Summer 2010 - STATES - The National Guard

artners
for
Prosperity
Story and photos by Sgt. 1st Class Daniel C. Maes
211th Military Police Battalion
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – The job-skill training offered
to detainees at the Taji Theater Internment Facility
and Reconciliation Center got a boost with the
addition of scores of new tools donated by the
Sunni Endowment of Iraq, Jan. 15, 2010.
Sheik Ahmed Adbul Khafour al-Samara’e, head
of the endowment, and Sheik Mahmoud Ali
Ahmed al-Falahi, director of the endowment’s
human rights office, visited Camp Taji to present
the tools to Rear Adm. Lothrop Little, special
assistant to the deputy commanding general for
detainee operations. Also on hand to receive the
gifts were Col. John M. Huey, commander of the
89th Military Police Brigade and Task Force
Griffin, and Lt. Col. Richard Johnson, commander
of the 211th Military Police Battalion, which
directly oversees the vocational and technical
training provided to detainees at the Taji TIFRC.
Taji warden Hassan Al-Mohammadawi of the
Iraqi Corrections Service represented the
government of Iraq at the event.
“Thanks to Dr. Ahmed and the Sunni Endowment,
their contribution of tools is going to allow the
Ministry of Justice to train detainees for a better
life in Iraq,” said Little.
During the ceremony, al-Samara’e extolled the
virtues of hard work and noted that the first step
toward a better life for the detainees is to train
Lt. Col. Richard Johnson (left), commander of the
211th Military Police Battalion, addresses the audience
with the assistance of Bilingual-Bicultural
Advisor Salah Al-Hindawy during a ceremony at the
Taji Theater Internment Facility and Reconciliation
Center, Jan. 15, 2010. The vocational and technical
training program for detainees here, which is directly
overseen by the 211th, received a donation of new
tools from the Sunni Endowment of Iraq.
(Left to right) Sheik Ahmed Adbul Khafour al-Samara’e, head of the Sunni Endowment of Iraq; Mr. Hassan
Al-Mohammadawi, Taji Theater Internment Facility and Reconciliation Center warden; Sheik Mahmoud Ali
Ahmed al-Falahi, director of the human rights office of the Sunni Endowment; and Rear Adm. Lothrup Little,
special assistant to the deputy commanding general for detainee operations, Jan. 15, 2010. The Sunni
Endowment donated new tools for the vocational training programs offered to detainees at the Taji TIFRC.
Top photo: Warden Hassan Al-Mohammadawi (left) speaks with Sheik Ahmed Adbul Khafour al-Samara’e, head
of the Sunni Endowment of Iraq, at the Taji Theater Internment Facility and Reconciliation Center, Jan. 15, 2010.
and teach them job skills that they can use upon
their release. He also pointed out that the vocational
training provided here is an effective way
to prevent many of the detainees from returning
to violence. He said he believed many who are
responsible for violence in Iraq have not been
afforded the opportunity to learn peaceful and
productive job skills.
“Education and vocational training for detainees
is a topic upon which there is total consensus
among Americans and Iraqis, regardless of
religious affiliation, politics, or ideology.
Providing detainees with improved literacy, job
skills and a positive self-image prior to release
will enhance their prospects to successfully
re-enter Iraqi society, support their families,
support the rule of law and avoid a return to
violence,” said Johnson.
This is the second time in two months new tools
have been donated to the TIFRC by the Sunni
Endowment. The increased amount of tools,
such as saws, hammers, rakes, shovels, drills,
levels and screwdrivers, means more detainees
will receive hands-on training in agriculture,
carpentry, HVAC repair and masonry.
The presentation ceremony, which drew Iraqis
and Americans together in common cause,
included displays focused on each of the subjects
taught here, as well as finished products,
including a full-size picnic table complete with
a roof.
The viable job skills imparted to the detainees
through the vocational and technical programs
offered at the Taji TIFRC are designed to help
them successfully reintegrate into Iraqi society.
The significant security gains made throughout
the country will allow Iraqis to focus on
economic development and become part of
Iraq’s growing and prosperous future.
The Soldiers of the 211th Military Police
Battalion have worked earnestly to improve the
job skills training programs here and ensure
that they are running efficiently when the TIFRC
is transferred to the government of Iraq in early
spring of 2010. ✯
The Nation’s First 23