A sneak preview of Bob and Jim's work in Iraq: an Interview with Mohammad.
"Mohammad" was once a member of the Iraq military under Saddam, but now he's a Project Manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). In this interview he talks about his dreams for Iraq in terms of the construction industry and the infrastructure he is helping to restore.
What is most striking to hear is how mundane the interview is in many ways. Mohammad is an example of the universality of many human desires: he wants a nice house with nice furnishings, and good-paying work that he can take pride in. He is also looking at things around him as a typical businessman concerned with encouraging safety, construction standards, quality-control and professionalism among the local Iraqi contractors.
But overall, he's an Iraqi patriot with a vision for how all of the above fit into creating long-term safety and stability in Iraq.
He also shares his thoughts on what America has done in Iraq.
Don't miss this!
P.S. For background and more on the issues and vision Mohamed describes, see below:
Army, Iraqi infrastructure leaders meet to discuss business opportunities
Iraq small business development centers foster synergy with microfinance institutions
Army Assists in Reinvigorating Iraq's Economy
Army Corps of Engineers Teach Safety Rules
Showing posts with label Iraq Reconstruction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iraq Reconstruction. Show all posts
August 22, 2007
August 21, 2007
Baghdad: al-Mamoon Exchange and Telecommunications
The al-Mamoon Exchange and Telecommunications center (telephone and Internet) is a major project that will help bring more Baghdad residents the technology of the 21st Century, thus having a major impact on the flow of information and cultural exchange between Iraq and the rest of the world.
It's being built under the supervision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and contractors and employees include both Americans and Iraqis. It's exciting to see the level of Iraqi involvement and enthusiasm in this (the interview I'm still waiting on for hosting also touches on the development of the Iraqi construction/industrial professions).
The pictures below are from Bob and Jim's visit a couple of days ago...
Interviewing a senior American contractor at the jobsite (Bob interviewing, Jim filming):
Iraqi construction workers learning on the job:
Talking with an American contractor and Iraqi (Btw, I found this picture to be a fascinating example of the differences in American and Iraqi body language and social psychology):
Again, Bob and Jim will have video of these sites and interviews conducted there when they return.
Addendum: Here is some USACE video of the worksite from May 2007 that includes a computer graphic of the expected final result. The tone is a bit propaganda-ish, but there is b-roll footage also.
It's being built under the supervision of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and contractors and employees include both Americans and Iraqis. It's exciting to see the level of Iraqi involvement and enthusiasm in this (the interview I'm still waiting on for hosting also touches on the development of the Iraqi construction/industrial professions).
The pictures below are from Bob and Jim's visit a couple of days ago...
Interviewing a senior American contractor at the jobsite (Bob interviewing, Jim filming):
Iraqi construction workers learning on the job:
Talking with an American contractor and Iraqi (Btw, I found this picture to be a fascinating example of the differences in American and Iraqi body language and social psychology):
Again, Bob and Jim will have video of these sites and interviews conducted there when they return.
Addendum: Here is some USACE video of the worksite from May 2007 that includes a computer graphic of the expected final result. The tone is a bit propaganda-ish, but there is b-roll footage also.
August 20, 2007
Baghdad: Alwaiya Children's Hospital
As Bob mentioned in his previous post, he and Jim spent time interviewing people at the Alwaiya Children's Hospital in Baghdad. When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began renovating it in 2005, the hospital was falling apart and about 60 years behind the times. This year the final touches are being put on the newly-renovated hospital that is now bustling with patients receiving care in clean, healthy and up-to-date facilities.
Here are some photos from the day Bob and Jim spent there [click for larger versions]...
Speaking with the hospital director:
Sick children treated at the hospital:
Bob and Jim will have video footage of all this when they return.
Here are some photos from the day Bob and Jim spent there [click for larger versions]...
Speaking with the hospital director:
Sick children treated at the hospital:
Bob and Jim will have video footage of all this when they return.
Reconstruction and Redevelopment in Iraq
[Bob's latest report from Iraq follows. The interviews and encounters he describes below will be available online soon after he returns - FbL]
Hello everybody,
We have not had much Internet access time for the past three days, but I have a few minutes on a computer here in Fallujah. Once we leave here, I am not sure how many days before I will be able to get online again (we will be on the move again).
The past three days have been a whirlwind of information. We told the people who approved us coming back for our third trip that we wanted to focus on reconstruction... progress... the positive stories. I can tell you that we are getting far more of those stories to bring back to the American people than we had imagined, and we still have many days left.
We have spent a lot of time with North Dakota National Guard, and other military and civilians who work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Jim and I had no idea the huge role the Corps has had and continues to have in the rebuilding of Iraq:
We have talked with a doctor who is over 60 years old and is doing remarkable work on reconstruction, and civilians with USACE who have been here for over a year, fully engaged in reconstruction. We talked with Iraqis--one of those interviews was audio only and may by now be available for all to listen on this blog. If not it will be soon or available on our our website [I'm waiting for it to be uploaded, but should have it by the end of the day - FbL].
On one day we visited a new Telecommunications Center and Post Office being built in Baghdad a few miles from the International Zone. These two new 7-story buildings are being built side-by-side with a Belgian Company, USACE, and many Iraqis, and will greatly help the people in Baghdad and Iraq.
We also visited a Childrens Hospital. Our footage from the hospital will be incredible to listen to on the Internet, but everyone will also want to watch this on their TV's--either when it comes out on cable on Altitude Sports and Entertainment or when we get the DVD's ready.
We also heard about 80-100 reconstruction projects in Baghdad alone. We are hearing stories about water and sewage treatment plants, new schools, new health clinics, a new fire department and much more.
On the domestic side of the Baghdad International Airport (BIA), we watched as people from many countries flew in and out. The security is much tighter than anywhere we have seen, but they have had no problems. We also went to a new terminal that is about to open after having been completely renovated, another of the many projects we are bringing back reports on.
We did interviews and filmed footage of a huge new convention center being opened up near BIA. The Baghdad Chamber of Commerce, USACE and more are all teaming up on this project.
Recently we left Baghdad and headed for Falluja, where we have heard so many more stories of reconstruction and progress in large areas of Iraq. We have covered the opening of a new Large Police Training Academy and a new Tank Maintenance Facility for our Marines in Camp Fallujah. And we talked with a Lt. Cdr. with the US Navy who shared even more reconstruction stories.
I can say this: anybody who has wondered when the good positive stories will be heard in America well hang on.. they are heading your way. We all have an opportunity--all of us--to bring a whole new perspective on what is happening in Iraq to all of America. You will be as surprised as we have been, as day after day we hear more and more of these stories.
I would type more now, but we have to leave this computer. We will try to get back online in a few days in one of our new locations.
By the way, driving around The city of Baghdad has been an incredible experience. We will be doing a lot more of that.
Keep us in your prayers. And please tell others about this blog. Also thank you again to Soldiers' Angels and Patti Bader for being the main sponsors of this, our third trip to Iraq.
Blessings
Bob Calvert, Host
Talking with Heroes
Hello everybody,
We have not had much Internet access time for the past three days, but I have a few minutes on a computer here in Fallujah. Once we leave here, I am not sure how many days before I will be able to get online again (we will be on the move again).
The past three days have been a whirlwind of information. We told the people who approved us coming back for our third trip that we wanted to focus on reconstruction... progress... the positive stories. I can tell you that we are getting far more of those stories to bring back to the American people than we had imagined, and we still have many days left.
We have spent a lot of time with North Dakota National Guard, and other military and civilians who work with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Jim and I had no idea the huge role the Corps has had and continues to have in the rebuilding of Iraq:
We have talked with a doctor who is over 60 years old and is doing remarkable work on reconstruction, and civilians with USACE who have been here for over a year, fully engaged in reconstruction. We talked with Iraqis--one of those interviews was audio only and may by now be available for all to listen on this blog. If not it will be soon or available on our our website [I'm waiting for it to be uploaded, but should have it by the end of the day - FbL].
On one day we visited a new Telecommunications Center and Post Office being built in Baghdad a few miles from the International Zone. These two new 7-story buildings are being built side-by-side with a Belgian Company, USACE, and many Iraqis, and will greatly help the people in Baghdad and Iraq.
We also visited a Childrens Hospital. Our footage from the hospital will be incredible to listen to on the Internet, but everyone will also want to watch this on their TV's--either when it comes out on cable on Altitude Sports and Entertainment or when we get the DVD's ready.
We also heard about 80-100 reconstruction projects in Baghdad alone. We are hearing stories about water and sewage treatment plants, new schools, new health clinics, a new fire department and much more.
On the domestic side of the Baghdad International Airport (BIA), we watched as people from many countries flew in and out. The security is much tighter than anywhere we have seen, but they have had no problems. We also went to a new terminal that is about to open after having been completely renovated, another of the many projects we are bringing back reports on.
We did interviews and filmed footage of a huge new convention center being opened up near BIA. The Baghdad Chamber of Commerce, USACE and more are all teaming up on this project.
Recently we left Baghdad and headed for Falluja, where we have heard so many more stories of reconstruction and progress in large areas of Iraq. We have covered the opening of a new Large Police Training Academy and a new Tank Maintenance Facility for our Marines in Camp Fallujah. And we talked with a Lt. Cdr. with the US Navy who shared even more reconstruction stories.
I can say this: anybody who has wondered when the good positive stories will be heard in America well hang on.. they are heading your way. We all have an opportunity--all of us--to bring a whole new perspective on what is happening in Iraq to all of America. You will be as surprised as we have been, as day after day we hear more and more of these stories.
I would type more now, but we have to leave this computer. We will try to get back online in a few days in one of our new locations.
By the way, driving around The city of Baghdad has been an incredible experience. We will be doing a lot more of that.
Keep us in your prayers. And please tell others about this blog. Also thank you again to Soldiers' Angels and Patti Bader for being the main sponsors of this, our third trip to Iraq.
Blessings
Bob Calvert, Host
Talking with Heroes
August 15, 2007
Back to Iraq to Talk with Heroes
For those who are hearing about the Talking with Heroes Internet talk show for the very first time I am Bob Calvert, the host. What we do is not about politics. It is all about supporting our men and women in uniform, and their families.
Since Dec. 2005 we have been interviewing our military so that they can share their mostly untold stories of helping the people in the areas of the world in which they serve, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan after the earthquake, Louisana and other states after Katrina, etc.
When we started Talking with Heroes we never expected that it would take us to Iraq itself, but that is what we did in Oct 2006 and then again in Jan 2007.
On the second trip, Jim Martin, CEO of Altitude Sports and Entertainment Cable Company (based in Denver and covering 10 states), accompanied me to Iraq. The audio from all of our talk shows--including those from Iraq with both American military personnel and Iraqis--are all in our "past shows archives" section of the Talkingwithheroes website for you and all Americans to listen to 24 hours a day. And for the past six months Altitude has been airing 30 minute segments from our interviews, convoys, Iraqi school grand-openings and more.
People losing their lives and people being injured is bad. We hear about that on the news all the time. But what we do not hear a lot about--at least on a scale of 50/50--is that there is in fact a lot of progress happening with reconstruction, training and more.
Soon you will be hearing more stories as Jim and I go back to Iraq again. Keep an eye on this Blog as FbL, the veteran Soldiers' Angel and blogger, posts our messages here for you and all Americans to read while we are gone. When we get back, millions will have an opportunity to hear the audio stories we will have collected.
And we will be depending on each and every one of you to help us get the word out.
A special thanks to Patti and Jeff Bader and Soldiers Angels for being the main sponsor of this upcoming trip to Iraq. And thank you to all those who have been supportive of this project, some for short periods of time and others from the very beginnning back in 2005.
To all of our troops be safe... stay alert.
[FbL adds: Bob will be spending most of his trip outside the "Green Zone," joining patrols and meeting with military personnel and Iraqis at/near outposts throughout Iraq. I'm sure he'll have some great stories to share as he travels.]
Since Dec. 2005 we have been interviewing our military so that they can share their mostly untold stories of helping the people in the areas of the world in which they serve, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan after the earthquake, Louisana and other states after Katrina, etc.
When we started Talking with Heroes we never expected that it would take us to Iraq itself, but that is what we did in Oct 2006 and then again in Jan 2007.
On the second trip, Jim Martin, CEO of Altitude Sports and Entertainment Cable Company (based in Denver and covering 10 states), accompanied me to Iraq. The audio from all of our talk shows--including those from Iraq with both American military personnel and Iraqis--are all in our "past shows archives" section of the Talkingwithheroes website for you and all Americans to listen to 24 hours a day. And for the past six months Altitude has been airing 30 minute segments from our interviews, convoys, Iraqi school grand-openings and more.
People losing their lives and people being injured is bad. We hear about that on the news all the time. But what we do not hear a lot about--at least on a scale of 50/50--is that there is in fact a lot of progress happening with reconstruction, training and more.
Soon you will be hearing more stories as Jim and I go back to Iraq again. Keep an eye on this Blog as FbL, the veteran Soldiers' Angel and blogger, posts our messages here for you and all Americans to read while we are gone. When we get back, millions will have an opportunity to hear the audio stories we will have collected.
And we will be depending on each and every one of you to help us get the word out.
A special thanks to Patti and Jeff Bader and Soldiers Angels for being the main sponsor of this upcoming trip to Iraq. And thank you to all those who have been supportive of this project, some for short periods of time and others from the very beginnning back in 2005.
To all of our troops be safe... stay alert.
[FbL adds: Bob will be spending most of his trip outside the "Green Zone," joining patrols and meeting with military personnel and Iraqis at/near outposts throughout Iraq. I'm sure he'll have some great stories to share as he travels.]
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