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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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

Today, we presented our Iraqi Army counterparts with parting gifts.  The team may have a few weeks left in our deployment, but today was Major Brtooott's last day.  The rest of the team will continue to mentor and advise the Iraqis until we hand the task off to the new, incoming team. Read more »

Today, my team roasted a pig promptly followed by a good ol' pig pickin'.

As to not offend Muslims, pork products are generally not shipped to Iraq with the exception of whole pigs.  Each team member contributed $11 towards our 135 lbs supper, and we ate well! Read more »

Yesterday, I posted a picture of a mysterious insect that I had never seen before.  A faithful reader wrote me to inform me that the insects looked like mole crickets.  Sure enough, he was right.  Seeing the images on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_cricket, I had no doubt.

The insect does not really resemble a cricket though.  Sort of resembles a cicada, but longer and with claw-like legs.  Makes me think of what a desert crayfish might look like. Read more »

Few views are quiet as beautiful as a landscape of fresh, powdery snowfall.  Particularly the first of the season can evoke memories of burning fireplaces, hot cocoa and Christmas carols.

Waking up to a fresh layer of sand, though amazing, does not have quite the same effect, aside eliciting the memory of dry mouth. Read more »