A real sign of the change in how wars are fought in the COE...

...the Current Operating Environment.

Let's just say, when I went through Field Artillery Officer Basic in 1980, the Field Artillery Officer Advanced Course in 1985, and the Staff college in the early 90's - *this* was *not* on the curriculum. But look at what this field artillery battery commander does as a part of his duties.

'PATRIOTS' HOST SMALL BUSINESS SEMINAR

By 1st Lt. Brian Cooke
2nd Bn., 32nd FA Regt.

BAGHDAD - A Multi-National Division - Baghdad unit hosted a small business seminar Aug. 1 in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Yarmouk. "Patriots" from Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery Regiment, have been looking for ways to stimulate economic activity in Yarmouk since the battery took control of the area in early March.

For the past several months, Capt. Jayson Morgan, the battery commander, has been telling local merchants about the small business micro-grant program run by Coalition Forces, but the process of securing a grant turned out to be too complicated for many local business owners.
The seminar, hosted by Bravo Battery in conjunction with 2nd Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Infantry Division, was held in the banquet hall of the Yarmouk Health Club.

Dr. Faleh al-Mansour, chairman of the Yarmouk Neighborhood Advisory Council, recommended the location for the seminar and assisted in publicizing the event throughout the area, along with Sheik Samir, the imam of a nearby mosque. Both community leaders attended the event to act as liaisons between the attendees and Coalition Forces.

The main purpose of the seminar was to give local business owners a guide to apply for small business micro-grants. Local entrepreneurs can apply for grants up to $2,500 to help start new businesses or expand existing ones. Loans in larger amounts also are available if the business owner applies and meets certain requirements.

To help explain the technical parts of the application process, two representatives from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), spoke during the seminar. 1st Lt. Alex Barnett, 2nd Battalion, 32nd Field Artillery's civil military officer and battalion manager of the micro-grant program, also addressed the application process.

Forty-nine men and three women attended the seminar; a number that far exceeded Morgan's expectations. The turnout is evidence of the burgeoning popularity of the micro-grant program. By the end of the seminar, three business owners already were filling out applications,
and two dozen more applications were distributed for later use.

"This is just the beginning," said Morgan after the event. "I've been getting calls all day from Iraqis about when we're having the next one. Clearly the word has gone out that today's seminar was a success."