On The Scene: War For Hearts, Minds
CBS News Correspondent John Roberts is traveling with the U.S. Marines in southern Iraq.
For the Marines of the second light armored reconnaissance battalion, the fast-rolling war has slowed to a crawl. They strike out now not on combat missions but on a campaign to win the hearts and minds of Iraqi villagers. They bring food and medicine and get smiles in returns.
"I think initially it's a little bit of a surprise to them that we come in here and we're not trying to hurt them and then once you crack that crust it's very receptive," Lt. Col Eddie Ray, USMC said. "It's great, it's a great moment when that happens."
As welcome as the new relationship is for the villagers who have suffered for years under the iron grip of Saddam, it is beneficial for the Marines as well. They often pick up intelligence on local Baath party officials, whom the Marines say, have been forcing villagers under the threat of death to take up arms and shoot at Americans
This local area here, we're going around, we're going to check with all of these villages and if they have problems they can point out the bad guys to us and we'll take care of 'em," said Major Jeff Wiggins, USMC. "We'll round them up, take 'em back and then these people can be safe.
Even as locals scrambled for ration packages, Marines learned that a group of Saddam loyalists were planning a guerrilla style attack on an American position. Right after the food drop, the Marines raided the local Baath party headquarters and uncovered a cache of weapons.
Memories of another Gulf war still linger for villagers when they rose up against Saddam and paid with their lives.
"They had a revolution in 91 and the U.S. didn't support it and as a result, a lot of these Shiites, their families have been persecuted imprisoned tortured. They're still not convinced that we're serious," said Wiggins.
American forces insist it is still their ultimate goal to depose Saddam Hussein and change the leadership in Iraq. But a war that many people said would last but a week has already gone on twice that long and with each day that passes the issue of when Saddam goes is more and more in question.
Copyright 2009 CBS. All rights reserved. For the Marines of the second light armored reconnaissance battalion, the fast-rolling war has slowed to a crawl. They strike out now not on combat missions but on a campaign to win the hearts and minds of Iraqi villagers. They bring food and medicine and get smiles in returns.
"I think initially it's a little bit of a surprise to them that we come in here and we're not trying to hurt them and then once you crack that crust it's very receptive," Lt. Col Eddie Ray, USMC said. "It's great, it's a great moment when that happens."
As welcome as the new relationship is for the villagers who have suffered for years under the iron grip of Saddam, it is beneficial for the Marines as well. They often pick up intelligence on local Baath party officials, whom the Marines say, have been forcing villagers under the threat of death to take up arms and shoot at Americans
This local area here, we're going around, we're going to check with all of these villages and if they have problems they can point out the bad guys to us and we'll take care of 'em," said Major Jeff Wiggins, USMC. "We'll round them up, take 'em back and then these people can be safe.
Even as locals scrambled for ration packages, Marines learned that a group of Saddam loyalists were planning a guerrilla style attack on an American position. Right after the food drop, the Marines raided the local Baath party headquarters and uncovered a cache of weapons.
Memories of another Gulf war still linger for villagers when they rose up against Saddam and paid with their lives.
"They had a revolution in 91 and the U.S. didn't support it and as a result, a lot of these Shiites, their families have been persecuted imprisoned tortured. They're still not convinced that we're serious," said Wiggins.
American forces insist it is still their ultimate goal to depose Saddam Hussein and change the leadership in Iraq. But a war that many people said would last but a week has already gone on twice that long and with each day that passes the issue of when Saddam goes is more and more in question.
