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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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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.

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, this the 30th of June, men, women and children across Iraq celebrate National Sovereignty Day.  Iraqis hold this day on the same level that Americans revere July 4th.

The Iraqi people gathered and celebrated with music, dancing and food, as this day has been years in the making.  Every Iraqi has felt the effects of six years of war, whether they have lost a family member to violence or simply grown accustom to hearing gunshots and explosions. Read more »