This is the kind of story that the main stream media should be focusing on. It’s an artical about a local hero from The Pottstown Mercury, a Pennsylvania suburban news paper.
The contributions on the world stage of a Spring-Ford Area High School graduate were noted last week in a local tribute.
For those who may have missed the story, Jim Haldeman, Spring-Ford class of 1973, returned for the Friday night football game against Pottsgrove and was honored for his work as a Marine officer in Iraq.
Haldeman’s contributions were not on the battle front; they were in the rebuilding phase. He was called out of retirement from the military to build a new government for the people of Fallujah and to help restore their city. Haldeman recently completed his special assignment and returned to his home in Rhode Island.
“Basically, I ran Fallujah,” said Haldeman, the director of civil military operations center. “I was responsible for re-establishing the entire government through the democratic process. I was there to educate people about government. I worked to build a judicial system, to establish a police force, to rebuild the city and to bridge the gap between the citizens and the military.”
Fallujah was severely damaged last year during a U.S. military assault aimed at clearing the city of insurgents, Haldeman said. In addition to re-establishing a government, Haldeman worked to get Iraqi dollars for the people so their homes could be rebuilt.
Haldeman said he has seen tremendous progress in the city since arriving last February, but there is much still to be done. “The population has increased from approximately 100,000 to 200,000. Economic development is starting to occur. People are employed. Shops and services are starting to trickle in. The streets are cleaner,” he said.
“It may seem insignificant to you and I, but not too long ago I saw a shop open up over there that was selling wedding gowns,” Haldeman said. “That’s progress, seeing people who want to move back in and start a family. I was just so happy to see that people are comfortable to come back and start their lives.”
In a marked contrast to election turnouts in this country, Haldeman said 66 percent of the people recently went to the polls to vote on their constitution. On Dec. 15, they will vote on their parliament in the national election. “We expected 45 or 50,000 people to come out and vote,” Haldeman said. “But 88,000 people turned out.”
Among Haldeman’s work was talking to people about the voting process and the importance of voting. He recalled one particular day when he asked a crowd of about 200 Iraqis how many of them planned on voting,and the entire crowd responded with thunderous applause. “They were giddy with excitement,” Haldeman said. “They were clapping for themselves because they were happy they were going to vote. It was profound that they were going to partake in the democratic process.”
Though he admitted he has little background in politics — actually “none, whatsoever” — Haldeman changed the lives of tens of thousands of people in only eight months.
The rebuilding of an area of the world that has seen as much suffering and upheaval as Fallujah represents a remarkable contribution. Haldeman is a true local hero.
