Karkh Area Command Graduates First Class of Strike Team Soldiers

By Sgt. 1st Class Ron Burke
MND-B PAO

BAGHDAD – Sixty-nine Iraqi Army Soldiers stood at attention on the parade field at al-Muthana Air Base, here, Oct. 19, during a graduation ceremony for the first class of the Karkh Area Command Strike Team.
IA Soldiers from six different units, that formed the new team, trained together for six weeks under the tutelage of combat advisors from the U.S. Air Force, special operations, the KAC Advisory Team, and D Troop, Division Special Troops Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division.

Training focused on movement and weapons skills, advanced small unit tactics, mounted combat patrols, intelligence gathering, explosives ordinance disposal, and physical fitness training, which culminated in a combat patrol in west Rashid.
“This is the first class of the Strike Team that will eventually number over 400 Soldiers,” said Capt. John Stires, of Palatine, Ill., the KAC Advisory Team operations officer. “The Strike Team will be responsible for all quick response operations for Multi-National Division—Baghdad west of the Tigris River.”
The Strike Team was formed from collaborations between Iraqi Staff Gen. Ali Hamadi, the Karkh Area Commander and Brig. Gen. Frederick Rudesheim, the deputy commanding general for support with MND-B.
“We are honored that you are the first members of the Strike Team,” said Ali during the ceremony. “We will serve Iraq, the Iraqi citizens and ensure security in Baghdad from insurgents and terrorists. We are very proud of the Karkh area units and this training class. Our thanks to Coalition forces who helped mold the Strike Team.”
The Soldiers of D Troop, who trained the IA Soldiers, reflected on the last six weeks they’ve spent with them before the ceremony.


“These [IA] Soldiers have a lot of combat experience but no specific methods,” said Sgt. Jose Munoz, a KAC instructor assigned to D Troop, DSTB, 1st Cav. Div. “We’re teaching them how to be more effective and make them better Soldiers,” said the Santa Barbara, Calif. native.
Sgt. Juan Bracero, another KAC instructor from Chicago, also assigned to D Troop, added that training goes back to muscle memory and they showed the Iraqis how to execute day-to-day operations and pretty soon they started doing everything on their own.
“We’ve accomplished something here,” said Spc. Ervin Lee, a cavalry scout from Columbiana, Ohio. “They knew the principles of things like room clearing and we fine-tuned that. Now they’ll be able to teach more of their own guys.”
The IA soldiers’ enthusiasm and dedication did not go unnoticed.


“We know you’ve worked hard to get here,” said Rudesheim during his speech to the Soldiers standing in formation. “You are proud examples of the Iraqi Army and your mission is more important than gaining trust. It’s about demonstrating to the Iraqi people that you can function as an elite unit within the Iraqi Army.”
With the sun was settling below the horizon, the Strike Team was called to attention, the command signaling the end of the ceremony. It may have been the end of the day, but it was the beginning of a new chapter for the IA and its Strike Team.

VBC Service Members, Iraqi Scouts Leave Their Mark on Community

By Sgt. 1st Class Ron Burke, MND-B PAO

VICTORY BASE COMPLEX, Iraq – Twenty-five children lined up outside the entrance to Saddam Hussein’s old Flintstone Palace, on Camp Slayer, here, August 2. The boys and girls were split into two groups, each led by a volunteer service member. Maj. Gary Farley, an Iraqi Ground Forces Command Military Transition Team advisor for Multi-National Corps - Iraq, led one of the groups up the winding path to the entrance of the main structure while the other group was led around the palace to the edge of a man-made lake.


Today, the Iraqi Boy Scouts and Girl Guides of Victory Base Complex ventured out to begin a community service project and learn a little about fishing. The organization recently celebrated its one-year anniversary after establishing a scout camp and community to teach valuable scouting lessons and implement new sporting activities for the area’s youth. Over 100 service members take time from their schedules and meet with the children each Saturday.

After Iraq embraced the scouting movement during the British occupation in 1921, its Boy Scout and Girl Guide program became a member of the World Organization Scouting Movement. Due to war and instability, it has been decertified twice by the World Organization Scouting Movement. After its one year mark this past April, the program is only growing stronger.

Inside the main structure of the Flintstone Palace, Farley led the children through the doorway. The children look around, wide-eyed, at the graffiti that has accumulated over the years, and a linguist explained to the children what they were to do.


The Flintstone Palace was commissioned by Saddam Hussein for his grandchildren and modeled after the neighborhood in the Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Over the years, the unused structure has fallen into disrepair in some areas and is covered with graffiti. The scouts’ mission was to beautify the building after learning its history and take a break by fishing from the back porch of the building.

“Maj. Raheem wanted to do something off site,” said Farley, who is from Gowanda, N.Y. “We wanted to show the kids that this place is part of their history and that community service begins by connecting ideas and bringing people together to accomplish a mission,” he added as the linguist finished explaining what was required of the children. Maj. Raheem Falah, a member of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces, and Farley have worked together for several months now, organizing events for the children.

The kids wasted no time grabbing paintbrushes and paint. With VBC service members by their sides, they began white-washing the walls of the palace as other service members took care of the higher areas with rollers.


On the porch outside the palace, the water glistened as the sun slowly drifted west. Small groups of scouts and service members huddled over fishing poles, showing the children how to bait the hooks, swing the poles back and cast the lines. Once the children understood what do to, they began to cast out, disturbing the water’s smooth surface as each baited hook plopped down.

Spc. David Hughes, an ammunition specialist with 2nd Platoon, 664th Ordinance Company, 10th Sustainment Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Multi-National Division-Baghdad, and 13-yr old Mohammad picked their spot and were baiting their line.
“I got a 2-yr old back home and I’d like someone to do this with my daughter if the opportunity came up,” said Hughes, a Branchville, S.C. native.


On the edge of the structure that resembled a balcony, Maj. Raheem blew a whistle, signaling that the groups needed to switch places. Children who were fishing eagerly climbed the steps leading to the main building, entered the rounded doorway, and picked up the brushes that their fellows dropped in the pans and began covering the spray-painted walls. Others who were painting now stood at the water’s edge with their eyes fixed on a linguist who explained how to set up their fishing poles as they were picking at the dried paint on their hands.

Back inside the main building, 1st Lt. Jacqueline Zuluaga, an ambulance platoon leader with the 256th Area Support Medical Company, 421st Multifunctional Medical Battalion, 1st Medical Command, attached to MND-B, seemed to be everywhere at once. The Florida National Guard Soldier, who was one of the event’s main planners, was shoving water bottles into the icy depths of a big cooler.


“We wanted the children to paint the palace and clean up the graffiti here,” said the Orlando native. “It’s more for them than for us. Scouting is all about giving back to the community and here they’re doing that and establishing a new footprint. This can empower them to take ownership of their community,” she said.

As the children moved from room to room, they would stop and marvel at the explosion of color on one large wall where Abdul Sajad, an artist, was hard at work painting a mural depicting a summer landscape with flowers and birds in flight.


After both groups had painted and tried their new-found skill at fishing, they lined up outside the rear entrance of the building. Each child came in, dipped their palms in colorful paint, and left their little handprints on the wall.

“The kids need to learn about giving back,” said 1st Lt. Jessica Burton, of the 644th Ordinance Detachment, 620th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 10th Sus. Bde., 1st Cav. Div., MND-B. “They can learn to take pride in their work and in their community. These kids weren’t even allowed here in Saddam’s time,” said the New Braunfels, Texas, native who serves the officer in charge of an ammunition supply point.

“The handprints signify them leaving their mark and when they come back they can say ‘Hey that’s my hand,’” said Farley as he watched the smiling children pressing their painted palms on the walls. “I hope this artwork deters any future graffiti,” he added.


Outside the main entrance, the high-pitched squeal of a power drill attracted the scouts. A sign was being fixed to the wall. It read in Arabic and English: “Restoring one place at a time. The Iraqi Boy Scouts and Girl Guides worked to improve this site. Please keep Iraq beautiful. The future of Iraq thanks you.”
“Another group of kids will come next month to continue the painting until it’s finished,” said Farley. Thanks to dedicated service members and the youth of Iraq, the eyesore at the edge of Camp Slayer can be a place of pride for the community that surrounds it.

Mile-long Training Trek Concludes Combat Lifesaver Class

By Sgt. 1st Class Ron Burke
MND-B PAO

BAGHDAD – As the sun slowly rose beyond the palm trees on signal hill, Soldiers worked together in two teams of nine to complete a mile-long combat lifesaver training exercise to end a three-day CLS course, here, July 22.

“Okay, everyone set?” asked Sgt. Janelle Graham, a combat medic and course instructor with Headquarters Support Company, Division Special Troops Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division. “You need to do a fireman’s carry from here to the quarter-mile mark.”

Soldiers in full gear lined up with stretchers, skeds and aid bags as the Sacramento, Calif. native explained the first task. On her signal, one Soldier on each team was hoisted onto the shoulders of another and the whole team shuffled down the road. On cues from the medics, teams stopped and switched ‘casualties’ and equipment so everyone got a chance to complete the first task.


The teams, sweaty and focused, worked to keep up with the demands of the medics.
“Skeds! Get your casualty on a sked! Your casualty has a gunshot wound on their left leg!” shouted Graham. As Soldiers placed their ‘casualties’ on the skeds, Graham eyed the placement of the straps across the ‘casualty’s’ chest and legs. As one team member strapped on a combat tourniquet to an ‘injured’ leg, another applied an emergency trauma bandage. Then the teams lugged their equipment and their casualty on their improvised litter to the half-mile marker.


“Okay, you need to administer IV’s,” yelled Graham as the teams reached the marker. Teams switched to four-man litters and quickly gathered items needed for an intravenous injection out of their combat lifesaver bags.

Securely strapped to her litter, Pfc. Lauren McKeehan, a supply clerk with HSC, DSTB, 1st Cav. Div., from Texarkana, Ark., extended her arm to Pfc. Kenny Lawson of Battery E, 3rd Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment from Philadelphia, who quickly applied a tourniquet and had IV fluid flowing into her vein in less than two minutes. After taping the line to her arm, Lawson, an air defense control computer operator and maintainer, held the bag of fluid aloft as he and the rest of his team took off for the finish line.


Everything the Soldiers have learned the past two days was being put to the test. Day one of instruction consisted of controlling bleeding of an extremity, opening and maintaining the airway, treating penetrating chest wounds and decompressing a tension pneumothorax. Training on day two consisted of evacuating a casualty using a sked or improvised litter, inserting a nasopharyngeal airway tube, initiating a saline lock, administering an intravenous infusion and initiating a medevac card and requesting a medical evacuation. The CLS class usually lasts five days but, in a deployed environment, there is a limited amount of time that Soldiers can be away from their daily duties so the class is taught and evaluated in three days.
“I like that there is a lot of hands-on training,” said McKeehan. “You get to interact with new people and there are a lot of things that have changed since the last time I took a CLS class in Korea.”

Lots of things are changing.

“All Soldiers are now required to be combat lifesaver certified,” said Capt. Marolyn Pearson, the division’s senior physician’s assistant assigned to HSC, DSTB, 1st Cav. Div. “If we’re in a mass casualty situation, encounter an improvised explosive device, or injuries during a patrol, there are usually one or two medics around,” she added. “If a medic is not available, a Soldier who is CLS qualified can do almost anything a medic can do.”

Fatigue set in as Graham warned about communication and teamwork when lifting and lowering the litter as McKeehan’s teammates shuffled along the side of the road, struggling, stopping and switching out from carrying the litter to carrying equipment. The end was in sight and Cpl. Michael Warren, an information technology specialist with Company B, DSTB, 1st Cav. Div., encouraged his team. “We’re almost there, keep it up!” Warren, who hails from Dexter, Mo., led his team past the finish line. The Soldiers lowered the litter and proceeded to suck in air and suck down water.


With the exercise complete for team one, Lawson withdrew the IV from McKeehan’s arm and the team moved to some shade to wait on team two. As they waited and drank water, Warren pulled out his notes and began reviewing his team for the written test that was set for later in the day.

“You really have to learn to depend on each other,” said Pfc. Seth Crowell, a supply clerk with Company A, DSTB, 1st Cav. Div. “Communication is important and I’ve also learned that you have to be conditioned or you’ll burn out physically. It was a good experience,” the Buffalo, N.Y. native said as he poured water over his head. “I have a new respect for medics.”

The combat medic who taught the class and supervised the practical exercises for the past three days was happy about the results.

“I saw a lot of good teamwork today,” said Graham. “Lawson and his team did great with the IV, they were communicating, and I think they need to work on their PT [physical training] more,” she said as she walked back to her ambulance.
“I’m proud of them,” said Graham. “They all passed and we now have 18 more combat lifesavers here to help if needed.”

Edgar Allan Poe Works Magic in Baghdad

Did that title catch your attention?? "...let me tell you how healthily, how calmly I can tell you this story..."

Since I've started to take over the English portion of the GT Improvement class, I noticed that students have to read passages and then answer questions about main idea, author's point of view, or what a word means in a sentence. They also have the word knowledge portion where they get a word in a sentence and have to pick out the one-word definition from the four answer choices below.

One of the small passages on their last homework assignments was the first two paragraphs of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart. Now, if you ever talk to one of my former students, you'd know that I love teaching Poe. I time it to where I can teach all the Poe stuff (Tell-Tale Heart, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death) during Halloween. I decorate my room and everything. The kids love it and I'm pretty sure a lot of them remember it well.

Anyways, we went over the passage and the questions. I told the Soldiers that I have the complete story and if they wanted the whole thing. They all said yes so I went to work. The next day of English I came in and handed it out. We then read it out loud and I was amused at the faces that some of them were making as we were reading. They obviously haven't read that story before or haven't seen it in a long time. A lot of them liked it though...and of course, I went nuts with how and why the narrator did this and that.



I then used that piece to review main idea, vocabulary via context clues (Poe's vocabulary is extensive), and sequence of events....all needed for the AFCT (Armed Forces Classification Test) that they'll take this weekend to try to increase their GT score.

I talked to several of the Soldiers last night, asking them why they're taking the class. A couple just wanted to increase their score, a couple told me that their platoon sergeant made them take it, and there are several who are putting in a packet to become a warrant officer or will go OCS (Officer Candidate School).

For those who don't know, your GT score determines what type of job you can perform in the military. If you have a high GT score, there are more jobs that you can pick from when you sit down with a recruiter.

Next month, I'll be the primary English instructor for the class. It gives me something to do at night and keeps me fresh with my teaching stuff that I miss. I think that I'll end each class set (there are 6 classes a week for 3 weeks) with Poe.

So now I must go, "hark, it is the beating of his hideous heart!"

Like a Blanket Across the Sky...

I think I'm getting pretty familiar with the weather patterns here. Yesterday, it was pretty hot again...around 122. After chow we came back to the MOC and I noticed that the wind was picking up and there was a light haze in the air.

The afternoon passed and we went to chow again (dinner). By this time, the wind had increased and I could see a darker haze off on the horizon. I told SGT Fardette that it looked like we might get a dust storm soon. We ate dinner and I went to my CHU for the night.

When I woke up this morning, I looked up at the window and noticed the tan/orange light streaming in through the blinds. Great, I thought. When SFC Quebec opened the door to leave, I peered outside and saw that a dust storm had come in. I got out of bed and got dressed. When I went outside to brush my teeth it was like I was on Mars. There was a light orangish tint to the sky and you couldn't see beyond 75 feet or so. The good thing about this weather when it occurs during the day is it blots out the sun's direct rays.

When I went by the thermometer, I checked the temperature. It was 98 degrees at around 0930. Nice. Usually, by this time, it's approaching 105. So, although the dust storm isn't the best type of weather to be in, it does help keep the temperature from rising.

On my way to the fuel point, I took a couple pictures to give people back home an idea of what it looks like here during a dust storm. Enjoy...

Think Houston is hot?

We arrived here in Baghdad in early February. The weather was nice then...cool. Now, it's a virtual oven out there. The photo above was taken today in a covered area...shaded. 118...in the shade. The colors represent our heat category chart. It's over 100 everyday now. Osman, our in-house interpreter/translator, told me this is just the beginning. Have to be careful now when we get into a vehicle. Everything inside is heat-soaked and burns your hands. Wait until August...

To My Seniors...

After what has seemed like forever to many of you, you’re about to graduate from high school. Think back to the great times you’ve had with your friends. Back to when you thought you’d die because a certain class or a certain assignment was blowing your mind. All the challenges you’ve had to face up to now. Feels good doesn’t it?

I remember when I graduated high school…and no, it wasn’t THAT long ago. I went with friends. Parents didn’t go. I didn’t even realize what was going to hit me in the face three months later. I was happy to take that walk across the stage…because a couple years before that, I almost quit high school.

When I attended Sam Rayburn as a student, I was a punk. I worked at a fast food place, got into trouble a lot, and skipped school. I didn’t care about my grades. My GPA sucked. My parents divorced and it kept spiraling downhill. My mother took my little brother and sister and moved up north. That left me and my other little sister, who had to move in with my dad. We enrolled in at Stephen F. Austin in HISD.
School there was different. I made friends and one teacher, Mr. Kendrick, got into my business one day (I was in his radio and TV class). He asked how I was doing. Figured me out pretty quickly. With different friends and more of a family environment, I started working harder at school. Grades got better…slowly, until one day my English teacher called out our averages for the six weeks. “100,” was what he said after calling my name. I was stunned. “How can he have a hundred,” a student asked. “He’s done everything and didn’t miss anything on his test,” said Mr. Hromas.

Well, Mr. Kendrick and Mr. Hromas were across from each other in the hall. Mr. Kendrick taught English, yearbook, Radio and TV, and coached soccer. Kendrick found out that I had done well and asked me to be on the yearbook staff next year…my senior year. In short, I said yes and when we came back from summer vacation, I also had three honors classes, thanks to Hromas and Kendrick.

My senior year was filled with yearbook work, prom committee work, a tough English class, a cool government class (we hosted the city’s mock Republican national convention downtown), and a job at Krogers. I learned that year that, when you put your mind to something, you can achieve it. I also learned that I needed to hit college because I didn’t want to live like my parents did (neither of them graduated high school). I raised my GPA to graduate 107 out of 501.

So, I went to college. I paid for all six years myself (thanks to scholarships that I earned, grants that I qualified for, loans that I applied for and the Army). During that time, I traveled to Europe twice (once as a vacation, the second time I studied there for a summer), and joined the Army (ran out of scholarship money!). When I finished college I had two degrees and a teaching certificate. I chose teaching. Can you figure out why? Yes, I teach English…I’ve taught yearbook and newspaper too…remind you of anyone I’ve mentioned?

Today, I’m in the middle of a hot desert typing this to you. Why? Well, I tell this story to all my students (it’s MUCH longer when I tell it to you in class) at the end of each year. I want my students to know that if school is tough, or life isn’t handing you what you want, you work harder and smarter and earn what you want. I did. Anyone can get that diploma, get that higher education, get that awesome job that you love, and have a nice life. Money isn’t, and shouldn’t be the problem. Don’t EVER let anyone tell you otherwise.

As I said, I almost didn’t graduate high school. And I said that this story is a short version...you should’ve seen me in middle school! Horrible! I failed two grades because I didn’t care.

I’ve missed most of a school year with you. The Army pulled my unit’s number and I had to leave. I remember when some of you were freaking out over the Beowulf literary analysis assignment and telling me you’ve never done anything like that. I remember some of you guys giving me weird looks when I was wielding a sword in front of you while we were talking about Beowulf and Grendel. Well, each of you learned and completed that essay didn’t you? What you have ahead of you is another challenge. Whether you’ve chosen college, the military, or entering the workforce, I wish you all the best in your endeavors. I’m about 8,000 miles away, but I haven’t forgotten about you. Remember what you’ve learned, where you’ve come from, and always know what you’re going for. Congratulations on your graduation!!


A big thank you to my North Shore seniors. You know who you are. Those who came together to create the 2005 NSMS Stampede yearbook staff. Winners of the district's first Columbia Scholastic Press Association Silver Crown award for student journalism. I know one of you is going into college as an English/journalism major. You'll all see me again. Soon.

I’d like to hear from you…where you’ve decided to attend college, major, job, etc. You can respond/comment on the blog or email me. Take care of yourselves. Enjoy your summer.

Sincerely,
Mr. Burke

Boo-Boo-Boo-B-B-Boonie! (say it fast)

Yeah. My boonie. I finally found it. Those of you who know what a boonie hat is, you know. Those that don't...well, read on.

I'm a guy who wears a soft cap, patrol cap, whatever you want to call it here in Baghdad. I've only worn a boonie cap once. When I was in the Cav...as a pad chief for an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter (1995-2001). Back then we could curl the edges and string it up-Aussie style. Once all these restrictions were placed on the wear and appearance of the thing, I stopped wearing it.

The temperature here is steadily climbing. It tops well over 100 here just about every day now. When we're making that 1 mile trek to chow in the sun, you sure feel it beating on you, especially when you're wearing just the cap. I've a nice tan line now that goes around my head and cuts off at my neck. People in my unit were telling me, "Hey you're getting pretty red." Or pointing at the line and smirking. So, to protect my ears, face and neck, I had to dig out the boonie from the bottom of my duffle bag and now I have that frumpy grumpy look since it's kinda frilly around the edges.

At least it'll stop that tan line from becoming more evident. I don't want to go home with a white-topped head. Today I was out most of the day taking the newspaper all over Victory Base Complex. That boonie made a difference...the air can go through it and it provides some shade. Go boonie.

Tune In and Get the Message

I'm a big-time TV show and movie buff. Ask anyone who knows me really well, and they'll tell you...yep, Burke spends time at night watching shows and spends money watching good movies.

One of my prime time TV favs is Grey's Anatomy. I've watched that show since day 1. Sometimes I've missed a show or two...especially since I've been here in Baghdad. When I was home on leave I was able to catch the latest two episodes. I thought about that show today and remembered SGT Logue using the internet to get on ABC and watch the latest show. So, we're having a slow day...I jumped online and was able to catch up with the latest....

The writers of Grey's Anatomy are exceptional. Why? They show you how the little nuances in life mean so much. They remind you and/or teach you about life's struggles and its importance. The latest episode entailed a group of college kids heading to graduation...and getting hit head on by a semi. Out of 5 or 6, one survived. Izzy is dying and Corev marries her anyway...Torres' flame doesn't see straight....everytime I watch that show we are given a little thread of humanity and we have to hang on.

That's also what my Soldiers in my unit do. They're writers and broadcasters who go out with Soldiers who kick down doors, patrol, build things, etc., and tell their story. They work to show that little piece of humanity that is on display for that day. How hard they work and in whatever conditions that are present. The dangers they face every day. Then, those photos and story and/or packaged video story gets sent out via the internet to military and civilian outlets for the masses to read/view.

The problem with both of these scenarios is: if you don't watch an enlightening show like Grey's Anatomy you won't get that message that that particular show is trying to deliver. The same goes if you don't read/watch what one of my Soldiers has put together. You won't see what Soldiers here are doing to make this country better. The media, on the other hand, oftentimes doesn't show this side of what's going on over here. They mostly put the bad stuff out there...if it bleeds it leads. IED blew up this, destruction, blood and guts. I guess you could say that about the reality shows...compared to a drama like Grey's. We all know that idiot who dumped that girl on the Bachelor...now she's tearing it up on Dancing w/ the Stars.

I don't know...it's kind of like reading a book. In each book there's an amazing story waiting for its reader...you just have to find it, take the journey and learn. I tell my students that. Especially the ones that freak out over the size of the book. I guess if you're only better off if you do watch, or read, and understand the messages. I do. I'm better for it too...I think.

Grey's especially makes me think about things like that. Hence, me jumping on this blog...so, let me know what you think. Comment and stuff....

By the way...my Soldiers' work can be seen on DVIDS (www.dvidshub.net) and the Army's website. Have a good one, hooah.

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things...

After six accountability formations and two roll call formations (one where we were about to get on the bus to head to the flight line), I was finally able to make it out of the heat of Kuwait and back to the dust in Baghdad.

I guess I can say that the hassle of getting back here wasn't THAT bad...considering one group got on a bird, was in the air...and had to turn around and come BACK to Ali al Salem Air Base. There wasn't an empty seat on my plane...and there are still hundreds who are trying to get back to Baghdad.

Anyhow, I walk into our building and there are two guys in the broadcast studio doing a radio show. They were from a radio station in Waco (that's the biggest city closest to Fort Hood) called WACO 100, My Country. Zack Owen and Jim Cotyk were interviewing Soldiers about what they do here, etc. So my 1SG says, "Burke, get in line, you're next." I looked at him, "Top, I just got back!" I said. "So!" he said. So, I got on the mic and those guys asked me about what I do here and if I enjoyed my time back home. It was cool.

I'm here and when I made it back to my room, I found a nice layer of dust waiting for me. It covered everything!! I was gone for only three weeks!! Now, I'm working on getting back into the swing of things.

A couple of things about leave: I was kinda bummed that I didn't get to see my students when I visited Sam Rayburn HS. TAKS testing (evil!) was going on during that week...I didn't even know. I was able to talk to my principal and the English dept. chair though. Overall, my leave back home was great. Got to spend a lot of time with my family, play with Loren a lot, see former students and friends at school, watch some movies, hit up Starbucks and Diedrich's, and go shopping here and there.

President Obama Visits Baghdad

Something pretty cool happened yesterday. I heard that the President was coming to this area and was glad that we didn't have that type of PAO mission (media facilitation) because when a VIP of that stature comes here, things get asinine. Anyways, I thought it was going to be a presidential meeting...like with the Prime Minister of Iraq or something. Nope.

Our First Sergeant comes into our office, "OK! The man is here, who wants to go see him?" We all stared at him; silence engulfed the room. "Well?" he said. "You better decide now because you don't have much time."



We all jumped at once. I grabbed my personal camera, my cover, and my weapon. "No weapons, leave them with me!" said 1SG. We brought our M4s into 1SG's office and six of us squeezed into the truck. I drove to the al Faw Palace and noticed the tight security at the intersections. We had to park down the street and walk to the palace gates.

As we got in line (long line too!), the MPs were shouting instructions about metal in our pockets, knives, etc. We entered the building and it was like walking into a concert. The band (don't know which one--1st CAV Band?) was playing songs from Cold Play and Radio Head. They were rockin'. Then they started playing the traditional American presidential music and we knew that the motorcade had arrived.



I was by the main entrance when President Obama walked in, staff and media pool in tow. Everyone started clapping and yelling. Everyone's personal camera was up taking in video or taking pictures. He walked up to us and shook hands...making his way around, until Gen. Odierno brought him into the conference room for his brief.



After that, the President came out to speak to all the service members in the rotunda of the palace. The speech was short and to the point. Thanking us servicemembers for our work here and thanking our families for their sacrifices. It was cool seeing and listening to him.

I felt a little strange while I was there with the media going nuts with their news gathering equipment. Weird because as a Public Affairs NCO, I'm used to facilitating these events for the media. We did A LOT of that in Afghanistan. At the palace, I was able to just stand there amid the mass of uniformed personnel and enjoy the moment. By the way, I believe that this visit was Obama's first as President. I've attached a short snippet of video of the President speaking to the bottom of the blog. It's been compressed too so it's a little low res.

Tippin' our hats to you Starbucks!

The other day I received a package from home. It was full of what I had requested: coffee, chocolate syrup, tumbler mugs, and more coffee. There's a Starbucks close to my house that I hit up for my fix. I used to go to Deidrich's a lot (still do, but there's only one) but Starbucks is closer and their mocha frappucinos are good.
A few of the people in that Starbucks know me and now know my wife and daughter. They know I'm here in Baghdad and donated some coffee and a couple tumblers. Now we have a small stockpile of joe for our office. And, let me tell you, this office goes through coffee very quickly.
There isn't a Starbucks here in Baghdad but our office 'break room' has become the place to visit in the morning. As we walk from section to section, we can hear the coffeemaker and espresso machine going and the smell reminds me of walking into my favorite coffeeshop in the morning.
That's me and my commander in the photo. Everyone else was either at chow (eating dinner) or on the phone calling home (since we're 8 hrs ahead of Texas). Silverlake Village Starbucks deserves a big thank you from me and my unit for the coffee and mug donation. Thanks! It may seem like a little thing, but here, good coffee is a big thing. More espresso will be greatly appreciated when and if our friends at Starbucks (and my wife's loving care with shipping) decide to send more. Thanks Starbucks!