First, if you’ve been a regular here, thanks! All things come to an end, including my time in Iraq. And that time has arrived.
We’re under 10 days to departure. Of course, I cannot give out the actual date we are leaving for security reasons, but the blog will probably fall fairly silent for two or three weeks. I plan to write numerous entries reflecting on my time in Iraq over the coming year, but for now, here are some blogs that will keep you abreast of individual troop perspectives from inside Iraq:
There are plenty more to browse over at milblogging.com.
Our new unit is 50% better staffed than we were. In theory, that should make their mission easier. The reality is that they will probably have new duties invented for them and stay just as busy as we did.
Iraq is at a precipice. It should be a tumultuous year for the 10th PAOC (replacements). My friends on the janitorial and translation staffs here in Baghdad still have limited power in thier homes and their running water is unpredictable. They still cannot talk to friends and neighbors about where they work or they will be killed. Just because they do not wear the uniform doesn’t mean they are not soldiers. Their battle will be much longer than mine. I admire them for trying to be decent at the risk of their very existences in a nation where the easiest way to get employment in the capital city is to join the neighborhood militia.
All that will change over time if we have the willpower and can be honest about the nature of this conflict. I can only hope, because my small contribution is passing from present into past.