan here, June 6. IP from the Mari Police sub-station in the Dibbis District, assisted by 1st Cavalry Division Soldiers, delivered 150 bags of perishable food consisting of beans, rice, cooking oil, and tomatoes. According to 1st Lt. Winfield Swanton, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, the food is purchased from local vendors to benefit merchants as well.
A village leader gathered the residents near a school, and while Swanton’s Soldiers handled security, the IP delivered the food.
Staff Sgt. Dean Hills, 1/8, said the process for choosing which villages receive the assistance begins with coordination with the IP.
“We get with the IP or Iraqi Army (IA) and find the poorest villages that need the aid,” Hills said. “This village’s crops aren’t doing well due to the drought and because the large swine population, which are eating the crops.” Hill said the swine population is so large because they aren’t a part of the diet here.
According to U.S. Air Force weather data, Kirkuk province is suffering from a four year drought which has had an adverse impact on farming, one of the main sources of revenue here.
While the IP delivered the food, 1/8 Soldiers passed out several soccer balls to a group of eager children gathered at the school.
“Aside from the food delivery, the soccer balls let them see that we are here to help,” Swanton said.
Swanton said this was the second food drop his platoon has performed.
“The first food delivery we did was in Qushquaya,” Swanton said. “We plan on doing these types of missions with the IP or IA once a week.” |