Page A3
October 14, 2009
Local Soldiers Build Cultural Ties
and vegetables, and dates.
The relationship between
the township and Jadaan is
a complimentary one. Each
provides the other with a ser­
vice they need.
Jadaan is a construction
contractor. His company has
built a firing range, a trash
removal system and bum pit
and guard towers. The local
marketplace was also built
by Jadaan and his workers.
His relationship with the mili­
tary also is beneficial to the
Oregon soldiers’ mission.
"Mr. Ali provides an Iraqi
insight for us," Capt. Ellis
said. "He is able to locate
parts and materials on the
Iraqi economy that we could
not otherwise find. His con­
tract work is substantially
less than KBR's. He does
on-the-spot details."
Iraq unit
shares in pre-
Ramadan feast
by S hc . A nita V ander M olkn
M embers of the Oregon
N atio n al G u a rd ’s A lpha
Company, 2-162 Infantry, re­
cently had the opportunity to
go outside the front lines of
war and build cultural ties
with the local population in
Iraq.
Ali Jadaan, a local sheik
and contractor in Scania,
Iraq, invited the command
staff o f A lpha Com pany,
Capt. Charles Ellis and Lt.
Mark Major, and others to
the Aug. 19 feast prepared
by his family.
"There was a lot of food,
a lot of variety," Capt. Ellis
said. "It was definitely har­
vest time with all the fresh
fruit there. It was very nice."
T he g u ests ta ste d a
chicken and rice, meat and
rice w rapped in grape
leaves, soups, pickled veg­
etables, flat bread, fresh fruits
Iraqi contractor Ali
Jadaan, his son, and
Oregon Army National
Guard Lt. Mark R. Minor
capture memories last
August during a pre-
Ramadan feast.
Soldiers o f A Company, 2-162 Infantry, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Oregon Army
National Guard, provide security during a pre-Ramadan Feast hosted by an Iraqi contractor
near Scania, Iraq.
4 feast consisting o f chicken and rice, soups, fresh fruits and vegetables, pickled
vegetables and dates greeted members o f an Oregon Army National Guard unit invited
into the home o f an Iraqi contractor.
L o tte ry D o lla rs
H e lp R e s t o r e
Fish H a b ita t In
H ood R iver.
It w asn't long ago that the w aters
of the
Pacific
N orthw est
ran
clean and pure. And in those
m ighty rivers there were fish,
lots of fish.
But then people
moved here, and m ore people
moved here, doing what people
do, which isn't alw ays the best
thing for fish. So fish populations
suffered. But O regon w ouldn’t
be O regon w ithout fish, which
is why L ottery do llars are being
used to restore fish habitat. One
exam ple is Hood River, where
w ith the help of L ottery funds,
good old fashioned hard work,
and
business cooperation, the
vital trib u ta ry
has
been
grounds
of Neal Creek
restored.
were
Spaw ning
cleaned
up.
im proved, and returned to more
natural
the
conditions
cool,
clear,
to
create
sedim ent-free
w aters fish need. The result is
m iles
of more
for endangered
and
Steelhead
grow.
to
R estoring
endangered
healthy
C oho
water
Salm on
populations
vital
fish
to
habitat
species,
it's just one of the m any ways
L ottery dollars help give back
to O regon.
It does good things?
To loom more
Oregon’s Alpha Company
provides im m ediate and
quick reaction to the sur­
rounding area when rockets
or mortars are fired at the
area. They respond to inci­
dents outside the base pro­
tecting the villages from pos­
sible attacks and providing
security and safety to people
in the area. They also work
with the Iraqi police and the
Iraqi army when these inci­
dents occur.
The means are different
but the goal is the same: to
improve Iraq.
"I was impressed. They are
very eager to help us," Ellis
said. "They want to help get
their nation built and on the
right track. I think in a few
years you aren't even going
to recognize Iraq anymore. It
will improve that much."
Jadaan has been working
with the Army’s Scania Base
for six years.
"He's definitely not going
back to raising melons and
cucumbers like he did be­
fore," said Ellis.
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