FOB WARRIOR, KIRKUK - The school children in the village of Chemin in Kirkuk prov., have always known the small mud house on the outskirts of their village as their school.
Although the classrooms were so small that only a few children could fit in at one time, with only a couple of desks for the more than 30 kids to share, they made do with what they had.
This is all about to change for the children of this small village as a new school enters the final stages of construction, thanks to help from 2nd BCT, 1st Cav Div.
The new school, which will serve children up to the 6th grade, will be able to accommodate many more students than the previous school, according to Sgt. 1st Class Carl Lay, the essential services liaison officer for 2nd BCT. "The children just didn't have enough room in their old school," Lay said.
The school has been under construction for approx 80 days and will soon be furnished with new equipment, including desks, chalkboards, curtains and other needed supplies. "We had to rent the hut for the school before," said the village mukhtar, Jyhad Muhammed. "This is going to make a big difference to this area." Jyhad was excited at the prospect of what the children in his village might be able to accomplish with the education they'll receive at the new school.
"They'll be able to go much further in life with a good education," he said. "We're so happy they will have the chance.
The youth in the village are even more excited about the new school than their elders. "Our last school was built of mud," explained 10-year old Hussein Qasim. "We're really excited about the new school. It's much better to have a bigger and a newer school. I'll be able to study much better and do new things there."
"We wanted to give them an environment that is conducive to learning," said Lt. Col. Hugh McNeely, the dep. comm. officer of 2nd BCT.
Lay paid his 4th visit to the site Sept. 8, and was pleased to see the school construction was on track. "If ya'll are willing to put your kids in this school, then I'm willing to put my kids in this school," he joked with one of the engrs at the site of the project.
