NATION BUILDING IN MESOPOTAMIA: U.S. MILITARY ENGINEERS IN IRAQ

The motto of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is "Essayons," which is French for "Let us try." At every turn during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, Essayons has epitomized the response of U.S. military engineers to the monumental challenges that seem to arise every day. From planning the reconstruction of Iraq's national infrastructure to working with Iraqi doctors to get power to hospitals in downtown Baghdad, the response of U.S. military engineers has consistently been "Let us try." This is just one snapshot of a small group of military engineers who served in Kuwait and Iraq from January to July 2003 as part of a larger military and civilian team charged with the reconstitution of an entire nation.

On January 24, 2003, National security Presidential Directive 24 established the Post-War Planning Office to synchronize the efforts of multiple federal agencies to plan and execute post-hostilities operations in the event of war with Iraq. This organization, known as the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), was initially formed and led by Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, U.S. Army retired. Ambassador L. Paul Bremer succeeded him in May 2003.