Yusufiyah Joint Security Station Opens

By Spc. Chris McCann
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division

In the village of Yusufiyah, Iraq, local government representatives refuse to stand still and allow the fear of explosions to stop them from discussing issues.

Several members of the Yusufiyah nahia, or local council, met April 29 at the Joint Security Station in Yusufiyah to discuss projects with civil affairs officers from 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y., and the 478th Civil Affairs Battalion, out of Perrine, Fla., and attached to 4-31 Infantry.

Many projects that 4-31 have begun in the community are complete or nearing completion – including streetlights for the town, especially the market area, garbage pickup, and irrigation canal cleanup and improvement. But some projects, such as a soccer field in the Ar-Barash-Tamuz neighborhood and a fire station for the village, are momentarily stalled as the residents try to determine the best places for them. Since the various representatives were together, they began discussing among themselves different ideas and mentioning people who might be willing to sell or donate land for the projects.

Capt. Chris Sanchez, a civil affairs officer with 4-31, has brokered many of the project meetings during the last several months. He said it was the first time the Yusufiyah locals had talked so animatedly and begun figuring things out for themselves rather than passing ideas through him, a valuable step in getting the Iraqi village to assume control of local governance and planning.

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