WEBVTT

00:05.640 --> 00:07.680
Iraqi civilians are taking on more

00:07.680 --> 00:10.180
responsibilities day after day one of

00:10.180 --> 00:12.291
those responsibilities is in the area

00:12.291 --> 00:14.513
of reconstruction efforts on a visit to

00:14.513 --> 00:16.390
Iraq . The U . S . Army Chief of

00:16.390 --> 00:18.560
Engineers certainly took notice .

00:19.030 --> 00:22.120
Number one is , we see them doing a lot

00:22.120 --> 00:24.231
more for themselves and always one of

00:24.231 --> 00:26.342
the rules of the Corps of Engineers .

00:26.342 --> 00:28.564
We don't we don't want to be doing this

00:28.564 --> 00:30.676
Forever . What we want to do is build

00:30.676 --> 00:32.731
capacity in the Iraqis to do . There

00:32.731 --> 00:34.842
are currently more than 17,000 Iraqis

00:34.842 --> 00:36.842
employed on reconstruction projects

00:36.842 --> 00:38.620
with 75% of building and supply

00:38.620 --> 00:40.440
contracts going to Iraqi small

00:40.440 --> 00:42.662
businesses . But the Corps of Engineers

00:42.662 --> 00:44.884
is close by to provide a helping hand .

00:45.140 --> 00:47.473
We've got to look at all these projects .

00:47.473 --> 00:49.640
When you , when you have a project you

00:49.640 --> 00:51.696
have to close it out and you want to

00:51.696 --> 00:53.862
completely finish it . Do what we call

00:53.862 --> 00:55.862
a punch list and the engineers make

00:55.862 --> 00:58.029
sure the tiles right and everything is

00:58.029 --> 01:00.029
right . So that's going to be a big

01:00.029 --> 01:02.196
part of this . We want to leave all of

01:02.196 --> 01:04.307
our projects finished done and in the

01:04.307 --> 01:08.050
best shape we can $183 million in

01:08.050 --> 01:10.310
projects are also contracted out to

01:10.310 --> 01:12.330
women owned businesses . The money

01:12.330 --> 01:14.760
invested in various contracts goes back

01:14.770 --> 01:17.080
into small businesses in an effort to

01:17.080 --> 01:19.710
strengthen a growing Iraqi economy .

01:19.810 --> 01:21.699
I'm Air Force Sergeant Mike Falvo

01:21.699 --> 01:23.660
Baghdad Iraq