DIYANAH, Iraq  - “Rebuilding  Iraq” and “winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people” are not  merely catch phrases for the Soldiers of the 133rd Engineer  Battalion.

Throughout the Irbil Province in northeastern  Iraq, the Maine Army National Guard Soldiers are making  infrastructure improvements that are greatly benefiting the  residents of the region.

In villages throughout the province, several  new schools have been constructed and plans to renovate two more  schools and build three new medical clinics are underway. Travel  throughout the region has also been made much easier since two major  bypass roads were completed around the cities of Kaliphan and  Diyanah.

“All traffic  from the Iran border crossings goes through this area to get to  Irbil, so this will be a major thoroughfare and greatly relieve  congestion in the cities,” said Capt. Dean Preston of Pembroke,  Maine, commander of Company A.

The appreciation of the Iraqi citizens is  clearly evident as the engineers travel by convoy from their base  camp to the project sites throughout the region. Drivers of oncoming  cars flash their headlights, honk their horns and wave out their  windows. In every village they pass through children and adults  alike line the roadways smiling, waving and giving the “thumbs up”  sign.

In the village of Brayte, where the Soldiers  spent eight weeks building a new primary school, local residents  visited the work site every day bringing fruit and tea. By the time  the project was completed many close friendships were forged.

“The Kurdish people in this area are very  family oriented so they really appreciate what we’re doing for their  children and they are very welcoming of us,” said Sgt. 1st Class  Todd Thompson of Skowhegan, Maine, who served as the noncommissioned  officer in charge of the construction project.

“It makes you feel good to look back at the end  of the day and see that you’ve accomplished something,” he added.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony held September  10 the entire village turned out for the celebration, with children  swarming around the Soldiers giving them hugs.

“There is always more you can do, so I wish we  could stay longer,” said Preston.

From late May to early September the Soldiers  of Company A were in charge of all projects in Irbil Province,  operating out of an Iraqi Border Patrol Fort near Diyanah. After  dedicating their last school project September 10, they rotated back  to the battalion’s base camp in Mosul and transferred authority for  the area to the Soldiers of Company C.

Capt. Michael Mitchell of Skowhegan, Maine,  Company C Commander, said his Soldiers are looking forward to using  their engineering skills again after several months of performing  force protection duties in the Mosul area.

Over the next three months the Soldiers of  Company C will build three clinics from the ground up, in addition  to renovating two existing schools and improving several area roads.