2009.07.15
15JUL09--Hail and Farewell
Today, my team made its final introductions of the new team to the Iraqi Army and said its farewells.
A "hail and farewell" is a customary meeting in the military. Incoming and outgoing personnel are both recognized.
The teams not only finalized handing off roles, but we also had a hail and farewell dinner this evening at the U.S. base.
In speaking with one of my Iraqi Army counterparts, I said, "This will probably be the last time that we speak."
The look of genuine sorrow in his eyes was somewhat of a surprise. Not surprising simply because I am ready to go home to my family and will not miss him.
Surprising because active duty service members acknowledge that we will move and change jobs with different fellow Soldiers regularly. Even my team. It is not that we do not care about each other; however, the fact is that we will shortly part ways. Aside from incidental run-ins, this will likely be farewell for the rest of our careers.
On top of that, I should hope that there is no reason why I would see these Iraqi Army officers again.
The new team gets to know a few Iraqi officers.
Iraqi hospitality
I'm not sure when your last blog entry is planned, but I wanted to let you know it has been a pleasure reading about your experiences. Your point of view provided a unique insight into the role and daily happenings of our Soldiers. The glimpse into Iraqi culture was outstanding, and the photos provided some candid, everyday curiosities that are not normally conveyed in blogging alone.
Thanks for taking your time to share, and especially for answering the many questions that have been posted over the course of your blog.
I hope that you are back with your family soon.
(and...clean skivvies hah!)
Comment by Ed S. — July 15, 2009 @ 4:20 pm
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 07/16/2009 News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
Comment by David M — July 16, 2009 @ 11:17 am
Ed, thank you for being such a faithful reader.
I will continue to post until the day that I arrive back in the States. The posts are going to slow down, but I will cover the redeployment process. I may actually go back and write a few thoughts that got bumped. Seems like I had a lot to write about in the last month or so.
Comment by Rich Connaroe — July 18, 2009 @ 12:46 pm