A former Peachtree City resident stationed in Iraq is asking for various donations to help his company as they decompress in their off-time from patrolling central Ramadi.

Dustin M. Parker is with the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division as a forward observer who calls in fire strikes with artillery, mortars and close air support. He is proud of his company’s work in Ramadi.

“We have made this city our own, making sure that all of the locals feel secure and making sure that the locals come forward with any bit of intel that they might have regarding local insurgency activities,” Parker said in an e-mail to The Citizen. “... Though we have made great changes in this city, it is still very dangerous, and it is very hard to get any type of contracted companies to set up shop out here.”

Parker reported that his unit has “seemed to run most of the insurgents out of our area of operation.” Part of the success is due to building a strong relationship with the locals, the Iraqi police and the Iraqi army recently, Parker said.

Charlie Company’s Camp Corregidor is not as well off as some other military bases because there are no stores or coffee houses, Parker said.

On the plus side, the chow hall is “pretty good” and the 80-man company has running water for showers along with satellite Internet access and phones, which are paid for by the soldiers themselves, Parker reports. There are also power generators and a TV with a DVD player, which the company huddles around once in a while to relax, Parker said.

Parker is asking for small items such as Ramen noodles and wet wipes (to combat the wind-blown sand and clean up) in addition to items such as microwaves, coffee makers and DVDs.