CAMP KOREAN VILLAGE, Iraq -- Rebuilding Iraq is a long difficult process, but there are Marines up to the task of helping the country and its people get back on their feet.
Corporal Morgan J. Hendrickson, driver/civil affairs assistant, 5th Civil Affairs Group in support of 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion is one of those Marines.
Hendrickson’s primary job is driving the civil affairs team leader and his fellow CAG members on operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He does more than just drive though.The Fairfax, Va. native, and the other members of CAG work are currently working to reestablish
h water supplies and rebuild or improve hospitals and schools as well as other vital infrastructures of the towns in Western Iraq.
“I help set up meetings with the local town leaders,” Hendrickson explained. “We try to figure out what their towns need most and then help them prioritize their needs.”
The 29-year-old Marine finds it rewarding to help the people of Iraq during a tumultuous time for the country. We would definitely come out here again. The deployment so far has been great,” he stated.
The nature of his deployment, specifically the short time span, doesn’t allow Hendrickson to always see the final product of the civil-military projects he assists in.
“It is hard to complete something in the time that we are here. We are seeing projects get completed that the people before us started,” he said. “It is hard because our projects are on such a grand scale.”