U.S. Ambassador visits Joint Base Balad in Iraq
April 27th, 2010 - 11:31 pm ICT by BNO NewsJOINT BASE BALAD, IRAQ (BNO NEWS) – The United States Ambassador to Iraq, Ambassador Christopher Hill visited Joint Base Balad last Friday, U.S. Forces said Tuesday.
The ambassador made the trip to visit with base leadership just one year after being appointed to the position, with the objective to better understand the work that Balad’s provincial reconstruction team (PRT) is doing to prepare Iraq for its future. Hill received an update of many programs and missions civilians and servicemembers perform on a daily basis.
“There is no doubt that Balad will remain robust until the last moments of the drawdown,” Ambassador Hill said. “Balad represents the civilian military operation we have going on in Iraq. If we succeed in Iraq, and I do believe we will, it will be because U.S. civilians and U.S. military members came together to make one team and one mission.”
“The Ambassador’s visit was great,” said Ben Fluhart, PRT team lead. “It gave him the opportunity to see firsthand what we are doing to prepare for the eventual handover of this base to the Iraqis. At the same time, it gave the Iraqi leaders, with whom he met, the chance to hear a perspective on their country from our senior diplomat.”
The U.S. is hoping to establish a long-standing relationship with Iraq, promoting “good neighbor” programs like Iraqi Kids Day, Iraqi firefighter training and offering continuing education for the Iraqi medical health professionals that will better the country’s situation today and tomorrow.
“We want to have a long term relationship with Iraq,” Ambassador Hill said. “It’s not easy. There is an economic dimension, a political dimension and also a human dimension. These kinds of outreach programs where you bring in kids on to the base - for many kids it is a very exciting moment in their lives - they will remember Americans from these engagements.”
Balad and its PRT is one of the largest bases in Iraq, and it plays an important role in the country’s future. As Ambassador Hill put it, “One Iraqi’s experience with the entire United States of America is based on one meeting with one U.S. (civilian) or service member.”
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