During his tour of duty in Iraq, Army Capt. Mark Sauvageau visited Iraqi schools, observing the crowded classrooms and dirt playgrounds. On Thursday, the former Blaine County School District teacher shared photographs with Carey students, offering an educational look into Operation Iraqi Freedom.
"This is going to talk a lot about what's going on in the news and things going on that you don't hear about in the news ... This is something you should be very well educated in, because this affects your family and your nation," Sauvageau, of Bellevue, said.
During the two-hour presentation, Sauvageau detailed his experience with the U.S. Army's 163rd Infantry Battalion stationed in the northern tip of the Sunni triangle of northeastern Iraq. He left teaching fifth-grade students at Hailey Elementary in May 2004 to report for duty.
A captivated student body, including a handful of Sauvageau's former students from his teaching days in Carey, listened to the complexities of the Iraqi situation and routines of U.S. military life.
"Our job was to teach them what freedom is," he said.
Sauvageau was responsible for helping to secure the city of Hewijah and surrounding villages. With photographs and maps of the city, he explained the ethnic, economic, governmental and religious makeup of the area. The factual information, personal anecdotes and photographs brought color to the cultural, political and religious complexities of the region.
"We had to make sure we not only talked to the political leaders, but the traditional leaders as well," he said. "They have more clout than anyone else."
Explaining the importance of ethnic, religious, tribal, sub-tribal, political, militant and socio-economic affiliations, he brought students to the front of the auditorium. Each of the four students was assigned a series of labels to illustrate the many affiliations Iraqis use to identify themselves. Understanding the affiliations was vital to Sauvageau's missions, although he found the greatest challenge was fighting misinformation.
"Most of our fighting came through information ... word is better than sometimes shooting or blowing things up," he said.
Battling propaganda came with other missions, like sweeping the highway for bombs, handing toys to children, designing clean water systems and encouraging citizens to vote.
Hearing of his experiences, the students engaged the soldier in a multitude of questions. The high school class was interested in everything from the taste of military food to justifications for the war.
"We definitely have a rare treat today," Carey School Principal John Peck said.
Capt. Mark Sauvageau, formerly a Hailey Elementary School teacher, spoke to Carey High School students about the political upheaval in Iraq and his duties with the military. Photo by David N. Seelig
