European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 4, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pages stars and stripes wednesday april 4 2007 n 41s an apologetic headmaster of an iraqi school pleads with a f or s us army lieutenant and his 8raqiirrterpreter to stay for drinks after students threw stones at the lieutenants Patro sunday in the Balandiat neighbourhood of East Baghdad Monte comp stars and stripes offering gis in Baghdad vexed by Roek reception at one school during Mission to help neighbourhood by Monte Morin stars and stripes Baghdad first it Peter Friend was in a generous mood the 25yearold Durham no native was tooling through East Baghdad Balandiat neighbourhood with a line of gun trucks sunday looking to dispense reconstruction Aid at every school he could find were the new unit in charge of this area Friend told one school principal after another this area has been very cooperative with coalition forces and we want to Reward that by contributing to the infrastructure like other platoon leaders in company d 1st battalion 8th cavalry regiment Friend was or dered to come up with five Aid projects in his sector reconstruction jobs that would warm the hearts and wallets of local iraqis schools were an obvious place to Start in this overwhelmingly shiite neighbourhood on the outskirts of Sadr City the almost unanimous response that teachers gave Friend and other platoon leaders was that they really needed electricity water and sewage gifts of computers would do no Good unless they had the juice to run them and the City supplied Only 60 minutes of Power every five hours that was on a Good Day Friend and the other platoons pressed on though promising to add new generators classrooms chalkboards Walls and windows to a collection of crowded weath Verworn school buildings but 2nd platoons motorcade of generosity came to a sudden tire squealing halt sunday when students at one school started lob Bing stones at their humvee the first fist sized Rock arced Over the playground Wall and bounced off the roof of the Lead vehicle other missiles followed although the Armor on a seven ton humvee is More than a match for rocks a Well placed Stone could seriously injure or at least ring the Bell of a Turret gunner who sits partially exposed in the gunners Hatch none of the gunners was injured sunday but soldiers fumed Over the Hail of rocks part of this anger was historic roughly three months ago a militant fired a Rock a propelled grenade at the Pla Toon and was thought to have escaped into the same school friends men piled out of their humvee and swarmed on the school As a group of soldiers fanned out Over the playground Friend found the schools head master a Middle aged Man with a comb Over and paunch we were going to come Here and make improvements to this school Friend told the headmaster a who sat at his desk but when we drove up Here we started getting hit with a lot of rocks the schoolmaster fired up a Miami cigarette and responded through an interpreter some times they dont know How to treat the Freedom in sorry he said with an anxious Grin in not sure we can come Here and do projects if we get hit with rocks like that Friend said the situation during the last few years makes the kids do bad things and the school can do Noth ing the headmaster said at this Point one of friends men leaned through the doorway and spoke excitedly there still throwing rocks sir the Soldier said i  give them anything with the situation worsening Friend ended the visit for the safety of your kids and for the safety of my soldiers were leaving Friend said and started for the door the headmaster stood at his desk and extended his right Arm with the tips of his fingers and thumb clasped tightly an Arab hand gesture signifying patience stay he said in English you must have a drink please a drink Friend was already out the door Back in his humvee he Shook his head i dont have a lot of patience for that the lieutenant said they say they cant control them Well Ive been to a lot of schools where they dont throw rocks at us Friend said that sunday want the first time he and his men had been stoned but it was the first time it happened in a relatively Wel Todo neighbourhood like bal Adit Rock throwers were More common in poverty stricken areas adjacent to the Mahdi army stronghold of Sadr City that school we were just at in kind of surprised Friend said if s an affluent neighbor Hood it kind of concerns me a Little someones giving these kids that idea to throw rocks email Monte Morin at the us military first amendment newspaper bus totally free of control and censorship