Pruett doing more than serving his country

Robert "Oney" Pruett, a Kennett-native currently stationed in the war ravaged country of Iraq, has done much more than serve his country.

Pruett, who has been the author of a series of stories published in the Daily Dunklin Democrat, has also offered his talents and abilities to help the country of Iraq; especially its children.

"I had thought to help an orphanage when I first arrived here, but I was having trouble finding one," said Pruett, "One day I was talking to one of our Iraqi interpreters and she told me of a very poor, mostly Christian school in the Green Zone where I work. I was curious and decided to do a site survey."

This site survey lead to a rebuilding project that Kennett community members and all citizens of the United States should be very proud of. A project that originated mainly due to Pruett.

"I started to work on this daunting task immediately," said Pruett, "It started slowly with me buying fans with my own money for 26 classrooms. Next I put the word out for help on the KHS web-site and Memphis district. I e-mailed my personnel friends, churches and then people here at work in the Gulf Region Division. The people answered my prayers and the response has been over-whelming."

Pruett said that money funneled in from the Kennett and Memphis areas, along with care packages to the school and its students.

"We are now in the process of buying a few AC units and two copy machines," said Pruett, "We are purchasing books locally and getting help from libraries in the states to replenish their sadly depleted library."

Though this practice is very common in Iraq, it's not something you see much of in the national news.

When asked what he thought of the national media coverage of the war in Iraq, Pruett said that he was very disappointed.

"The nation's media coverage of the events in Iraq greatly bothers me," said Pruett, "They are extremely unfair and negative in my opinion. They show only the bad things and none of the good things that we are doing here. The Iraqi people I have talked and they want us here to help them rebuild this county. They hope for better lives."

"The Corps has already put more electrical power on-line in this country than they have ever had and we are going to make it much greater," said Pruett, "We are rebuilding schools, hospitals, bridges and doing many, many other great deeds. I am on the ground and I get to see and feel it; this good we are doing. Unfortunately, that does not sell papers or increase ratings."

Why does a man decide to leave his family and country to go to an area of war?

"9/11 made me mad as hell," said Pruett, "I volunteered to help my country anywhere and in anyway that I could. I was too old to join the military, but since I work for the Army, I thought there may be a chance I could help. They called me and the rest, as they say, is history."

Pruett, who was a former member of the United States Air Force during Vietnam, said that it was hard, at first, to be away from his family, but that is something common to him.

"It is very hard to be away from my family and friends, but it has always been that way for me," said Pruett, who has worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 33 years, "I have done river-field work that has kept me away from my family. I have worked on the Motor Vessel Mississippi since 1988, traveling all over the waterways of the nation, but mostly the Mississippi River doing flood control work for 6-8 months out of a year."

"I missed my step-daughter, Rachel (Mead) Cauble, growing up. I rarely made it home for school events. The same can be said with my nine nieces and nephews," said Pruett, "I am a lucky man though, as I love my job as a public servant and I enjoy helping people. I may sacrifice and the work may be difficult, but helping people is worth the time spent."

Pruett's dedication and efforts have not went unrecognized.

A high-ranking officer from the United States Army Corps of Engineers had very kind words to say about Pruett.

"Mr. Pruett is an incredible and impressive man," said Tom O'Hara, deputy public affairs officer for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Gulf Region division in Baghdad, "His effort has been to assist the Green Zone school. While this type of effort is not unprecedented, his efforts are still very much commendable."

"Oney is very modest and would not request this of me," said O'Hara, "But I think highly of this gentleman and hope to keep the bar raised as high as he has left it when he returns home this summer."

Pruett said that what he does was not about recognition, it was about one thing; pride.

"This is helping the future of Iraq," said Pruett, "I take pride in wearing the uniform of my country. Not long ago these children were taught to be afraid of us. Many of us are changing that concept."

Pruett is set to be back in approximately a month-and-a-half, giving a special meaning to a national holiday.

"I plan on being at my brother-in-law's house, David Henderson, to see my sister, my mother, and the rest of my family on the 4th of July," said Pruett, "It will be an Independence Day with a special meaning for me."