Iraqis Pitching In

You don't hear too many stories like this one from Defend America.mil being reported in the mainstream media, but these people do exist, and this sort of thing is happening more than we have been lead to believe.

When one particular Iraqi businessman was recently awarded a contract, he knew he would be working in a highly volatile area of intense insurgency, but had no idea of the personal challenges he and his family would face.

He and his firm of 200 employees accepted the task of repairing and upgrading eight water pump stations for $240,000. His first indication of exactly how difficult the work would be was when he opened the door to the first pump station and found three headless corpses.

In the following weeks, his staff was threatened, shot at, his son was abducted and held for ransom ($75,000 was paid for his safe return), insurgents entered his home and a gun battle ensued. Fortunately, his family escaped harm.

Recently, he was recognized with the presentation of a "Certificate of Achievement" for not only completing the project ahead of schedule, but for the courage he exhibited.

"This Iraqi businessman’s determination and perseverance in completing the project at great personal risk is inspiring and deserving of high praise and recognition," said Col. Peter J. Rowan, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region Central District commander.

"Not only did this Iraqi businessman complete the work as specified, he went beyond the contract’s requirements and, on his own initiative, installed hundreds of meters of additional water pipe, constructed concrete slabs, and repaired and replaced water storage and sedimentation tanks to ensure that each site was fully operational.

"It is to dedicated and hard working contractors like this one that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owes its success," Rowan concluded.

Remember this the next time you hear somebody say the Iraqis aren't "stepping up."