Thank You For Your Support
I would like to thank everyone for the support they have given me since I started this blog. There have been many changes here over the last few weeks:  New teams in, old teams out.  New people in charge, new way of doing things, and as for our team, we are wrapping things up and getting ready to come home. I hope everyone enjoyed reading the blog, I wish everyone the best, and most of all, I look forward to getting back home. Thanks again for all your support. Jim

Response to The Military’s Overlooked Brain Trust by Courtney E. Martin, American Prospect
Courtney E. Martin wrote an interesting article for The American Prospect; below is a copy of the link.  Please read this intelligent young woman’s article before reading mine. The Military’s Overlooked Brain Trust This is how she summarizes her article regarding communication inside of the US Army being a “top-down” affair. “They[soldiers] deserve to be encouraged, not just in lip service but also in real life, to contribute to a dialogue about our military policy. Putting one’s life on the

No News Broadcast About Iraq
As I rifled through the many reports, emails and hyperlinks that I am requested to go through each day, I came across one that linked me to a compilation of “major” news events coming out of Iraq. As I scrolled through the pages, most of the stories were about the findings of a report where the British Army as a whole was blamed for the death of a group of Iraqis held in a detention facility.  Scrolling further to the end were the final three sentences: ABC News with Charles Gibson:  No news broadcast about Iraq. CBS News with Katie Couric:  No news broadcast about Iraq. NBC News with Brian Williams:  No news broadcast about Iraq. Yesterday, I w

Parental Advice: Don’t bring your kid to war.
So, you would think that the title of this story would lend itself to some basic common sense. But here in Iraq, where common sense isn’t the lay of the land, I watch with open-mouthed astonishment as events I have witnessed in the past year unfold before my eyes. One of the Generals that we follow around has an eight year old son. His son sports a little Iraqi uniform, wears the rank of a General, and acts like he runs the division. In short, he is a little shit that mirrors the behavior of his father. When the General is in a meeting, his son is attended to by the guards standing post at the entrance of the building. The guards patiently tolerate the shin kicks and

Another Major to Major conversation
Me:  Maj. Gafney how may I help you? Him:  Yes, this is Maj. XXXX.  I’m looking for a checkpoint. Me:  Ok. Him: It’s on XXXX Street. Me:  Well, Baghdad is a big city and I don’t know all the streets.  Do you know what area it is in? Him:  I’m not sure. Me:  Ok, well, let’s narrow it down.  Is it east or west of the river. Him:  To the left. Me:  Um, ok, well do you know what area to the left of the river it is. Him:  It says it’s check point XXXXX. Me:  That doesn’t sound right.  Checkpoints aren’t numbered that way. Him:  Are you looking at the map