2009.03.21
21MAR09--Incoming Team Chief Visit
A few days back, our team welcomed a visitor. The team chief for the team that will replace my team came to get familiarized with our job and area. Our warm welcome had a lot to do with his visit marking our deployment to be about four months away from being complete.
We spent the four days that we had with Major McDaniel briefing him on the Iraqi Army unit, our role and duties as advisors, and touring the area. The major will meet his team when he goes back to the States, and they will begin training together to take our place as combat advisors.
The incoming major took in a lot of information in a short period of time and seems to have a pretty good handle on the challenges that face him and his team. Influencing the Iraqi Army to take action, make changes, and evolve from the army that they were before 2003 is no small task. Change is gradual and can quickly reverse.
Since my return from leave, I have noticed a definite change in overall mood. In general, it is not that Soldiers care less or we take our jobs less seriously, it is that it almost seems like we have one foot out the door. This probably has much more to do with the upcoming end of deployment than anything to do with troops leaving Iraq.
The US unit on our base will redeploy in less than two months. Then, Major McDaniel, and we will meet the men that will replace each of us a few months later in our last week here. It is so nice to see light at the end of the tunnel.
Major McDaniel (far right) watches Major Brott (second from left) and an Iraqi major go over a map of the Baghdad area with the aid of an interpreter (far left).
After working closely with this Iraqi major for some time, it is customary for him to ask how my wife and kids are doing by name and for me to ask about his family as well. He wants me to bring him a copy of this picture for his office.
