Traveler

Our last month of life on Adder was spent monitoring the security situation in our area-- things were quiet, and we were ok with that. Most of the Iranian-backed groups called off the attacks and the money flowing from Iran had stopped. Remaining groups- really there was only one- attempted some attacks but without funding or munitions, they were left to make do with that they had in country. In our area it was largely quiet, but north of us around Karbala seemed to be more active. Baghdad was still occasionally eventful, even though we had closed Victory Base on 2 December. I believe we could attribute some of the quietness to the local sheiks who kept a lid on things. All the efforts 2-82 FA did throughout the year working with them paid off.

Our chow hall closed on 20 November, a couple of days before Thanksgiving. We did this to allow the people who worked there (all third country national contractors hired through KBR) to get out and to get their equipment out. We also closed it early to help 'influence' the large US civilian contractor population on Adder to leave. It worked, and in about 20 days we went from a population of 11,000 to around 1000.

The final days resembled Zombieland or a scene from I Am Legend, where there were tons of empty buildings. If you needed something, you just grabbed it out of an empty building, to include vehicles. A base of 11,000 needed the support of around 900 civilian cars and trucks that were not going to be taken back to the states, and were going to be "FEPPed." FEPP stood for Foreign Excess Property Program, which was where we signed over equipment and facilities to the Government of Iraq, and it became a verb. We "FEPPed" a lot of stuff, but with good cause-- It would have cost the government more money to ship it back home or someplace else than to just leave it in place for the Government of Iraq, and most of it wasn't in that good of shape anyway. The fun part about being some of the last folks on Adder was that if you didn't like what you were driving, upgrades were free. By time the last day rolled around, I was driving a pretty spiffy like new 2010 Chevy 2500.

As we got closer to the 18th, the day we planned on leaving, we solidified our plan. The base was signed over to the Iraqis on the 16th with a caveat that they could not come on in force until we left. The Division we were with was flying its last personnel out on the night of the 17th, and the Air Force had a residual force of around 200 they had to keep around until the end. We had to maintain perimeter security of the airfield until they left, which proved a bit problematic when we found out another C-130 full of media would be a part of the final festivities as well. Also complicating our preparation was GEN Austin, who wanted to fly in and talk to the Soldiers doing the final convoy. I had no issue with him-- a) he's a pretty big general will do whatever he wants, and b) his purpose as the Commander of US Forces in Iraq gave him purpose to be there. I think he would have been fine without the media circus, which consisted of about 30 media personalities and crews on the C-130, but as this was a historic moment, it was necessary for them to document the occasion. They could have left Geraldo home, though. Several other generals arrived that night, all thinking they too needed to be a part of this last moment. Some had legitimate purpose, and some didn't. After a couple of hours of pageantry, we finally got all of them loaded up and on the way, except for the C17 carrying the Air Force-- seems they needed an additional hour and a half to take some final pictures with the two Air Force generals they flew in, which delayed our perimeter collapse. I read the Stars and Stripes article the next day touting how these were 'the last airmen in Iraq,' which was a false statement -Airman Holliday, one of our JTACs (Joint Termial Attack Controller- the Air Force guys on the ground who control attack aircraft) who drove out on the last serial was the last Airman in Iraq, not some General who flew out.

Finally they all left, and it was just the final convoy consisting of 129 vehicles and around 500 personnel, all consolidated in the southwest corner of Adder known as the Convoy Support Center (CSC). The mood was jovial, and most were relaxed but focused as they went about their final preparations and checks. Joining us were some embedded media, approximately 15 or so, including some notable personalities such as Greg Jaffe, Martha Radditz, Chris Engels, Jim Alelrod, Rebecca Santana, and Martin Savidge and my good buddy Geraldo (Note: The Geraldo part is sarcasm). Most of them were great; Martha Radditz wrote a book on the Brigade when it was in Sadr City in 2004, Greg Jaffe does a great job of telling the Soldier's story, and Jim Axelrod was good to deal with.

As the checks and interviews went on, the Iraqis went about consolidating their gains. The base was designated to go to the Iraqi Air Force, but this was a big base for the five or six prop planes that currently resided on Adder. There was a small Iraqi Air Force contingent that lived on the base, but it was dwarfed by the size of Adder. This small force wasted no time in sweeping up abandoned vehicles and grabbing furniture, water, fuel, and pretty much anything else that wasn't nailed down. Iraqis in general were very interested in our trash-- I have a good story on this, but I'll save it for another day.



The plan for the ride out was to move in five serials separated by time. We estimated the drive would take 4-5 hours, and we got a great deal of assistance with enablers as the last element left. To give you an idea, we were allocated nine Predator drones for our approximately 200km drive. I went all year starving for Predator coverage, and would sometimes get one for only a couple of hours, but here I was with nine. Our S2, FSO (Fire Support Officer) and ALO (Air Liaison Officer-- an Air Force pilot on the ground who chiefs the JTACs and controls air) days prior all put together a plan for how to manage airspace for attack aviation, surveillance aircraft, and drones. We had over 45 aircraft stacked from 600 feet to 31,000 feet, all watching us drive out. We asked for C2 aircraft (a set of UH60s specially configured with a slew of communications equipment) and got them. They even came with a whole bunch of guys from an unnamed national guard unit who all wanted to be a part of the last operation in Iraq.

We had a lot of help in getting out, and there was no shortage of assets or units offering assistance. The MacKay Logistics Planning Principle #1 did not apply (figure out what you need, then double it because you will get half); we asked for a lot and got everything we ever needed. I think I could have asked for the space shuttle and a company of Jawas and probably would have received them in Direct Support to us.



I rode out in a C2OTM (Command and Control On The Move). It was a specially configured MRAP with secure and unsecure computer networks, secure and unsecure phones, Blue Force Tracker (system allowing us to see who's where and send messages). With this network we could do everything-- phone, email, secure chat, all on the move-- allegedly. It worked great when parked, but I think they need to go back and relook the "on the move" part. In the truck with me was our ALO and another communications Soldier, plus a driver and TC (truck commander). One of our embedded photographers snapped this picture right before we closed the door.



At 0739 on 18 December the last US vehicle of 129 crossed the Iraq/Kuwait border and the code word "Traveler" was called over the net. With that, America's occupation of Iraq was over. We'd like to think we made a difference, I believe we meant well. While the reasoning to go to war was suspect and will be debated for years, we'd like to think we made a difference. In the big picture, US forces overthrew a brutal dictator who killed thousands of his own people, and we gave the Iraqi people a choice in deciding who is their leader. We spent $230 billion in reconstruction projects and infrastructure improvements, and you could say the "Arab Spring" of people demanding accountability from dictatorial governments in the mideast world was a by-product of the US intervention, in that it showed people could speak their mind.

Since I have been home, lots of people have asked "what do you think will happen?" I don't have a crystal ball, but I'll make a prediction. It's time for Iraq to grow into what it will become. Maliki will continue his consolidation of power largely unchecked. There will continue to be some Sunni-Shia violence, some of it spectacular, but I think most Iraqis are tired of large scale sectarian violence. I don't think it will return to 2006 levels of sectarianism, but certainly there will be some. Iraq's next big hurdle will be its next set of elections, and if it can get the oil flowing consistently enough to generate foreign investment and income, I think Iraq has tremendous potential. I think we'll be back there in five years in a training capacity (with other objectives as our proxy war with Iran continues). I don't know enough about northern Iraq to make a prediction. But I'm sure it will be as complicated as possible. I do know whatever evolves, I am certain I won't be a part of it.

Doing the blog has been a good way to keep things in perspective. Thanks for reading, and hope your 2012 will be great.

Ron

Lots of potential with this thing if it works.

Thanksgiving

A rare shot of the elusive Ronald of Arabia...

Thanksgiving was good. We actually had the big meal last Sunday, which was the last day our dining facility (DFAC) was open. For a bunch of contracted KBR subcontracted Pakistani dudes who have never seen a turkey, they blew it up pretty good. It was missing some key things, as we ran out of a bunch of stuff towards the end of the existence of the DFAC, as this was the last meal for our FOB. Somewhere they got a big ice sculpture, too.

For the actual day, we canceled our morning meetings and took a break. Since Sunday we've been on MREs and whatever food people had ratholed away from care packages (mail stopped in mid-October) and sundries people muled out of the chow hall when it was open. Today we did all get together for a UGR-E meal (Unit Ground Ration-E; I don't know what the E stands for-- expeditionary??). UGR-Es heat themselves and serve 10-12. They aren't bad, and the change of pace is nice. We've only got a few of these to tide us over before we leave to break up the MRE experience. Here's a picture of our First Sergeant serving us Thanksgiving "dinner." This is his 5th deployment since 2001.

We had a general come talk to us. Guess he thought the chow hall was going to be open and he was going to get to eat chow with us, but the joke was on him. He noted it stinks to spend a holiday away from family, but he asked us to think about what we did here. In eight years we overthrew a dictator and gave people an opporunity to decide for themselves. He also noted there are consequences to that decision, and that we certainly haven't done everything right, but at least the people have a voice and a chance to fix things themselves. Our commitment, made in June of 2008, was to leave by December 31st 2011, and we're on track to do just that. We've done it quietly, without fanfare, we've done it in contact, and we've done it as responsibly as we possibly can. He noted we've never done anything like this-- we're still in Germany, Japan, and Korea, and even Bosnia. When you put it in context, it's significant, although right now it feels like any other day, just less busy.

The words were interesting, and it makes you wonder what will happen. We'll see.

One thing I do want to see is Arkansas vs. LSU, and if everything goes well, we're going to watch it tomorrow night. WPS!!!!

Hope you and your families all had a good Thanksgiving. Take care-

Ron

Veterans Day

The Division we work for tasks units to provide an answer to the question "What Makes Me Strong?" They put the best answer on the Division home page. It's a take on the Army advertising campaign of "Army Strong." Some are inspiring, some are goofy, some are just plain dumb.

But Private First Class Gunn, one of the Soldiers who works in our Headquarters, hit one out of the park with this reflection on Veterans Day:

"Veterans make me strong. Knowing they have fought before me whether they volunteered or were drafted, seeing them stand and salute the flag just as I do makes me strong. It makes me feel honored that I have a right to follow in their footsteps. To have the ability to make sacrifices like them gives me strength. I am stronger when a veteran comes to me and tells me "thank you for your service" after shaking my hand, when all I want to do is shake their hand and thank them for their service. I vividly remember veterans marching down the field during my OSUT Graduation . The proud veterans walked, used canes, and some were in wheelchairs, but it didn't matter to me because watching them made me stronger. Watching them on that day, made me realize that you can do anything if you believe in yourself and believe in your country. It was visible on that day they were proud to have served their country, just as I am today. Now in support of Operation New Dawn, I fight for our country just as they did in previous wars. I know that they believe in me and it makes me strong. The Veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our country, give me strength and pride to carry on."

Guys like this make me love going to work.

Veterans Day is not about the 'Occupy 99%' wackers, or Kim Kardashian's train wreck stunt marriage, or Veterans Day sales at department stores, or Real Housewives of New Jersey, or a chance to make a fool of yourself at a bar or a club because you got a day off. It's not about NBA strikes, Terrell Owens' inability to find a football team that will put up with him, or The Martyr Tupac, or any other made up heroes. It's about humble men and women who answered a call to serve so others could enjoy a good life.

Veterans Day is about the real "Less Than 1%" who make a difference so we don't have to, so take a moment today to say thanks, appreciate the cost of their sacrifice, and then go do some good.

Cheers to those who have served-- It's been an honor to be alongside you.

Somebody figured it out

The past two weeks have been interesting in that we saw the end state of negotiations between the US Government and Iraq over an extended US Troop presence. The sticking point, as you may recall, was immunity for US Forces left, which Maliki balked at.


I don't blame him. He actually comes out looking pretty good here. He stood up to The Infidel by drawing his line in the sand, which made the Shiites in the south happy (and also Iran). Then he rounded up a whole bunch of former Sunni Ba'athists (Saddam's old party) and he continues to hold them on grounds that they were plotting to overthrow the government. Now the Sunnis out in Anbar are threatening to overthrow the government, or at least secede. I don't have a lot of visibility over what's happening in the north, but the Kurds are angry, and the Turkish Army occasionally raids into Iraq to clean up a Turks vs. Kurdish mess from time to time.


I love this country.




The messed up part is all along our higher headquarters seemed to think the Iraqis would ask us to stay, and all would be right with the world. Now that the Iraqi Government served up some humble pie and eviction orders, our higher headquarters is scrambling a bit, as they planned the easy course of action (stay) as opposed to the hard course of action (pack it up).


So how do you get eight years of stuff (MAN, we spent a lot of money here) out of a country really fast, and how do you cajole a contracting support element consisting of an almost 1:1 Soldier to contractor ratio to get out? Essentially we have to figure out how to get 12,000 people off of the base in 30 days. The Soldiers are the easy part-- cut some redeployment orders, order up a plane, and send them on the way. Not many complain. But lots of our civilian contractor-folks are learning the hard way that the Uncle Sugar contracting gravy train is over, but they hang on to the end as long as possible, jumping from FOB to FOB, trying to stay until the last month and get the last check. Some of the people walking around our base haven't been home since 2003 (and some of them look it). I often wonder who they are hiding from, who they owe money to, or what their story is. So the challenge becomes how do we get them to leave?


Back in a previous post, I suggested closing the dining facilities, canceling Salsa Night, and shutting down the PX so Mr. KBR Swole dude who spends 3+ hours in the gym a day can't get his supplements. It's come to that-- 1 November brought about the close of the PX, the gym is now run by Soldiers, and soon the days of four hot meals will turn into all of the MREs you can eat. The chow part alone, we figure, should thin the herd. We already lost incoming mail (thanks to the USPS for cutting the APO off two weeks early), and I expect the internet to go in a couple of weeks (gotta figure out a new RonaldofArabia strategy...).

Some say Obama is responsible for this. The people who bring up the Obama credit theory don't seem to like the fact that the security agreement was negotiated in 2008 which noted all US forces had to be out of Iraq by December 31, 2011, by the Bush Administration.


I'm not complaining. While some of our higher leadership thinks we should stay, I believe we have to leave in order to let Iraq become whatever it will become. I see lots of parallels to the US revolution and its subsequent struggles with forming and operating a government, and it's time for Iraq to figure it out. I don't know what it will look like, but initially I predict a hot mess, but as long as the oil continues to flow and the economy gets going, it might be ok.

Stay tuned-- we're getting ready to re-enact an episode of The Clampetts...

RM

Walks

I've taken some good walks so far in life, and lots of them had significant impacts on how I saw things, how I viewed future challenges, and how life impacted me.

I guess the high school graduation walk across the stage is a big deal, as is graduation from college, but bigger walks for me were the time I left home and got on a bus to go to Basic Training, and the time I walked down the sidewalk and took my first salute as an Officer from a good friend. Those meant more to me than a diploma, and those experiences came with their own educations not available in any classroom.

Walking in the front door of your new house is a good walk. Interesting to think of its newness, and you can't help but wonder what it will look like in 20 years, or what memories will come with it. We're on our third, and each has been a great home.

The Manchu Mile is a 25 mile roadmarch in Korea-- If you aren't going up, you are going down. Walked that one twice. I thought a lot about all those guys in Korea from 1950-1953 and how miserable that war must have been. Humbling what they went through so we could live a good life.

My Spur Ride. Don't know why they call it a ride, I walked an awful lot, and it was a fairly miserable experience. Crawled a good bit of it too. But it was neat to be 'in the club' after it was over with.

I walked through a swamp once, in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Ick. I threw away my boots after that exercise, as they smelled so bad. Walked across a couple of deserts, too, in both hot and cold. I'd prefer to walk in the mountains, and someday I'm going to walk the Appalacian Trail. Even walked on a glacier once.

I walked up to a lady and presented the flag from her son's coffin to her and told her thanks for her son's service to the nation. Her son was the loader on my tank.

I ran most of the Austin Marathon in 2006. I did in fact see Jesus Christ at the corner of I think MLK and Congress, it was by the Bob Bullock Museum. I can say I ran a pretty good chunk of that one, but the cool part was when my at-the-time 9-year old daughter jumped out from the crowd and ran the last 200 meters with me. That part was pretty cool.

The last few steps through an airport or coming home from a deployment are pretty neat. Good chance to reflect on what you did, but there's some worries of how you'll be able to get back to normal. This one comes with its own anxieties, but you are happy to get home and restart whatever normal is. The hugs are always the best.

But probably the walk that most influenced me in the long term was one I didn't take, but watched instead, and that was the day Shannon walked down the aisle and married me, and she did it 15 years ago today (October 12th). Although I've only been home for about a third of it, and every marriage has its ups and downs, I'm sure glad she took that walk. I'm looking forward to talking a walk with her again soon, once this trip is done.

Happy anniversary to the wife-- thanks for sticking by me, for enduring some of the walks I wanted and needed to take, and thanks in advance for the walks we have ahead of us.

Love ya.

Ron

Progress

How do you define progress and what's the calendar measure that shows good enough is good enough?

Reflections in the media, intelligence from bad guys, theories by higher entities and discussions with peers all indicate progress:

**Helped the Iraqis get rid of an old Iraqi chemical rocket that was making people sick far north of here recently in Halabcha. The rocket was fired by Saddam's army against the Kurdish people in 1983 or so. The locals found it and they asked for help.

**Bad guys claim we are bringing poisonous snakes and alligators to southern Iraq. Cobras, in fact. They also allege we are attacking ourselves to create an artifical threat as an excuse to stay. Has it come to this? Is this the best insurgents have to offer now? What's next, momma jokes? Nope, sorry-- not us. We're packing up, unless you ask us to stay, but you have to ask. After all-- it's your country (which we helped you build, saved once from an ugly civil war, then gave back to you. Again.)

**For the month of August, Iraq pumped 68 million barrels of oil worth $7 billion. Money went to the Government. Provinces are passing budgets filled with civil works projects and stuff is getting built. Is there still corruption? Yep. But have you looked at our own campaign financing or our banking industry lately?

**Sadr and other insurgent groups spout hate against the US and disgruntlement against the Government of Iraq over the internet. Television and print media is also openly critical of the Government. Prior to the US invasion, comments against the government got you 'disappeared.' Today Sadr stokes the fire against the force that gave him the freedom and the mechanism to express discord against the government, and you could link the Arab Spring of grassroots revolutions to demand accountability of governments to events in Iraq. (Granted, it's a stretch.)

**When I took this job, everyone said 'don't get sucked into Maysan.' Maysan has a very strong Iranian influence, and lots of the accelerants that get used in Iraq come by way of Maysan. Provincial governor and police forces there are openly anti-US. We got sucked in anyway. And after a lot of swinging, influencing, and cajoling, we helped orchestrate bad things happening to bad people. The tide turned (with no doubt a lot of additional political haggling on a level I'll never understand). Our efforts there aren't by any means the sole reason for progerss there, but things are moving in a positive direction at the hands of Iraqis.

**Oh yeah- we got rid of a dictator who killed lots of people indiscriminately.

Don't get me wrong-- the place is still a dump full of crazy, and it has a long way to go. But it's a dump with potential. Extremism isn't dead-- but is it extremism or just political activism done the only way they know how? Sometimes our eye for progress is short sighted, and if this thing works, Iraq is on the road to be a major stakeholder in the next 10 years.

Will we stay or go? Dunno. But we're running out of time, and sometimes not making a decision is deciding.

The clock ticks on...

Ron

10 Years: On the Soap Box Again

Everyone easily remembers where they were that day and what happened. And today, 10 years later, we recall the event, attend ceremonies, and watch tributes on TV, sporting event tributes as well.

Tributes are nice, but I struggle with how to react to those. On one hand, it's nice folks take the time out of their busy Sunday at the football game, where they paid a lot of money to see a bunch of guys who get paid LOTS of money to play a game, and idolize them along the way. I stole a post about this a couple of months ago, about how we are paying tribute to the wrong heroes. Kids today aspire to be sports stars, reality TV 'heroes,' celebrities. My point is while these ceremonies are nice, they are still about us and our self-centeredness, highlighting how 'we' feel, as opposed to events or opportunities where people can truly do good and help each other, or make a difference.

Our security at local, state, and national level is outsourced. We expect fire, rescue, police, FEMA, "The Government," and national security elements to take care of us and be there all the time, and when they aren't, we immediately look for someone to blame. After all-- we are ENTITLED! We make ourselves feel better by telling the 1% of the nation who serve "thanks for your service," but when asked if they or their sons and daughters would ever consider joining the military they react adversely, "oh no, not my child-- they are too good for that/it's too dangerous/my child deserves bigger and better things/plenty of others will do it" (actual statements told to me by parents when I worked recruiting events as an ROTC instructor). While it's great to be appreciated, the nation needs people to step up on many levels for our society to truly be great. When local, state, and federal government fail to meet our expectations, our first instinct is to shirk personal responsibility as opposed to getting involved and attempting to fix the problem. "I don't have time-- Real Housewives of New Jersey is on..."

We can name the athletes on our our fantasy football team, Who's on the Hills, and who the last American Idol was, but most of America can't name one Medal of Honor recipient- dead or alive. Most don't know their US representation in congress-- we're ok with complaining about "them" but I'd argue most don't know who "them" are. They have nice pensions, though.

In the 10 years since the planes crashed, there have been lots of unknowns, busy days and nights, lots of time away from home and family. Some have given much more, including lives and body parts, and they continue to do so. In the end, efforts prevailed, and Osama is dead. Saying thanks is nice, but instead of just going to a ceremony, or taking a moment of silence, make an extra effort-- Donate to the USO, the Wounded Warrior Project, The Fischer House, or your local fire or police charity. Teach your kids to get involved in Government, and know what is going on, more than what's covered on CNN. A free society comes with responsibility.

While this is extreme, I am proud of my country, and I think people are genuinely good. I still get goosebumps at Taps, and I still get a tear at the hearing of the national anthem. If we could get America to do that, I think most of those who serve would tell you it would all truly be worth the sacrifices.

Cheers to those we lost that day, and those we have lost since then making it right.

Ron