Vacationers play soccer off the shore of Lake Habbaniyah

Vacationers play soccer off the shore of Lake Habbaniyah at the Tourist Village resort and hotel compound April 6. One Marine official said it was the first time in five years that Iraqi college students have visited Tourist Village for their spring break. The resort was a popular spot for families and honeymooners in the 1980s, and continued to attract tourists throughout the Middle East until the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Some of the necessary repairs and planning have begun with help from Marines with Charlie Battery, 1st Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division – deployed to Camp Taqaddum with the 1st Marine Logistics Group – but Marine and Iraqi officials said further improvements to the existing facilities must be made to bring the resort back to its former prominence.