It's hard to believe that I'm almost done with my 12-month tour in Iraq!  I'll begin the trip home in a couple of weeks.  I have to turn in my gear at Fort Benning on the way back and then clear Fort Knox.  My next duty station will be West Point where I'll be the Public Affairs Officer. I'd like to thank everyone for their support over the past year -- your emails, cards, care packages, and prayers have meant the world to me and helped me stay motivated over a long year.  Thank You!...read more

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Last night at sunset, we had a memorial ceremony outside of the Al Faw Palace to honor the servicemembers that have fallen during the XVIII Airborne Corps' tour in Iraq. Over the past 14+ months, 188 men and women 'gave' their lives while doing what their country asked of them. Our Chaplain pointed out that they didn't 'lose' their lives, because 'one cannot lose what they've already given.' It was a moving ceremony. A beautiful setting -...read more

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I've added a couple more dots to my map of Iraq marking the places I've been. This past week, I travelled north to Balad and Samarra for a couple of meetings regarding the transfer of the Sons of Iraq to the control of the Iraqi government (GOI). Balad and Samarra are in Salah Ah Din province -- the last province to transfer. In Balad, I escorted Chelsea Carter of the Associated Press. According to Major General Mike Ferriter, Deputy Commanding General for the Multi-National...read more

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They actually made me a Lieutenant Colonel (LTC)! Well, after 16 1/2 years I guess my number came up. Kinda makes me feel old. I can still remember when I was promoted to 1st Lieutenant while conducting counter-narcotics missions on the Mexican border in 1994... Brigadier General Dan Allyn, our Corps Chief of Staff, promoted me on Saturday, 7 February, in a conference room at the Al Faw Palace in Baghdad. I was very lucky to have my wife, kids, and mother-in-law participate from Fort...read more

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For weeks I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby geese (goslings) and they're finally here! We've been watching the mama geese waddle around with their eggs wondering when they'd lay them and how long they'd take to hatch. As you can see, they are very cute and put a smile on my face every time I walk by. One of our photographers, Mr. Lee Craker, took these photos. When I looked at them, I thought of my own family. The first one shows the mama swimming alone...read more

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Well, I've made it past the half-way point in my deployment. Feels pretty good. According to my official 'Pie of Time', I've completed 56% of my tour. I have 13,954,241 seconds left (or 232,571 minutes or 3,876 hours or 162 days or 23 weeks). Wait, make that 13,954,111 seconds... The 'pie of time' is a spreadsheet that calculates your time remaining based on when you arrived/leave. In the center is a circle with 2 pictures - your Iraq picture and your home picture....read more

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The holidays have been an especially hard time to be away from my family. My wife and kids travelled to NJ to be with family and friends. I really missed our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of homemade pirogies, kielbasa, ham, and great homemade soups like crab bisque and cream of mushroom. I missed spending time with my parents, siblings and other family. I missed my kids opening their presents. I missed snuggling with my wife by the fire. I can't complain, though, since this is...read more

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There were a lot of smiles in Baghdad this week, thanks to the USO. The USO is a non-profit organization whose mission is to "support the troops by providing morale, welfare and recreation-type services to our men and women in uniform." Well, they certainly accomplished their mission this week. Personally, I was most excited about the opportunity to meet Curt Schilling - a pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. Of course, I have been a Yankee fan since the days of Bucky Dent,...read more

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I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying the weekend. Aside from missing my family, I had a great day. A couple of highlights included serving chow in the dining facility (DFAC) and facilitating a CSPAN interview with our Chief of Staff. Serving chow to the Soldiers is one of our traditions in the military. I went over to the DFAC with a couple of officers in my section and we spent an hour or so serving food to all of the Soldiers, Sailors,...read more

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(Iranian Border) No, not Taco Bell -- the Iranian border! Went on a great trip with Brigadier General Keith Walker the other day. BG Walker is the Commanding General of the Iraq Assistance Group -- one of his main responsibilities is coordinating the training and emplacement of our many transition teams. On this trip, he visited with a POETT - Port of Entry Transition Team. The team coordinates directly with the Iraqi POE Director in Muntheria (North East Iraq on the Iranian border)....read more

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