My replacement, LTC Rob Hynes, arrived today along with Rick’s replacement, MAJ John Nufable. They hit the ground in Kuwait in the wee hours of the morning, rested for a few hours, then jumped on a C17 and flew to Mosul. Rick and I picked them up at the airfield about midday. We brought them back to the USACE compound, dropped off their bags, then walked over to the DFAC for lunch.
After lunch, we took care of the most important business first, computer paperwork. I had them go through the various IT policies and briefings so that they can get their computer accounts as soon as possible! I’m looking forward to sending an email that says “Please add LTC Rob Hynes to all emails for the MAO OIC”. After that, I launched into the Mosul Area Office briefing. It made me feel like I was back at West Point teaching cadets again. Imagine this. You’ve flown halfway around the world to a timezone with a 7 hour difference. You haven’t slept in a couple of days. It’s 115 F outside. You just ate lunch. You’re sitting in an air-conditioned office. Now some guy is droning on and on giving a PowerPoint presentation. I think they look pretty good considering my 3 hours of briefing torture!
GRD officially celebrated Independence Day with a day off on Thursday, 3 July. The best thing about a day off in Iraq is sleeping late. So I decided to plan a game of soccer starting at 0600 to try to beat the heat. On FOB Marez, there is a caged soccer field with an artificial surface. It’s about one fourth the size of a regulation soccer field, fortunately! In the days leading up to the soccer game, Sarah periodically tried to convince me it was a bad idea. She frequently reminded me that the Aegis security personnel are primarily British and actually know how to play soccer. Additionally, she pointed out that they generally play to win, no matter the cost. That’s a pretty good point, since the typical Aegis team member in Mosul is prior service with either the Royal Marines or the Parachute Regiment. Despite all of her misgivings, we had a fun time. I think I put on quite a display for everyone.
We finished soccer at about 0700 and then relaxed for the rest of the day. At about 1800, we got together for a BBQ. Before the BBQ, we took an office picture. For the first attempt at the picture, everyone started arranging themselves on one of the picnic tables. Bad idea. Luckily, no major injuries. Can you imagine having to call home and tell everyone you got injured in Iraq by a picnic table?
The second attempt went much better. Rick came out for the picture in a Steelers jersey, so I had to put on my Cowboys T-Shirt. Sitting in between us is Ronnie. He is the Aegis commander in Mosul. Being from Manchester, he wasn’t willing to settle the Cowboys-Steelers debate.
Rick and Phil took care of the prep for the BBQ, while Nazar, Bill, and Liz handled cooking duties. I stood around and drank a Coke while pretending I wasn’t sore from the soccer game.
All in all, it was a good day. Some of the Aegis guys have asked for a game of basketball. I think they enjoyed seeing me hit the deck playing soccer and want to see some more. I’ve asked Mugs to send some Advil. Once that gets here, I’ll think about scheduling the basketball game.
