WEBVTT

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today on Freedom Journal Iraq . The

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year of transition begins and combat

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supply teams bring school supplies to

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Iraqi Children to

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welcome

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to this edition of Freedom Journal Iraq .

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I'm tech sergeant chris madness .

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Military leaders are calling 2007 , the

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year of transition for Iraq . This

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year's plans call for more of the

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country's security duties to transfer

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to Iraqi forces . This means that many

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of the forward operating base is

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currently staffed by coalition and

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Iraqi forces will eventually belong

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exclusively to Iraqis Staff sergeant

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erIC behind takes us to a patrol base

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in one of Iraq's important strategic

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locations where this change is about to

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happen . Well , patrol base

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razor is a tiny outpost near the city

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of Samara home to a company size

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element of american forces . Soon

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however , Iraqi soldiers of fourth

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Company , second Battalion , first

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Brigade , Fourth Iraqi Army will assume

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responsibility for the patrol base in

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the americans . Mostly engineers will

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take up residence a contingency

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operating base . Spyker near secret , I

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think the handover the positive thing

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what it does . It allows the Iraqi Army

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to assume security of more than fixed

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installations in this part of Iraq and

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around the key city of Samara . This

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handover is an important indication of

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the progress Iraqi troops have made .

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Samara has been identified by General

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Casey . The multinational force . Iraq

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commander is one of 10 key cities

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essential to the security of Iraq .

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Established in early 2004 patrol base

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razor is strategically critical . For

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one reason razor guards . The one

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bridge leading from the main fire out

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into Samara . No Iraqi troops are

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currently on the ground at patrol base

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razor . Although leaders of both forces

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are beginning the logistical operations

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required to move one force out and

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bring another one in slowly will work

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in the Iraqi army forces . The only

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people left on that operational base

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will be Iraqi soldiers . This

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particular company of the force , Iraqi

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Army has already been partnered with

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coalition forces performing joint

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patrols in the area . Major flood is

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optimistic that this turnover will

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successfully lead coalition forces one

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step closer to the ultimate goal . It's

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a step showing that the Iraqis are

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ready to assume the responsibility

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security in this area of Iraq and to

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step forward as we move forward to

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turning over the other patrol bases and

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the other four operational bases in

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this area of operations . Army Staff

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sergeant eric ion on patrol based razor

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in Samara . Iraq Baghdad is without

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question , one of the most volatile

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cities in the world . Right now ,

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Coalition forces are working to curb

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the potential violence , but it's no

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small task . As private christmas photo

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shows us Civil Affairs soldiers are

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trying to build trust and hope by

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providing essential services in the

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city . Firefights , explosions , death

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and destruction are used commonly when

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speaking about life in Baghdad , but

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bravo company for 14 Civil affairs

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improve life for Iraqis in Baghdad .

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Daily these troops get out into the

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city and talk to Iraqis about issues

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that affect them and try to resolve

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them through the Iraqi government with

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the people on a regular basis . Finding

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out what's really out there and what

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their needs are specific needs and uh

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working with the government , that's

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the main issue right now for civil

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affairs and working with the government

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to making sure that we get their got

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their local governments in line with

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the overall Iraqi government , getting

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the economy on its feet and improving

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security are the most important things

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that will get the neighborhoods on a

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path towards success . The markets in

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our area , one of the markets have been

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hit hard in Northern mechanic area in

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south Korea . So 1 14 calves basically

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cordoned off the area . Markets dried

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up a little bit during a period of time ,

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but now with new safety measures and

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barrier plans , the people feel a lot

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safer in the coming back to the markets

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and we're trying to replicate the

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success we're having in that area . And

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to some of the other marketers that

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we've seen diminished over the time

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that we've been here . The belief is

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that if people are prosperous and safe ,

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they will look at coalition forces and

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the Iraqi government to provide for

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them and not militias or terrorist

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rebuilding the war . Foreign cities .

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Changing the stereotype about Baghdad

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one project at the time , private chris

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arvato Baghdad , Iraq after the break

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soldiers take school supplies to

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Children in Northern Iraq stay

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with the

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key is the test of a civil military

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operations is a lead the hearts and

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minds of the local arrangements ,

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Iraq's infrastructure and basic

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services are the foundation of its

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economic future . This is what they

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consider to be the biggest thing and

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all of us . The challenge for those of

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us in the army . I think we always know

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the way to go if they do it their way

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with our help . Now for the first time

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recovering from the bottom up , which

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in the United States experience all the

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time . And with the improvements in

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basic services , the Iraqi people can

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look to a more robust economic future .

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They vote for a new Iraq which is a

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process . The hope is coming to the old

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Iraq

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for the regional headline update . You

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go to Airman first class Grant Hagman

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at the news desk .

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It improvised

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explosive device detonated near multi

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national division Baghdad patrol kelly .

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One soldiers south of the Iraqi capital

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on New Year's Eve unit was conducting a

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security patrol for a team returning

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from picking up unexploded ordinance

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from an Iraqi army compound . When they

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were struck by a roadside bomb .

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Earlier this month , units from the

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same battalion conducted a major cordon

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and search operation in the southern

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neighborhood of Baghdad , finding seven

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separate weapons caches and one

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roadside bombs . The deceased soldier's

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name is being withheld pending

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notification of next of kin coalition

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forces detained 23 suspected terrorists

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with ties to senior al Qaeda leaders

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during multiple raids in Ramadi

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Wednesday morning during one of their

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AIDS coalition forces identified three

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terrorists after they detonated an

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improvised explosive device . The

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terrorists were then followed for

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residents . As coalition forces entered

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the residents , one of the terrorists

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fled through a back door with a handgun

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and grenades . Coalition forces pursued

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and shot the armed man wounding him .

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Coalition forces provided the

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terrorists with anti medical attention

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and transported him to a nearby

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hospital where he is in stable

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condition . Crown forces were able to

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detain 22 suspected terrorists in

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addition to the wounded individual ,

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but headlines from around the region .

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I'm Airman first class Grant Hagman

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Combat Logistics Patrol teams ,

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delivery equipment and supplies to

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coalition forces at forward operating

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bases . They conduct most of their

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delivery missions at night for

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Securities take . But a specialist

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brian told reports one unique mission

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called for a daytime operation in

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Northern Iraq . Soldiers from the

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normally nocturnal three 52nd Core

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support battalion woke up early to lend

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a helping hands . In the town of Mosul ,

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Iraq . Three 52nd rolls through

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Northern Iraq conducting combat

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logistics patrols to bring needed

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supplies to coalition forces . But on

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this morning , the 13 45th

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Transportation Company and the two 22nd

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Iraqi Army teamed up to bring school

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supplies , kerosene heaters including

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two schools in downtown Mosul three

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52nd Commander , Lieutenant Colonel

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steven ever for and Colonel Mohammed

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the 22nd . Remember and this mission to

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help the Children the schools need

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support the most you can see from ,

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from the schools and the conditions in

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the schools , it's a very difficult

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environment , no electricity , broken

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windows . So these are the kind of

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progress that we're trying to make

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towards helping these communities and

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also to provide the supplies that we

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were able to supply . While U . S .

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Soldiers passed out bags inside the

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Iraqi army demonstrated to the people

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of Mosul their ability to provide

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security for joint patrols and

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humanitarian missions in the city . You

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felt really good for me to walk with

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Colonel Mohammed through this area to

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visit these schools and knowing that

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myself and particularly most important

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that the soldiers of Italian were safe

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and secure and I think the results

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speak for itself . One Army reserve

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citizen soldier from the 13 45th is at

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home in the classroom and understands

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how much the donated supplies to help

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the learning process . Sergeant , first

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class Rebecca Edwards is a truck

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commander during combat logistics

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patrols in Iraq back home in Oklahoma .

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She teaches third grade . There's been

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a lot of effort into education

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here . That's what they can and it was

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just need to be back in the classroom

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background . Children , soldiers on

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this mission , Both Iraqi and American

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finished today knowing that their work

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helped over 1000 Mosul Children while

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demonstrating the strong partnership of

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Iraqi and U . S . Army for the 13th

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sustainment command and the impact our

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specialist brian told into the next day

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I when we go to a village near Amani

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Coalition doctors and dentists provided

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free care and advice to Iraqis the

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first made friends with the whole

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neighborhood by just demonstrating how

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to win battles against tooth decay ,

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sore throats and gum disease That does

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it . For this edition of Freedom

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Journal Iraq tune in next time for more

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stories from the front lines of

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Operation Iraqi . Freedom until then

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from all of us here at A . F . N . And

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Freedom Journal Iraq . Stay safe out

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there .

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Yeah and

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Yeah .

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Yeah .