Farewell to Baghdad

Exactly six months since I arrived at Baghdad International Airport, I depart today from the same location for a flight to Kuwait. With the treasured "Theater Release Authorization" letter in hand as well as my demobilization orders from Headquarters, Navy Personnel Command, I start the odyssey that returns me and thousands of reservists each year, to civilian life.

I turned in 60 rounds, or four magazines worth, of 9mm amunition to the armory, which is good, since I started the tour with the same 60 rounds. Remember those two full seabags of gear that I never thought I would use? Well, I didn't use it and the bags, shoved under my bed and accumulating dust, are good to go too. All of it will be turned in during the five-day Navy "Warrior Transistion Program," or WTP for short, in Kuwait. Herein the Navy takes a sailor who is relieved to exit Iraq and transitions them into a sailor who is frustrated they have to spend another week waiting to get home. The primary bonus is that we can turn in all our gear, meaning I'll revert to the same two pieces of luggage I left home with on September 16, 2007: A backpack and one seabag.

I'll be sure to write more about the experience in Kuwait, but right now, I want to highlight my officemates who made my experience in Iraq, and 14 hour days, tolerable, enjoyable, funny, educational, enlightening and immensely satisfying. Some remain here and others redeployed months ago. In no specific order, we roll the credits:



At Al Asad Airbase in Anbar Province with my first boss, CAPT Virginia Brantley. She recruited me for the job and I owe her for the incredible experience that followed.

Jim Penzenstadler, SFC Robert Tate and Manny Arceo. These guys kept me laughing through thick and thin.

LT Frank Solorzano. My fellow LT, fellow Seabee and theater travel mentor, Frank taught me how to manuver through the maze of air support options as well as initiated my trial-by-fire learning process here.

The Commanding Officer of the unit, COL Gary Andrews, and on my left, my second boss, CDR Mike Harr. They tolerated and even occassionaly encouraged my intermitent (or frequent) brash observations/comments and permitted me a great deal of leeway in my area of responsibility.

The consumate racontuer and chief of office morale, MAJ Dave Troutman, here displaying some of the Girl Scout cookies our office received.

COL Andrews again, with SK2 Banning. Banning was the undisputed champion of the one-liners, made all the more joyus by the fact that he was usually just thinking out loud.

Two of my favorite people, Mary Legeret and Josh Strakos.

CDR Michael Funnye was the unofficial commodore of the office's three vehicle fleet. It yielded a lifetime of humor.

So it is with fond memories of these great servicemembers and many others like them, that I sign-off from Baghdad station.