| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Help wanted, apply within: US Army hiring in Baghdad |
| 2003-04-21 |
| The U.S. Army was expecting roughly 200 applicants Monday at a job fair aimed at hiring residents of the Iraqi capital for critical work aimed at getting the city back to normal. Instead, officers said, more than 1,000 showed up. Either a whole lot of folks are happy to be liberated or that's a heck of a lot of collaborators. Let's ask the French, they have lots of experience in collaboration. The U.S. military needs doctors, lawyers, engineers, interpreters and teachers to restore basic services, said Capt. Stacey Simms, an officer with the 422nd Civil Affairs Battalion. While some hospitals remained open during fighting in Baghdad, most closed and the demand for medical care is high, he said. U.S. civil affairs officers have been traveling all over Baghdad, assessing basic services. Simms said teams checked schools, hospitals as well as water, power and sewage systems to list all work that needs to be done. ``We have to create a legal system,'' Simms said. ``We have to make sure medical facilities are up and running, we need teachers to get the schools running.'' I like the approach, it's starting at the bottom and working up rather than at the top and working down. Applicants began arriving at 8 a.m. outside the civil-military affairs center, established in a government building in central Baghdad. Two tank platoons and an engineer platoon set up lanes and holding areas outside the office to screen potential applicants. The applicants were asked to line up according to their skills. That caused a bit of opportunism. ``When we said we needed plumbers and electricians, everyone became a plumber and electrician,'' said Lt. Col. Philip DeCamp, commander of the task force. ``When we asked for people with credentials to line up, most people left the line. People are so anxious for work, they're willing to do anything.'' Abdul Wahab Jamal, 50, was hired as an interpreter on the spot to help control the lines. A former Kuwait Airways aircrew chief, he spoke flawless English - a skill badly needed as U.S. soldiers try to work with Baghdad residents. ``These people really want jobs, and they are beginning to trust the Americans more,'' Jamal said. Hear that, Kofi? Simms said they military will pay cash to the people they hire. They will be assigned all over Baghdad. Eventually, the new government will take responsibility for paying and supervising the workers. In some areas - water, electricity and police, among others - Simms said the military hired supervisors who worked for the old government and authorized them to rehire people. The military will also hire U.S. government contractors to take over some responsibilities. Just make sure we de-Ba'ath these supervisors. On Tuesday, Simms said he planned to start hiring unskilled labor to start clearing away debris left by the war. ``If you look at some of these buildings, they need a lot of cleaning,'' he said. Which will put some more money in the hands of average Iraqis. Not a bad start. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #3 You're right; that is not a bad start. |
| Posted by: KP 2003-04-21 19:04:08 |
| #2 It's nice to know that $20 US still buys something. Keep 'em busy, idle hands are the devil's playthings. Especially rich idle hands. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-04-22 00:40:30 |
| #1 "Just make sure we de-Ba'ath these supervisors." Anybody else thinking of Patton? |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2003-04-21 13:09:24 |