Peru: Marine channels near-death experience to help poor

Peru: Marine channels near-death experience to help poor

Monday, August 25, 2008
By David Mac Dougall

Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Todd Bowers knows the exact date and time an insurgent bullet embedded itself in his head: October 17, 2004 at 11:36 a.m.

At the time, Bowers was serving in Fallujah with a U.S. Marine Corps civil affairs unit. His job was to help Iraqi residents rebuild their lives — literally and figuratively — by repairing battle-damaged homes.

Then came the gunshot wound that changed his life.

"It's funny. Everybody seems to think you'll have an afterlife experience, your whole life will flash before your eyes," reflected Bowers. "I initially thought my rifle had exploded because I couldn't see out of my left eye and my safety glasses had blown off and my helmet had blown off."

Aware that he no longer held onto his rifle, Staff Sgt. Bowers instead pulled out his 9mm side-arm, and crawled for cover.

"When I looked into the ground, I just saw blood pouring into the dirt and realized something had gone really, really wrong," he said. "I was having difficulty seeing out of my eye and obviously losing a lot of blood."

Bowers' close call with death didn't sink in at first. "It wasn't until probably about five minutes later when I was getting patched up by the Corpsman that they realized the bullet had actually struck the side of my rifle and skimmed into my left temple. The rifle took the brunt of the blast, and that's pretty much what saved my life."

Even with a bullet lodged in his head, dangerously close to his brain, Bowers rescued some wounded Iraqi civilians who were caught in the crossfire of battle, and drove them to the emergency room himself.

"There was a 10-year-old boy who had been shot in the arm and the shoulder, and his father who had been shot in the stomach," Bowers recalled. "We were able to pull the civilians out of their vehicle … get them initial treatment, and then I loaded them into the back of my Humvee, and drove back to the surgical center on Camp Fallujah."

Now, almost four years later, Bowers is using his near-death experience to help others. This time, not in war-torn Iraq, but in Peru's remote Ayacucho region, building schools, homes and medical clinics for rural communities.

Bowers is one of 1,000 Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force personnel taking part in Operation New Horizons — a humanitarian mission quite unlike previous deployments in war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan.

After months in combat, Bowers said that volunteering for a mission like New Horizons is like "chicken soup for soul" because it allows him to help people improve their lives as he continues to recover from his life altering experiences.

At this time of year, daytime temperatures in Ayacucho hover around the 80-degree mark and night time lows dip into the 40s.

The days are long and sunny, meaning conditions are perfect for more than three months of dawn-to-dusk construction projects — the schools and medical clinics sorely needed in a country where the average income is a little more than $2,000 per year. Among Ayacucho's poor rural communities, incomes are much lower than that.

The saying goes, "if you build it, they will come," and Operation New Horizons is proving that point, attracting many military volunteers from locations across America.

One contingent of Air Force civil engineering personnel — known as a "RED HORSE" team and headed up by Capt. Stacy Nimmo — is drawn from bases in Nevada and Montana.

Previously, Nimmo was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

"There are a lot of differences between there and here, but the hearts and minds aspect of our work is the same," she said.

One of her most memorable moments on the Peru deployment, she said, was when she visited a local orphanage.

"The orphanage was amazing — the kids were so grateful for everything we've done for them."
Those sentiments are echoed by Marine Cpl. Kathleen Ruscio, who's been part of a construction team drawn from units in Pennsylvania, Wyoming and Massachusetts.

"We love interacting with the locals that live around the job site and learning a little bit about their culture," said Ruscio. "The country is beautiful and the people have been very thankful and welcoming. We enjoy being in a different country, helping those that are less fortunate."

For Bowers, the differences between Iraq and Peru are even more striking.

"I would say the welcome we received in Iraq was different in that we were needed to sustain life there. A lot of humanitarian aid we conducted in Fallujah was providing food for people, immediate medical assistance and things along those lines. They were depending on our ability to be able to take care of them."

By contrast, Bowers explains, the Peruvians' needs are still basic but not necessarily as urgent. The people, who have peace in the country after a long and bloody guerrilla war with rebel groups like Sendero Luminoso and Tupak Amaru, now need education and improved health conditions. He hopes that facilities like the new schools, clinics and fresh drinking water provided by Operation New Horizons will help and make lasting improvements.

Bowers, who will end his deployment to Peru soon, plans to return to civilian life, but will continue as a Marine Corps Reservist, working with the veterans' advocacy group "Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America."

Along with his fellow military comrades, Bowers said in Peru he leaves behind a quantitative improvement in the lives of thousands of below-the-poverty-line Peruvians, and improved relations between the U.S. Military and the Government of Peru.

As with all deployments, Bowers has learned some lessons in Peru — like don't sweat the small stuff.

"There are a lot worse things in life to worry about than a traffic jam or your cell phone bill being overdue," he mused.

The lessons they have taught him have helped him to appreciate what he has.

"When you realize there are a lot of people (dealing) with a lot harder time in life in a lot more difficult situations, but they can still persevere." he said.

As for the lesson learned in Iraq Bowers joked, making light of his war wound. "I probably should have ducked, but I didn't," he said.

Iraqi Airways

Friday, June 27, 2008
By David MacDougall

Iraqi Airways flying high as country continues to rebuild

There was a time when Iraqi Airways criss-crossed the globe, operating flights from Baghdad to cosmopolitan destinations including Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, Paris, Bombay and a host of other cities.

But that was nearly three decades ago — before the economically ruinous Iran-Iraq war, two other wars involving the United States and its allies, a no-fly zone and crippling U.N. sanctions.
The long slide into decay was both painful and inevitable. By the time Saddam Hussein was toppled from power in 2003, numerous abandoned Iraqi Airways jets sat rusting on the tarmac in at least three regional airports, and the company was locked in a bitter legal dispute with the government of Kuwait over assets looted during the first Gulf War.

These days, things are starting to look better for the airline. A colossal $5.5 billion contract between Iraqi Airways and Boeing — among the largest the fledgling Iraqi government has funded to date — was recently signed to foster its expansion.

It was an important moment in the country's post-war development — and its significance was underscored by the presence of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other dignitaries at the contract-signing ceremony last month. The multi-billion dollar order shows a confidence in growth that was not evident even a year ago.

That jewel in Iraqi Airways' crown will buy 50 new and second-hand jets from Boeing and Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier, including 10 of Boeing's 787 Dreamliners.

The first Bombardier plane will be delivered to the airline in August, according to Iraqi Airways director general Capt. Kifah Hassan Jabar, and more will follow.

"Every two months, we will deliver another aircraft," he told FOX News. The whole fleet of planes will arrive by 2018 under the agreement between Boeing and the government of Iraq.

This new era of expansion for Iraq's national carrier has ruffled some feathers, however.
Boeing's main rival, the European consortium Airbus Industries, was not invited to bid for the Iraqi Airways contract, even though many other regional airlines operate its planes.

Kifah explained the exclusion of Airbus by detailing the legacy between Iraqi Airways and Boeing. The airline has a longstanding relationship with Boeing dating back to 1974, he said.
"The first 747 jumbo was operated by Iraqi Airways. All our pilots, our present pilots and engineers, were from Boeing," said Kifah. "We're looking forward to having the same with Boeing in the future."

And in that vein, Iraqi Airways is pushing forward.

Its new management team and new routes, freshly leased aircraft and passenger counts that would make other carriers jealous have helped boost business at the perennially down-at-the-heel state-owned enterprise.

While many airlines are cutting back services — or even going bankrupt — due to high fuel prices, lower passenger returns and rising operating costs, Iraqi Airways remains somewhat shielded by those market forces because it's part of a state-run organization.

The airline boasts some impressive numbers. Its most popular route, a daily service to Dubai, is 98 to 100 percent sold out.

But Iraqi Airways also has hurdles to overcome — for one, the company's late re-entry into an already crowded regional market.

Since the carrier last offered full-service flights, the Middle Eastern airline sector has grown to be much more lucrative and competitive.

Well-known brand name carriers like Emirates, Gulf Air and Royal Jordanian are long established.
More recent expansion by Ethihad and Qatar Airways give travelers (especially premium passengers) little reason to fly with Iraqi Airways — which is often jokingly called "Inshallah (God Willing) Airlines."

"Frankly speaking, we cannot compete with them for the next few years for many reasons," Kifah said. "They are well established and well supported by their governments."

For the time being, however, Iraqi Airways has something of a monopoly on operations by national flag-carriers at Baghdad International Airport.

Kifah doesn't think that Emirates, for example, will be competing on the high-yield Baghdad-Dubai route for some time to come. And demand for flights aboard the war-torn country's national airline is already particularly strong in Iraqi immigrant communities in Scandinavia, Germany, Britain and the United States.

"The Iraqis, for one reason or another, they are very keen to fly with Iraqi Airways," he told FOX News. "I cannot say why exactly, but I think they like their national carrier and try to support it in some way or another."

Ten Iraqis You Should Know

Ten Iraqis You Should Know

10 Iraqis You Should Know

By David Mac Dougall & Ghalib Tawfiq, Baghdad Bureau

After years of reporting from Iraq, viewers are familiar with some of the most common personalities connected with events here: from Saddam Hussein to Prime Minister Maliki; Moqtada al-Sadr to Ayatollah Sistani. But what about some other Iraqis making an impact in their chosen professions?

We put together a list of ten people we think you should know about. Click their name to learn more about them!

Dana Abdul Razzaq: Iraqi Olympic athlete
Hassan Abdulrazzak: Author / playwright
Nashat Akram: Star player on Iraq’s national soccer team
Suhair al-Qaisi: Iraqi journalist for Arabiya TV
Dr Ala Bashir: Plastic surgeon
Ayad Jamal al-Din: Shiite member of parliament
Maysoon al-Damluji: Women’s rights activist
Nadhmi Auchi: Businessman & philanthropist
Hussain al Shahristani: Minister for Oil
Zaha Hadid: Architect

• Dana Abdul-Razzaq

21-year-old Dana Abdul-Razzaq is Iraq’s top female athlete, and the only Iraqi woman who’s heading to the Beijing Olympics in August. Although she’s only been sprinting for the last five years, she’s aiming to run 100 and 200 meter races in Beijing – and has already set a new Iraqi record over 200 meters at the Arab Games in Cairo last year. Dana has already faced many hardships preparing for the Olympics – shot at by a sniper while training, and getting caught in a drive-by shooting. And although she dresses modestly when she competes – leggings under shorts – she’s still received many threats from extremists.

• Hassan Abdulrazzak

Hassan Abdulrazzak was born in Iraq, but lived for many years in Egypt and Algeria. Although he’s a trained microbiologist, he’s also a talented playwright. His first ever play, “Baghdad Wedding” tells the story of three friends (an author, an engineer and a doctor) who return to Baghdad after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein to attend a wedding. They get caught up in the violence of post-war Iraq and endure terrible hardships. The play was produced in London in summer 2007, and went on to win a $20,000 award for new writing – it was also broadcast as a radio play earlier this year.

• Nashat Akram

23-year-old Nashat Akram is a midfield player for the Iraqi national soccer team. In recent years the team has been very successful: earning a 4th place spot at the 2004 Athens Olympics; a silver medal at the 2006 Asia Games in Doha and winning the 2007 Asia Cup.
The Iraqi soccer team – with Nashat Akram as captain – narrowly failed in their bid to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. However, they knocked out some big name teams, like China, along the way. Earlier this year Nashat Akram signed with English soccer side Manchester City, but was unable to take the job due to problems with his work permit. He currently plays club soccer in Qatar.

See also: www.nashatakram.net

• Suhair al-Qaisi

Born in Baghdad, 24 year old Suhair al-Qaisi is one of the most well-known anchors on Arabiya TV – a satellite news channel broadcast from Dubai, but seen across the Middle East. Originally training to be a dentist, she switched track to become a journalist instead. In 2007 she was selected by the Red Crescent to become one of their Goodwill Ambassadors. On Arabiya TV, Suhair al-Qaisi hosts a weekly program about Iraq called “From Iraq”.

• Ala Bashir

Dr Ala Bashir was one of the first plastic surgeons in Iraq, and he became nationally famous for treating thousands of victims during the Iraq-Iran war. His work brought him to the attention of Saddam Hussein – and for 15 years he worked as the former dictator’s personal physician, which he later wrote about in a book called “Saddam’s Doctor: An Insider’s Story”. Dr Bashir is also an accomplished artist, and his paintings are exhibited at a gallery in New Haven, Connecticut.

See also: www.alabashir.com

• Ayad Jamal Addin

Iyad Addin is a politician, a cleric, and a strong advocate for the separation of church and state. He’s also come under fire for his secular political beliefs, surviving at least four assassination attempts. Jamal Addin was born in Najaf, a mostly Shiite city in southern Iraq. He fled Iraq in the late 1970s, first to Syria, then to Iran, where he studied theology and philosophy for eight years. He returned to Iraq in 2003 following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, and is a member of parliament for the Iraqi National List party. He wears the traditional head-dress and robes of a Muslim cleric – but believes that Iraq should be a secular state, where politics is free from religious interference. He’s faced a lot of criticism from fellow Shiite clerics for his beliefs.

• Maysoon al-Damluji

Maysoon al-Damluji is an Iraqi politician, a member of parliament for the city of Mosul. She’s also an architect and campaigner for women’s rights. After many years in exile in London, al-Damluji returned to Iraq after the war and worked inside government as Deputy Culture Minister. She also set up the Iraqi Independent Women’s Group (IIWG), an organization dedicated to promoting women’s rights issues. Two founding members of the IIWG have been assassinated in recent years, yet Maysoon al-Damluji continues her work despite the dangers.

See also: www.iiwg.org/index2.html

• Nadhmi Auchi

Billionaire, businessman, philanthropist and humanitarian – Nadhmi Auchi wears many hats. After graduating from Baghdad’s prestigious Mustansiriyah University, Auchi worked for Iraq’s oil ministry, before starting his own company – General Mediterranean Holding – of which he is still chairman. Now living in the UK, London’s Sunday Times last year named Madhmi Auchi the 18th richest person in Britain, with a fortune estimated around $3.8 billion. He recently launched a new fellowship in conjunction with the American University in Cairo, to mentor ten future business leaders from the Arab world. For his work in business and philanthropy, Nadhmi Auchi has received honors from the Pope and Queen Elizabeth, among others.

• Hussain al Shahristani

In charge of Iraq’s oil ministry, Hussain Shahristani is arguably one of the most powerful men in the country. Iraq has vast untapped oil wealth, and Shahristani has been at the center of negotiations to award contracts to western companies like BP, Shell, Chevron and Exxon. Each individual contract is said to be worth $500 million. In the 1970s, Hussain al Shahristani was one of Iraq’s most promising young nuclear scientists, but he was imprisoned and tortured at Abu Ghraib for 11 years for encouraging Shiites in the military to rebel against Saddam Hussein. During his time in prison, Shahristani reportedly refused to work on building a nuclear bomb. He is a member of the United Iraqi Alliance political party – an alliance of mostly Shiite politicians.

• Zaha Hadid

Zaha Hadid is an internationally renowned architect, who has designed some spectacular buildings around the world – including a museum building at Michigan State University, and a contemporary arts center in Cincinnati (which the New York Times described as “the most important American building to be completed since the cold war”).
Born in Baghdad, Hadid studied in Beirut and London – before setting up her own architectural practice in the early 1980s. She has taught at Harvard, Ohio State, Yale and the University of Illinois School of Architecture in Chicago. In 2004 she became the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize (the architecture world’s equivalent of the Nobel Prize)

See also:
www.zaha-hadid.com & www.contemporaryartscenter.org

Honorable Mentions

Dia Azzawi: One of Iraq’s best-known artists

Ghada al-Taie: Baghdad ballet school teacher

VIDEO: Iraq cleric ceasefire offer

CLICK HERE TO WATCH a video report on SKY News from Iraq.

Mar 30, 2008

Iraqi Cleric Tempts With Ceasefire

Representatives of cleric Moqtada al Sadr have offered a deal to end bloody clashes between his followers and government troops in Iraq. Fox News correspondent David MacDougall reports from Baghdad.

Iraq's flesh-eating spiders

Iraq's flesh-eating spiders

11:41am UK, Wednesday February 27, 2008
Fox News Correspondent David MacDougall
It's Day Two of our ten day stint with the 2nd Battalion 5th Marines in Ramadi, in Iraq's Anbar province.The area is a former al Qaeda stronghold which has suffered some of the worst fighting in the country.

Day 2: Camel Spiders & Grey's Anatomy:
We're still at Outpost Iron with 2nd Battalion 5th Marines, living in a stone building that used to be part of an old Bedouin village, just south of Ramadi. We're sharing the room with two Marines - Andrew Martin and Jeremy Lowe.
Martin and Lowe have become addicted to Grey's Anatomy. During our stay at Outpost Iron we've been subjected to all of season two and most of season three. Before this embed I'd never watched it.
Now, after repeated exposure, I'm keen to find out if Meredith and Derek ever find true love, if Izzie gets over Doug's death and whether George can handle a stable relationship or not. You get sucked in pretty quickly!
While editing some video late last night, cameraman Pete Rudden suddenly jumped about six feet in the air. Something had scuttled into our room underneath the door.
The Marines instantly identified it as a camel spider. The camel spider is legendary around these parts.
They're reputed to climb on your face at night, inject you with a type of local anaesthetic and eat your flesh. Well, that's what the Marines told us at least.
This particular camel spider was hand-sized, and extremely quick. The marines chased it round the room, while Pete and I watched from as safe a distance as possible.
Finally, the spider was trapped and the Marines used a can of cold compressed air to shock it.
Apparently, the camel spiders don't much care for the cold. After the usual photographs were taken, one of the Marines bravely stomped on the poor insect, putting us all out our misery.
Nobody slept much last night, fearing giant camel spiders would numb our extremities and slowly eat them.
Apart from watching TV and killing spiders, we've been spending a lot of time on the streets of Ramadi.
Today was the regular district council meeting for the city's south-central area. An assorted cast of characters showed up, many in traditional tribal robes.
Among them was Sheikh Khattab - a guy in his late 20s who gets his authority through his elderly father, a revered Sheikh in Ramadi.
Sheikh Khattab is a little unorthodox. He was one of the first leaders to join forces with the US military in this part of the city, after al Qaeda burned him out of his own home.
Now, he lives on a compound shared with the Marines and basically runs the local police station. We had the chance to talk with him and he's very passionate about believing the way forward for Ramadi is to work together with Coalition forces.
It's a message being heard more and more often in Ramadi, after the "Anbar Awakening" movement decided last year the best way forward was to kick out al Qaeda. It marked a real turning point in fighting in Anbar Province and Ramadi in particular.
After the meeting was over, we had the chance again to film in the street, with the Marines of Whisky Company providing security.
Peace brings prosperity to Ramadi and businesses are cautiously starting to open up again. We found one restaurant called The Desert Cafe which was selling rotisserie chicken and paid $10 for a whole chicken, wrapped up in flat bread.
We filmed the whole process for a story and ended up giving the hot chicken to a crowd of children who had gathered round to watch us work.
We wanted the kids to share the food among themselves, but one told me he would take it and give it to his family.
The Desert Cafe has only been open for a week, but already there's competition. Right across the street, The Date Palm Restaurant has just opened a few days ago. The owner also sells rotisserie chicken, but his menu has the advantage of also selling lamb kebabs.
Ramadi is starting to look like any normal town in the Middle East. It's difficult to imagine this was the self-declared capital for al Qaeda's Islamic Republic of Iraq just a few short months ago.
But of course permanent change doesn't just happen overnight and it will take a lot more restaurants opening up before all of the city's former residents are tempted back home.

Al Qaeda And Sewage On Iraq's Frontline

Al Qaeda And Sewage On Iraq's Frontline

11:41am UK, Wednesday February 27, 2008
Fox News Correspondent David MacDougall
Iraq's Anbar province is a former al Qaeda stronghold and has suffered some of the worst fighting in the country.

At Outpost Iron
Day 1: Outpost Iron:
At this time of year, the heat in Anbar province is relentless. The temperature today rose to 130 degrees - 105 in the shade.
I'm spending 10 days embedded with 2nd Battalion 5th Marines in Ramadi.
We've already spent 24 hours at Outpost Iron in the south of the city visiting Whisky Company, which run missions across the poorest parts of the city.
Outpost Iron used to be part of a small Bedouin village. Three years ago there was fierce fighting here and some of the marines would patrol the area then, which has become their home now.
We're told the Bedouin mostly just want to farm, fish, and raise their animals. But they're deeply religious, so al Qaeda had some success recruiting them to their ranks.
They're still pretty wary of the marines, even though al Qaeda has (for now) been soundly beaten in Ramadi.
Virtually everywhere we look there's extreme poverty. Buildings (including Ramadi's railway station) reduced to massive piles of rubble during the most intense months of fighting.
There's a small canal of raw sewage running down the middle of the street - covered over with a film of green scum.
It's been cordoned off by razor wire, but still, we see children playing near this filthy breeding ground for germs and disease.
But thanks to the efforts of the marines and army, al Qaeda is on the run.
The number of violent attacks each day has dropped drastically.
But all of the sightseeing with the men of Whisky Company took its toll.
Pale-skinned Scotsmen aren't supposed to spend three hours walking around in the sun in 130 degree heat, wearing body armour and a helmet. I felt myself fading fast.

AUDIO: Snow in Iraq

CLICK HERE to listen to a Fox News Radio report about snow in Iraq.

Wacky weather everywhere... including Baghdad!

Wacky weather everywhere... including Baghdad!

By Janice Dean - Fox News Meteorologist

January 11, 2008 | 9:20 AM ET

G’morning!
Happy Friday everyone! Boy am I glad this week is over. It’s been one of the busiest weeks in the weather center that I can remember in terms of severe weather – and especially for this time of year! The NWS is reporting 21 tornadoes from yesterday across the Mississippi Valley into the southeast, and of course we had 40 tornados earlier in the week from the Upper Midwest into the Central Plains.
Thankfully it looks like the threat is letting up as the cold front moves eastward. There’s still the potential for isolated severe weather over the Mid Atlantic with strong winds, hail and heavy rain. Further north, a wintry mix of snow, sleet and or freezing rain will make driving treacherous. The center of low pressure will bring some snow and breezy conditions across the great lakes.
And as I mentioned earlier, we’re still keeping a close eye on a possible coastal storm that could bring some interesting weather to the northeast by the end of the weekend! Depending on the track this baby takes could mean either a whole lot of rain or a whopper snow storm.

And finally, BIG news out of Iraq. My good buddy David MacDougall emailed me early this morning to report on this pretty cool story: SNOW IN BAGHDAD!

Proof: An Iraqi couple enjoys a snow battle in a garden in Sulaimaniyah (courtesy of AFP, look above!)

Here’s the Story:
BAGHDAD (AFP) — Light snow fell in Baghdad early on Friday in what weather officials said was the first time in about a 100 years.Rare snowfalls were also recorded in the west and centre of Iraq, plunging temperatures to zero degrees Centigrade (32 degrees Fahrenheit) and even colder, an official said.The snow in Baghdad, which melted as it hit the ground, began falling before dawn and continued until after 9 am, residents said.”Snow has fallen in Baghdad for the first time in about a century as a result of two air flows meeting,” said a statement by the meteorology department.”The first one was cold and dry and the second one was warm and humid. They met above Iraq.”The director of the meteorology department, Dawood Shakir, told AFP that climate change was possibly to blame for the unusual event.”It’s very rare,” he said. “Baghdad has never seen snow falling in living memory.
“These snowfalls are linked to the climate change that is happening everywhere. We are finding some places in the world which are warm and are supposed to be cold.”
Snow was also reported in the mountainous Kurdish north of the country, where falls are common.
Here’s some video I found:
CLICK HERE FOR IRAQ SNOW VIDEO