WEBVTT

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mm On this edition of Freedom Journal

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Iraq , the 6th anniversary of Operation

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Iraqi freedom and the boy scouts of

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America take a foothold in Baghdad .

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These stories and more on today's FJ I

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Mhm Hello and welcome to

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this edition of Freedom Journal Iraq .

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I'm senior airman Tyler alexander ,

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March 20 marks the 6th anniversary of

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Operation Iraqi Freedom In 2003 .

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Coalition forces began the task of

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removing Saddam Hussein from power in

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Iraq . His brutal dictatorship

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threatened the stability of the Middle

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East and security around the world .

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The mission of coalition forces have

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evolved over the past six years .

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Forces took on additional roles in

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rebuilding the country's security

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forces while still conducting combat

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operations against insurgents . It's an

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operation that now has a targeted and

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date established by President Barack

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Obama . Combat forces will leave by

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August of next year with all forces out

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by the end of 2010 . Multi National

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Force . Iraq spokesman , Major General

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David Perkins says the end date doesn't

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change the mission or the goal of a

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stable and secure Iraq rooted in

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democracy . We are always our own

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greatest critics . We always want to

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get better . We would love to be

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further ahead in all areas of where we

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are right now . But we are confident

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that we have the right models in place

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that we have the right programs in

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place and that the strategic

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partnership with the Iraqi people ,

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Iraqi security forces govern Iraq .

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That has produced such dramatic results

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in the past . If we can maintain that

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strategic relationship , it will

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continue to produce even more results

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for the future . The security agreement

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that went into effect in january

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addresses combat operations in Iraq .

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But the U . S . Also signed a strategic

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framework agreement with Iraq . This

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agreement focuses on technical support

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for areas such as health and economy .

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It also promotes scientific , cultural

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and educational exchanges . The State

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Department has the lead in this area ,

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but coalition forces play an active

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role . General Perkins says this will

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become even more important as military

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forces continue to draw down long after

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we withdrawn our forces from Iraq . We

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want to have the strategic relationship

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based on those kinds of things that

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will endure well beyond the time that

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we have large amounts of forces here in

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Iraq . As we enter the seventh year of

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Operation Iraqi Freedom General Perkins

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believes coalition forces will continue

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to help Iraqis take care of themselves .

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We will continue to reshape and

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downsize our footprint as we head out

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to the Iraqi . So I think what you're

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gonna see a year from now is a another

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round of peacefully elected leadership

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presiding over a security force which

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is dramatically better than it is today

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and well on our way of us handing this

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entire security operation over to the

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Iraqi security forces . Many U . S .

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Service members currently serving in

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Iraq have been here before . Not only

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do they get to see the impact on a rock

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itself , but also the changes and bases

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where they serve Master Sergeant Sandra

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needs Wicky caught up with airmen

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serving consecutive tours a joint base

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balad to find out what it was like then

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and now Six years have passed since

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Operation Iraqi Freedom started on

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March 19 , Since then , tens

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of thousands of airmen have been

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deployed at Joint Base Balad Iraq and

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watch the base transformed in mission

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and infrastructure . I was last

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deployed to balad when we were delayed

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airfield southeast back in 2000 and

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three and we were debt one Air Force

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actually we weren't an air wing at all .

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And last time I was here our mission

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was pretty much to come in and

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establish an Air force presence and

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start bed downing the forces . There

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have also been improvements in the

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quality of life for airmen deployed

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here . Charity facilities have gotten

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real good . We had all the same chow

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halls before but some of them have

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gotten bigger . They've gotten ,

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they've gotten a lot better food . Um

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There's a lot more recreation stuff to

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do outside of work other than just

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going back to your pod and going to

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sleep . So there's a lot more stuff to

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do here . We have a lot better

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equipment , a lot just everything's

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gotten a lot better . Two doctors from

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the medical group recounted the changes

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they've noticed in the expeditionary

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hospital . I was here when we were

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intense and uh it was all the time .

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The operating rooms were sort of like

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this . They were in contact is it

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looked like this , The wind would blow

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through the walls , you could hear the

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helicopters constantly , you could hear

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everything . There wasn't that safety

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sense that you have , there was no

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overhead barrier for the mortars . Last

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time I was here , we were in the tents ,

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we were in the old green tents and we

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upgraded to the new beige tents . And

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then since I've been back this time ,

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of course we have the hospital here now .

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Today , airman in the three 32nd air

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expeditionary wing marks the sixth

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anniversary of Operation Iraqi freedom

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with the same commitment to combat

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excellence and focus on mission

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accomplishment . As in 2003 , reporting

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from Joint base balad Iraq . I'm Master

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Sergeant . Sandra nets , wicky coming

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up . The boy scouts are coming back to

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Iraq . Yeah ,

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time now for a look at the rebuilding

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Iraq report . Iraqi doctors in the

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Wasit province met with a coalition

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medical team as part of Operation

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Gunner met a joint operation designed

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to restore medical capacity and improve

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the level of patient care in the region .

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Coalition surgeons visited the Abbas

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Hospital and compared its medical

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capabilities to that of ford operating

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based Delta . The intent is to open

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lines of communication . So discussion

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can take place regarding better

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treatment for Iraqis in the Wasit

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province , the Ministry of Health , in

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coordination with coalition forces is

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installing video teleconferencing

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systems in local hospitals . This will

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allow provincial hospitals to

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communicate easily with one another as

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well as Baghdad . The communication

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system will allow surgeons to share

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their knowledge and experience . That's

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your rebuilding Iraq report . I'm Petty

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Officer Mat Gleason .

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Here are the latest operation Iraqi

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freedom headlines . Prime Minister

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Maliki reiterated calls for Iraqi

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militants to lay down their arms and

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take part in dialogue with the Iraqi

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government . The Prime minister said

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Iraq's reconciliation efforts are

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ongoing and that no opposition groups

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will be barred from participating .

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Prime Minister Maliki speaking with the

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Arab League Secretary General called on

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Arab States to expand relations with

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Iraq . The Secretary General said the

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legal honor Iraq's request to host the

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next League summit in Baghdad in 2010 ,

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the Iraqi president said kurdish

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parties in Iraq , Iran , Syria , Turkey

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and the european Union are preparing to

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deliver a joint appeal to the Kurdistan

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workers Party for the group to end

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armed resistance . The President said

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he expects the PKK to accept the offer .

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Those are your headlines from around

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the region . I'm Navy Petty Officer

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steve Waterworks .

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The boy scouts of America started in

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1910 to provide an educational program

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for boys and young adults to build

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character become participating citizens

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and develop personal fitness . Senior

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airman Andrew helm camp takes us to

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victory base in Baghdad where service

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members are helping to bring the

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program back to Iraq . The meeting

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starts the same as Boy and Girl Scout

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meetings in the US raising the flag and

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reciting their motto . I know

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programs like this one are important to

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help teach positive morals and values

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to the next generation of Iraqi youths .

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We are implementing a program similar

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to the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of

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America with the Iraqi Children . They

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used to have that until Saddam Hussein

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to power and then he kind of changed it

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into his own like military young

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military camp . So we're going we're

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transitioning back into what it used to

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be which is teaching kids , you know

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the basics of being a kid and scouting

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and stuff like that . So each week the

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kids participate in activities such as

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archery crafts and team building

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exercises . More than a dozen service

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members volunteer their time to help

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run the program . And now the Iraqis

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are running nearly half the program

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themselves basically we're we've gotten

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out of the crawl phase , we're into the

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walking phase where the Iraqi sf is now

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taking charge , taking over the

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leadership responsibilities and some of

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the planning aspects in a country where

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war has ravaged for centuries . Things

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are changing in this once empty field .

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Iraqi Children now have a place to

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learn new things and enjoy being kids .

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Senior airman Andrew home camp Baghdad

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that wraps up this edition of our

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program from All of us here at a F N

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and Freedom Journal . Iraq . Thanks for

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watching and we'll see you next time .

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Yeah .

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Yeah

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mm

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mhm . Yeah