Airmen help restore sullied cemetery

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Josh Moshier
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
CAMP HABBANIYAH, Iraq (AFPN) --  The Golden Rule is "do unto others as you would have them do unto to you." A group of Airmen assigned to the 732nd Regional Support Unit at Camp Habbaniyah, Iraq, have taken that rule to heart.

Volunteers here have put in close to 200 hours cleaning up and maintaining of a British cemetery located on the camp. The cemetery dates back to the early 1940s and is a remnant of when the camp was known as Royal Air Force Habbaniyah.

British forces were forced from RAF Habbaniyah in 1959. That is when the proper care and upkeep of the cemetery ended and random acts of vandalism began. Tombstones, grave sites and religious symbols were desecrated and destroyed, and the grounds were neglected for more than 60 years. About 300 British and Commonwealth servicemembers and civilians are buried at the cemetery.

Coalition forces reclaimed control of Camp Habbaniyah shortly after the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Still, the cemetery remained untouched until earlier this year when a British citizen working at the base recognized the sorry state of the cemetery and determined something needed to be done to return honor to those buried there.

When members of the 732nd RSU Habbaniyah learned of the project, they quickly volunteered to assist.

"This is a sacred area," said Tech. Sgt. John Thompson, 732nd RSU Habbaniyah base defense unit. "You can see all the young soldiers who died here. We felt we had to do our part to pay our respect."

The Airmen have performed such chores as cleaning up trash, debris and grass, and propping up tombstones that were knocked over or broken, Sergeant Thompson said.

The simple act of cleaning up wasn't as easy as it sounds.

"It was a daunting task," Sergeant Thompson said. "It had been more than 60 years since anyone even thought of taking care of this place, but we were very passionate about what we were doing."

Now that the site is cleaned up, officials hope to refurbish and rebuild the cemetery.

That task will be completed by a British war cemeteries committee, Sergeant Thompson said. However, work will not begin until the region is considered safe enough for a civilian group to enter.

Until then, 732nd RSU Habbaniyah Airmen plan to continue doing their part.

"We want to keep the cemetery in as good a shape as possible until (the British committee) gets here," Sergeant Thompson said. "We're going to keep on it. If our roles were reversed, we know they would do the same for us -- just look at all our cemeteries in Europe."

Brigadier Gen. Robin Rand the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander expressed pride in the efforts of the Airmen.

"What a solemn but dignified gift," the general said. "These men and families buried here deserve better, and I'm pleased to know our Airmen are doing their part to provide that."

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