Army officer lends ear to Iraqis over radio
By James Janega Tribune staff reporter
One caller wants to know why she can't attend the trials of her family members. The next claims his house was robbed of 3 million dinars after a raid, and he wants it back. A third asks about Western medical attention for a critically ill child.
On the live call-in radio show, the main guest is the head of the U.S.-led occupation in Tikrit, the callers are local residents, and the questions they ask tell the story of the occupation in Iraq.
"There's just so many ways that we can defeat the insurgency," says Lt. Col. Todd Wood of the 3rd Infantry Division after the show last week. "One of the ways is to change perception. If we can do that, the people will change."
Wood, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 70th Infantry Regiment, deals daily with infantry patrols, bankrolls local improvement projects and directs raids on suspected insurgents.
But he thinks one of the most powerful tools at his disposal is the live radio show on FM 96.5, on which he stars each Thursday afternoon.
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