Sign of Hope: Iraqi School Rebuilds
One Iraqi school takes off to a good start for the first time in a long time.
Oct. 18, 2007 — -- In Fallujah, Iraq, U.S. Marines have gone from fighting insurgents to handing out gifts — it's a true sign of progress in what was once one of the most dangerous parts of the country.
A school in Fallujah, visited by ABC News, is now packed with children. It's a sight that presents a stark contrast to what the city has seen in recent years.
Ten-year-old Mazin Nohaad, the star student, says the last few years here have been nothing but destruction.
This year is different. Marines and Iraqi police are doing something that has never happened at his school. They are handing out book bags, school supplies and T-shirts. It is a small sign of how things are improving. On the first day of school, officials enrolled 300 students. That's the most number they've had since before the war.
The Marines brought the gifts, but they are making sure the Iraqis are handing them out.
Just eight months ago, Marines were battling suicide bombers and al Qaeda.
Today, rebuilding has replaced the fighting. They are working alongside Fallujahns, trying to rebuild a town that has been devastated by war.
It's a stunning turn.
Marines no longer patrol the streets here; they handed that duty over to Iraqi police.
Col. Rich Simcock, the Fallujah battlefield commander, has seen his mission change drastically.
"That's really been the key to it … getting them aboard to work with us to improve the security situation," Simcock said.
The school still needs help; the kids barely have enough desks. Sewage runs through the schoolyard.
But with security and enrollment up, these kids are having the best first day of school in a long time.
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