2009.07.09
Comic Relief
The other day, the "Comics Ready to Entertain" tour put on a show at the base that team lives over lunch. Soldiers came together, ate, and shared some laughs. Read more »
2009.07.08
08JUL09--Making Room
Today, the team spent the day packing, cleaning and moving out of our rooms so that the new team can move in right away. Read more »
2009.07.07
Iraqis vs. Yellow Gold
Iraqi men do not commonly wear yellow gold. Maybe 1 in 20 do. The reasons are religious, cultural, and supposedly scientific, but, above all, they are surprising.
"The wearing of silk and gold has been made unlawful for males and lawful for the females of my nation.'' Read more »
2009.07.06
06JUL09--Tuberculosis
Turns out that units often times see 1 to 5 percent of their Soldiers redeploy with an undesirable souvenir: mycobacterium tuberculosis.
Despite that fact that nearly one-third of the world's population is infected with tuberculosis (TB), the U.S. is one of the few countries that does not vaccinate against the disease. Granted, only about 5 percent of Americans are infected with TB, but it is a constant threat to American tourists, Soldiers, and the families of Soldiers returning from third-world countries. Read more »
2009.07.05
05JUL09--Iraqis Celebrate Independence
Since June 30th, men and women across Iraq have celebrated their national sovereignty. Some Americans see their celebration as an act of ungratefulness, but instead, we ought to be celebrating along side them. Read more »
2009.07.04
04JUL09--Heath Assessments
Air conditions today resembled a fog of dust, and my team traveled to a nearby U.S. aid station in order to complete redeployment health assessments. Read more »
2009.07.03
03JUL09--Gypsy Dancer and Corporal Punishment
Today, I sat with a group of Iraqi Soldiers and had a conversation, while the television played music videos. I had no idea that within the hours, I would be witness to the disciplary system for Iraqi Soldiers. Read more »
2009.07.02
Differences Between the U.S. and Iraqi Armies, Part III
This column is the third and intended final in a series that explains some of the differences between the U.S. and Iraqi Armies.
The source of many of the differences between the U.S. and Iraqi armies derives from the U.S. Army being significantly more established. The U.S. Army has a great deal of experience instilling personal commitment, mentoring leaders, and training and supplying its Soldiers. The most deep-rooted difference, though, illustrates cultural differences between the two nations.
2009.07.01
01JUL09--"How are you?"
The way that people greet each other can be fascinating. Sociologists or 'people watchers' at the mall can attest to this.
Even in the States, people spend more time in conveying greeting and catching up the better that they know the person. In Iraq, greetings can be taken to an extreme in order to express sincerity, especially with the many different ways of asking, "How are you?" Read more »
About this blog
Rich Connaroe graduated from Northside High School in 2000 and VMI in 2004. Now a Captain in the U.S. Army, Connaroe begins a one-year deployment to Iraq in August. During that time, he plans to make regular blog posts that he hopes will connect readers of the The Roanoke Times to U.S. soldiers who are deployed in Iraq.
