Post

Heroes in Iraq

Most of what we hear about what happens in Iraq focuses on insurgents, roadside bombs and suicide bombers. We in the states hear very little about any positive aspect or outcome from this war.

Every week or so, I hear from Paul McKellips, who is on detail assignment to the U.S. Department of State’s Public Affairs GO Team in Iraq. Paul is permanently employed by USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Washington, D.C.

“The men and women in uniform have accomplished so much in three years that it defies imagination,” Paul wrote in an email to me this morning.

Last week, Paul’s report focused on fruit and vegetable production in Iraq. Behind petroleum, Paul explained, agriculture is by far the second largest industry in Iraq. However, after thirty years of being neglected by Saddam Hussein’s regime, farmers in that country are struggling to survive.

When I think of Iraq, I picture sand and desert. Paul says those stereotypical images should not fool us. “Water is abundant throughout Iraq. In three short years, American agricultural experts have introduced drip-line irrigation, seed cleaning techniques, tractor repair schools, fertilizers and modern cultivation techniques.”

Iraqis depend on farmers markets and roadside stands for their fruits and vegetables. But, according to McKellips, there are no canning factories and no marketing policies, and at this time, more than 85% of the fruits and vegetables are imported from Iran, Syria and Turkey. He says produce prices are ridiculously low as these countries dump their B-grade products into the marketplace.

In U.S. dollars, a twenty-eight pound bag of potatoes at a local market sells for $3.38. At the same market that day, you could purchase fifty-five pounds of tomatoes for $2.00 and two pounds of onions cost 40 cents.

McKellips says the next logical step is the implementation of a national farm policy that supports local farmers. As soon as local Iraqi farmers can become profitable, Iraq can stop importing the lion’s share of their produce from other countries.

Paul also told me about a US military team of large animal veterinarians who are training their Iraqi counterparts to improve and enhance livestock health in Iraq. Iraqi vets have already had a successful battle against H5N1 (avian influenza) and are making great strides against the country’s other serious diseases. American expertise and taxpayer dollars are having a positive impact on Iraq’s agricultural future.

After graduating from Mississippi State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Lieutenant Colonel Deanna Brown became a dairy practitioner on a southern Wisconsin dairy farm. In 1991 she joined the US Army where, as an active duty officer, she applies her large animal veterinary skills.

Approximately ninety veterinarians from across Iraq recently participated in a capacity-building workshop hosted by Lieutenant Colonel Brown. “Sheep, cattle, goats, poultry are the primary livestock species they are concerned with here,” she explained. “There are many challenges here that we do not have in the U.S. They have many significant diseases such as foot and mouth disease that we do not have in the U.S.”

Dr. Brown says there is also an infrastructure in Iraq that has not allowed veterinarians there to develop good over-arching programs to control disease. She has been involved in the development of a working group that includes the military, USDA, American Universities and the American Veterinary Medical Association. The focus of this group is to help Iraqi veterinarians develop a plan for animal health in their country.

I do not for one second want to downplay the loss of life or get into a debate with anyone over whether or not we should still be there. We are there and I support our soldiers one hundred percent and believe their friends and families need to know the difference their efforts are making for the Iraqi people. As far as I’m concerned, Paul McKellips and Lieutenant Colonel Brown are heroes. I will pray for their safety.