Civil Affairs in North Baghdad

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"Meet the Iraqi People: Civil Affairs"
by Caleb Schaber
Northern Nevada News Wire

BAGHDAD, Iraq—The fate of the Iraqi people and the reconstruction of Iraq are a common question for many people in the world. The United States Army directly interacts with the Iraqi people through the Army Civil Affairs (CA).
For Maj. Raymond Pfahl, Jr. from Warsaw, Ind., the Iraqi people are no mystery to his soldiers. Pfahl, 50, is Company Commander of Charlie Company of the 414 Battalion CA, from Syracuse, depolyed to Forward Operating Base (FOB) Camp Taji, 30 km north of Baghdad.
While many soldiers who serve in Iraq have limited interaction, or at best, hostile engagements in Iraq, Pfahl's company of soldiers works with the Iraqi people outside the comforts of the base nearly everyday.
"I think we are doing a wonderful job a lot of people do not hear about." Building schools, fixing water pumping and treatment plants, building women's centers and helping maintain the gas and electricity for the Iraqi people in the Taji area are a few of the successes.
Pfahl was layed off from his job with a medical company in Warsaw prior to his deployment. He retired from the military but stayed on the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) list. Had he not been on this list, Phafl wound not have been called up for duty.
His wife, a retired a captain in the Army, is used to his deployments. Pfahl previously served in the Special Forces, but he said, "That was many moons ago."
Although CA are deployed to help the Iraqi people, they do get attacked.
"I did have a team get hit up here in May," said Pfahl. "The Humvee took most of the blast and people were able to walk away."
Over 95% of the of the CA are reservist. The theory is that CA works best with reserve soldiers because they need to think outside the box of the military and interact with civilians in foreign lands.
Pfahl, like most of his team, was on the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) list. Some of the soldiers on the IRR stay on the list and get money from the Army to be ready for call up. Others, such as officers, are commited to several years of IRR after they serve active duty.
Just after Pfahl and his company arrived, their sister Unit the 490 Civil Affairs lost three soldiers from an Improvised Explosive Device (IED.)
"I try not to go out as much as possible," said Pfahl. He added that the mission requires the CA to go out and work with the Iraqi people, so his team has no choice but to drive around the Northern Baghdad area, where they work.
I spent a week working with three of the five teams in Charlie Company. I regret that I do not have many photos of the CA working with the Iraqi people. This is not because they were not with the people, but rather a matter of survival. A photo is death, at times. If one of the insurgent groups acquires a picture of an interpretor, or someone else working with the US troops, they, or their family, will likely be killed.
One writer here in Baghdad told me that two of his stories in a row resulted in attacks on the places he wrote about, where Iraqis were working with the US Army.

The type of work that Civil Affairs started evolving after World War II, establishing a temporary military government for things like reestablishing water, sewer, transportation, police, fire, and other basic services to war torn Europe, North Africa and Japan. In Vietnam, the Special Forces were tasked with Civil Affairs job as part of the "hearts and minds" campaign.
The U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command of today officially began in Ocober 1985 with the formation of the 1st Special Operations Command Augmentation Detachment, which evolved into the United States Army Reserve Special Operations Command (USARSOC). On Nov. 27, 1990, USARSOC was renamed United States Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command (A), coinciding with Operation Desert Shield.

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[dumbasstube1]

islam is a prehistoric parasite that WILL BE destroyed. I never knew ISLAM taught their followers to kiss the floor, men to kiss men,men to fuck men-donkeys-& chickens, & all other furry friends. You also wonder why they have so many wives-only use wives to reproduce.. after that it's back to a little bearded gay man again.Just a matter of time before we will vanquish these parasites.. Join the REVOLUTION!!

[Panzwayi]

There is no revolution. We need to back off extremism on both sides.

[kaizensharbo]

Please tell me what is the name of the song or the artist singing on this youtube civil affairs video

[Panzwayi]

Gee, I don't answer wackadoodles that don't understand that when I am in the war I have other issues that naming a song.

[RecceMan90]

You go to War with what you have! The first Gulf war we were happy to have Humvees! Every War the Govt is always criticized for sending ill-equipped troops! My Grandfather went through 7 Sherman tanks in WWII, they were shit compared to the Germans' Tanks!

[whiteeagle00001]

This is another war dude wake the fuck up. read up on how we hurt Russia (finnacialy) so that they will do harm to no nation ever again. We're doing the same to the Middle east. By the time all of america finds a new source of energy for our cars the middle east will be come bank rupt. We've done it to mexico, Cuba, USSR. He who dosn't play ball nice suffers ^_~. Have a nice day and come back now you hear ^_^>

[StupidAmerican2]

@whiteeagle00001 Your grammar is awful. 

[Caretaker2104]

think u have 2 be at least a captain 2 be a ca officer

[20GATE91]

i am gonna join the army rotc and hopefully become an officer in the civil affairs unit =D

[kaz11007]

people you need to stop bitching about whose religion is better. its a pointless argument why cant you just grow up. just look at what these brave soldiers are doing. they are not shooting these Iraqis they are helping them out. so why dont you stand behind them and stop bitching

[Nativeboy0]

FUCK ISLAMIC u all deserver to die american or not.

[MAOfights]

Reread your Qur'an and some Fatwahs....You can have more than one wife provided that you can provide for her and it will allow for a peaceful household. This is not condoning the practice or claiming it is common practice.

[MuslimAlbo]

most muslims r white, i am white

[MuslimAlbo]

shut up u lil dumbass islam is peaceful relgion men do not kiss and u can only have more than 1 wife if ur first wife is sick to take care of her. i think ur the only one who needs to be vanquished because ur the cause of all the trouble in the world