Lt. Col. Michael Shrout, a native of Renton, Wash., and commander of Task Force 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, speaks about future projects, Jan. 8, with Kadim Attia, chairman of the Marquez Mada'in Nahia council in Salman Pak, southeast of Baghdad. Both attended a ceremony to mark the beginning of a refurbishment project for two boy's secondary schools and the start of Operation Iron Gator. The school's renovations are part of an operation aimed at expanding essential services in the Marqez Mada'in area.