By Norris Jones
Gulf Region Central District
BAGHDAD — Hundreds of projects are under construction and Iraqis are seeing the results, according to a top U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official.
“We’re employing thousands of Iraqis. They need to put food on the table just like anyone else and those with a job are more likely to be supporting their government,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Revolinsky, the Officer in Charge of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Baghdad Area Office, before returning to the Sacramento District this month after a six-month tour.
Revolinsky works with a number of different entities, including the Baghdad city government (Amanat), District Advisory Councils and Neighborhood Advisory Councils. “This nation is used to one person issuing orders from the top down. That mindset is now changing and Iraqis are understanding the value of hearing from people on the street, getting feedback, developing a dialogue, encouraging an interaction. It’s what democracy is all about.”
The real story not being told, Revolinsky said, is the one about ordinary Iraqis putting up with extraordinary challenges, but reporting to work nonetheless every day in an unassuming way just trying to make life better for their families.
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(Photo: An Iraqi workcrew helps renovate a school in northwest Baghdad.)
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