Wrapping It Up

at Besmaya is not easy. We graduated our students on Thursday and we've been in the process of handing the reins over to the new team from the 104th Division. So, we've been working very hard the past two weeks. But now, it's time for us to leave.

Not so fast there Highspeed....all flights tomorrow have been cancelled.....

Looks like another few days here in beautiful Besmaya.

I can't tell you how difficult it is to farewell my friends here. It is very unlikely that I will ever see them again. These guys, especially my interpreters, are really like brothers to me. They have looked out for me, kept danger away from me, kept me straight on who is telling the truth (through translation) and who is full of bull, and frankly, made me their kin. And my cadre of Iraqi officers.....that's a story unto itself. I wish I could convey just how much they mean to me and how proud I am of their progress.

Perhaps I'll write more over the next few days as I await transportation back to America. In the mean time....here are a few pics for you to enjoy.

Our post graduation feast. This is in the Commandant's office and catered by the Iraqi cooks from the school dining facility. It is very good food.....IF you don't mind eating with your fingers or having someone grab a piece of lamb (with their hand) and put it on your plate for you.

A council of colonels - These are the three Iraqi Officers I advise: Staff Colonel H, the commandant, his deputy, Colonel M (right), and the chief of instruction, Colonel H2 (left). It's really a great team. As I was leaving the school yesterday, one of the majors came up to me with tears in his eyes and said, "We don't want you to leave. You're what holds us together." What a compliment. But, if we've done our job, they'll be fine.

A couple of guys who keep us safe while we sleep... dropped by to say good bye.

May Fair Lady

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

(#18, W.S.)

Happy Birthday, Beasle. Sorry I missed it.

awe

Anna Banana


was born on 4 May 1994.
So, as of Friday, she is officially a “teenager”. God help us.

But this is my baby. And, no matter how much she grows up, she will never stop being my baby. And I love her so much it hurts.


It’s not really her, that beautiful young lady in the picture. In my mind she’s two, maybe four, but definitely not thirteen. I used to swing her in our back yard and she’d say, “higher Daddy. Higher.” She always had friends around, and she was a mean soccer player….best in the county.

But now she’s a teenager. Now.....

when you say she’s looking good,
she acts as if it’s understood,
she’s coo-oo-oo-oo-ol…..
Girrrrrl ……ahhh Girrrrrl.


Pretty soon she’ll be somebody else’s dream, but for now, she’s still ours. And we love her.


But…..

Baby slow down
the end is not as fun as the start
Please stay a child somewhere in your heart.
(Bono)


And I love you, Girlie.
Happy Birthday.

daddy

May Day

Eight guys woke up at Besmaya this morning with HUGE smiles on their faces. And, we’ve been grinning all day. It’s like we have a secret - but it’s no secret…..Today is the first day of our final month in Iraq. When we wake up and get out of bed on June 1st, we will be in another country!

I’m extra happy because my replacement is already in Iraq and will be on the ground (at Besmaya) by the end of this week. Colonel Dale Maxfield is my new best friend! He’s coming now and the rest of his team will be here in about two weeks.

In getting ready for their arrival, we have begun packing, cleaning and mailing stuff back home in order to make room. I’ve already mailed a 50 pound foot locker home but still have plenty more stuff that I can either throw away or mail. Whatever I can't dispose of goes out of here on my back. So…I’m motivated to lighten the load.

Packing has presented me with a particular dilemma…what to do with all the great art work and cards sent to me from children all over Georgia? Sharon said that it’s okay to throw it away because it has served its purpose. But I haven’t been able to do that. It’s hard. Every card is a reflection of some little personality. Every card was intended to lift my spirits, and let me know I was not forgotten. There must be over a hundred and I've read every single one. And, every single one was perfect, powerful enough to move a 45 year old Airborne Ranger to tears. Is this silly? Do I need to find a good doctor?

My darling girl, my darling girl
You’re all that matters in this wicked world
All that matters, all that matters.

My darling boy, my darling boy
All of my sunshine and all of my joy
You’re all that matters, all that matters.

Well I can’t stop the pain when it calls, I’m a man
And I can’t stop the rain when it falls,
My darling who can?

My darling friend, my darling friend
All we have going is love in the end
It’s all that matters, all that matters.

(M. Knopfler)

Sorry Beasle, the letters and cards are coming home.

awe