AP.
Lt. Col. Bradley Becker, from Sacramento CA, commands the 2nd Battalion
of the 8th Artillery Regiment. He is also a fourth generation warrior.
His approach includes:
Lt. Col. Bradley Becker, from Sacramento CA, commands the 2nd Battalion
of the 8th Artillery Regiment. He is also a fourth generation warrior.
His approach includes:
- Town Hall meetings: About six people showed up for the first
meeting early this year – but the latest, on Tuesday, drew about 300.
Much of it took a townhall tone, hearing complaints about gasoline
shortages and inquiries about arrested fellow tribesmen. - Employment (not bribes): In return for the sheiks' help,
Becker says he has spent close to $1 million on reconstruction jobs
employing hundreds of tribesmen. - Pragmatism: “Am I here to make social change so women can
smoke cigarettes and drive cars? No.'' said Becker. “We're here to
provide security and build infrastructure and a democratic society.'' - Collaboration: Now mukhtars bring in some of the area's most
wanted men with just a phone call from U.S. commanders, Becker said,
relieving his soldiers from having to raid suspected homes. U.S.
officials say the mukhtars value the reconstruction aid and do not want
to return to the days when they were caught between U.S. and insurgent
battles. - Respect and local knowledge: He has attended the funeral of
every Iraqi soldier killed in his sector, and he knows the names of
villages that even his locally recruited translators haven't heard of.