Airmen Pitch in for Worthy Cause in Iraq

Airmen Connect
Originally uploaded by Sydney Weasel.

By Air Force Staff Sgt. Bryan Bouchard, U.S. Central Command Air Forces Public Affairs

6/5/2006 - RADWINYA PALACE COMPLEX, Iraq (AFPN) -- Many Airmen deploy to foreign countries for months, never seeing the people whose lives they affect. They are either hundreds of miles from the conflict or are within the safety of their military compound for their entire tours. But for Airmen at Sather Air Base at Baghdad International Airport, they can finally link local faces to the operation in which they serve.

Since September, Airmen from Sather AB have been spending a few days a week visiting the Army’s Civil Military Operations Center, or CMOC. They have touched the lives of thousands of Iraqis in need of medical care and what many Americans would consider basic goods.

“We have a good reputation here because we have American doctors,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class Anthony Noah, the NCO in charge of the CMOC. “Also, some clinics in the region will see only men or only women; we’ll see them all.”

Without the medical side of operation, thousands of local villagers, many without proper shoes, would be forced to make a three-to-four-hour walk to a local clinic in Abu Ghraib, said one of the female Iraqi interpreters at the clinic, identified only as “Whisper.” The workers and service members at the clinic have treated more than 3,000 Iraqis since opening. {click on image for details}