Tuesday, November 23, 2004
The guardsman is 'supreme commander' to Iraqis.
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) -- People flock to Capt. Jon Stewart when he travels into Sadiyah or Jalula, Iraq.
They consider the 34-year-old mailman from Cleveland the most important U.S. soldier in their country.
They call him simply "the captain" and refer to his position in the Army as "supreme allied commander."
"Back home, I can't get the kid at Burger King to put pickles on my Whopper," Stewart said. "Here, if I say I would like something, I've got 10 people trying to get it for me."
Who he is here
Stewart is the commander of Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion, 252nd Armor, a Fayetteville-based National Guard unit that is part of the 30th Brigade Combat Team. He was attached to the unit when it deployed to Iraq in February.
Before the U.S. transferred government authority to the Iraqi people in June, Stewart controlled every aspect of Sadiyah and Jalula, two cities near the 252nd's Forward Operating Base Cobra in Iraq's eastern Diyala Province.
Stewart had to approve every project and expenditure and had the power to imprison people and confiscate their property.
After the June transfer, Stewart tried to recede into the background by turning over his powers to the respective city councils. The transition has not been easy because the Iraqis are used to having things done for them.
Making decisions can be risky for Iraqi leaders. "Everybody is afraid to make a decision," Stewart said. "If the mayor makes a dumb decision, he'll get shot down or bombed."
Mohammed Othman, the mayor of Sadiyah, was ambushed about four months ago and shot three times in the chest. He survived and now travels with bodyguards armed with AK-47s.
Othman was probably shot because he worked with U.S. soldiers.
Stewart respects Othman's perseverance. The men meet regularly and work closely on a wide range of municipal projects for the city of 35,000 people.
The top priority
Security is the top priority, but the rebuilding taking place in the war-torn city is the most visible result of U.S. involvement. Mosques and health clinics are being rebuilt and sports programs instituted at local schools.
On Sunday, Stewart, Othman and Lt. Col. Gary Thompson, commander of the 1st Battalion, 252nd Armor, visited five schools to get progress reports and to drop off stuffed animals and school supplies for children.
The first stop was the Ibn Rushed Primary School, one of many Sadiyah schools that were renovated after the fall of Saddam's government. The school, like most Sadiyah schools, is a walled compound with an open courtyard surrounded by classrooms.
As Stewart's convoy pulled up, the headmaster came out to greet his guests. He led Stewart, Thompson and Basheer Abdullatif, Stewart's Kurdish translator, into his office.
Stewart began as he always does, asking for an update on the number of students and teachers and their latest needs.
Chanting children
The high-pitched voices of children could be heard chanting lessons across the courtyard as Abdullatif translated Stewart's questions for the headmaster.
Three female teachers in patterned head scarves sat quietly and listened as the men talked.
After a few minutes Stewart asked to visit the classrooms. The room where the chanting originated was packed with about 50 students, boys and girls. The children sat in silence, wide-eyed, as the soldiers walked in with their weapons strapped to their chests. One girl began to cry.
Stewart talked to the teacher before going to another class, where older students were learning English. A question on the chalkboard asked, "How many faces do you have?" The answer: "I have one."
The young girls in the class, who are about 10 years old, had their textbooks open to an English lesson. The pages showed two people talking.
Sgt. 1st Class Prince Patterson of Fayetteville is a motor pool sergeant for Alpha Company.
Instructive superior officer
He said it is instructive to travel with Stewart and interact with the children. "The little kids look up to the American soldiers," he said. "The bigger kids -- we need to win their hearts."
Patterson, 36, is a full-time National Guardsman. He maintains Alpha Company's vehicles at Forward Operating Base Cobra.
Patterson and Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Woolard, also of Alpha Company, traveled with Stewart and Thompson on Sunday to provide security. Their job was uneventful. Children were the only people trying to get close to the officers.
As the children gathered in the schoolyard, Thompson stopped to talk to a boy named Sheben. The boy said he wanted to be a doctor and to learn English. Thompson asked Abdullatif to ask the boy what his favorite soccer team was. "Barcelona," the boy replied.
On the way out, Stewart paused by a small garden of onions and lettuce and conferred with the sheiks and the mayor.
"They all pretty much say the same thing," Stewart said as he returned to his Humvee. "Sports is important. They all want them at their schools. Pingpong is the newest thing. One school got it, I don't know how, but now everyone wants one."
Stewart, at 6 feet 2 inches tall, towers over the mayor and most of the teachers and headmasters. But he has a genial demeanor and never gets visibly frustrated despite constant haggling.
Stewart tells them "very good" when he is pleased. The Iraqis understand.
He gets the problems
"You can tell when the schools are better off because they start nitpicking," he said. "I'm the money man, so if there's the slightest problem, they'll tell me."
The biggest needs for the schools are furniture, sports equipment and books.
The biggest need for some teachers is security. While most schools have a security guard, soldiers say they sometimes do the minimum to earn their pay.
A translator and teacher who had previously worked with Stewart was gunned down a few months ago.
Stewart asked Ahmed Abdul Raheem, the headmaster of the Sadiyah high school, if he could have a monument to the teacher placed in the school. "As you like," Raheem said. "I agree. This is a good thing, and I thank you very much for that."
Raheem understands the violence teachers face for cooperating with U.S. soldiers. His school was looted after the fall of Saddam, and he and his son have had their homes bombed.
His son is a translator in Baqubah. Stewart knows there is a need for security. Things must be safe for students and teachers for the educational system to function.
At each stop he reminded the children and young men why he was there.
"All of you in this room are the future of Iraq," he said. "It won't be long before you become the next city council member or mayor."