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You may have noticed Mosul in the news more frequently lately. Most recent news stories I’ve seen describe the streets littered with burned out cars and debris from bombed out buildings as if these are signs of Mosul descending into chaos. The interesting thing is that as the initial reports of increasing terrorist activity in Mosul were being aired, most of the pictures accompanying the stories were from other locations. As the media has begun to focus on Mosul, everyone is shocked at the images. I was just as shocked by what I saw when I first arrived almost six months ago.

Chris’ unit, 1-8 Infantry, came to Mosul as an attachment to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment as part of the US move to assist the Iraqi forces in fighting al-Qaida in Mosul. As reported in most major news sources, the strategy is the same as was used successfully in Baghdad last year. This success comes at no small price. On Monday, 28 Jan 08, an armored vehicle from 1-8 Infantry was hit by an IED while on patrol in Mosul. Immediately after the explosion, the convoy started receiving small arms fire from insurgents in a nearby mosque. Five US soldiers in the vehicle hit by the IED were killed in this attack.

On Wednesday, 30 Jan 08, the US Department of Defense released the names of the 5 soldiers. They are:

Sgt. James E. Craig, 26, of Hollywood, California
Staff Sgt. Gary W. Jeffries, 37, of Roscoe, Texas
Spc. Evan A. Marshall, 21, of Athens, Georgia
Pfc. Brandon A. Meyer, 20, of Orange, California
Pvt. Joshua A. R. Young, 21, of Riddle, Oregon

Please pray for the families, friends, loved ones, and mates of these soldiers. Remember to pray for Chris as he continues to lead his unit.

Rest in Peace.

On Friday, the middle school classes went to various homes to rake people’s leaves as an act of service.  We were on the list of yards to be raked because of Dale’s deployment to Iraq.  Not wanting Abby and Josiah to rake their own yard, they were assigned to rake the leaves at the house of an elderly widow.  She treated them grandly with homemade hot chocolate and cookies.  She informed them that whichever cup they chose, they could bring home to keep.  Josiah apparently missed this bit of information and picked up the cup closest to him.  After he drank his hot chocolate, he finally realized that he was supposed to keep the cup.  At this point he noticed that it had a large pink rose on it.  He attempted to trade with his sister until she held up her cup.  It not only had a big pink rose, but the word “love” written all over it.  He was forced to carry his pink flower cup with him for the rest of the day.  Immediately upon entering the van, he thrust the cup at me.  “Here!” he said.  My great dislike of coffee cups and the color pink did not deter him.  “Thanks,” I said.  “What a lovely birthday gift.”

At 1500 on 1 November 2007, I received word that one of my RLTs had been hit by an IED. The devastating results were 1 KIA and 2 WIA. The lead vehicle apparently drove over a pressure detonated IED buried in the road. The blast blew through the bottom of the vehicle directly under the front passenger seat. That is where Andy was sitting. He was the Team Leader for this RLT; a man that I and everyone else that knew him greatly admired. His team had just completed reconnaissance of some of my project sites and was on its way back to the FOB. They were about 10 kilometers south of Mosul when they hit the IED. Smudge, the Assistant Team Leader, took charge immediately, secured the area, and called in the QRF from the supporting US Army unit. After the blast, there was no other attack. Apparently the IED had been left to indiscriminately kill whomever happened by. Andy and the 2 WIAs were evacuated by helicopter to the Combat Support Hospital on FOB Diamondback; their vehicle was completely destroyed by the IED.

At 0300 this morning, I participated in a Ramp Ceremony for Andy along with all of the other security detachment personnel and the leadership from MAO (MAJ Rick Biddle and MSG Curt Kaseman). The attendees formed two lines coming out from the ramp at the back of the waiting C130 Hercules aircraft. At the front of the line, I waited along with a Chaplain and Billy, Andy’s supervisor. When the ambulance pulled up, 4 personnel from the security detachment served as pallbearers and removed Andy’s casket. Those assembled saluted while we led the pallbearers to the ramp of the C130. At the foot of the ramp, the Chaplain said some words. I was so numb at the time that I can’t remember what he said. Then a member of Andy’s team said a few words as well. That was the end of our short ceremony.

Later this afternoon, I sat at my computer to put together a few thoughts for a condolence letter. Andy is survived by his Mother and Father who live in Chesire, UK. As I finished putting my thoughts in an email to send to my boss, the numbness started to wear off. I walked back to my trailer and called Mugs to ask for prayer. I spent some time crying for Andy. Mugs’ words comforted me and allowed me to not be overcome by grief.

This evening at 1830, I conducted a memorial service for Andy. Everyone from MAO attended along with all of Andy’s colleagues from the personal security detachment teams. I started off by reading Ecclesiastes 9:10-12, which says:

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.
I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.
For man also does not know his time; like fish taken in a cruel net, like birds caught in a snare, so the sons of men are snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly upon them.

A few people shared thoughts about Andy, then we honored him with a minute of silence. Margaret, the senior USACE engineer in Mosul, closed the service with a prayer.

Andy believed in what we are doing. He cared for the Iraqis and felt strongly about developing personal relationships with the locals. On every project visit he made, Andy would grab his interpreter and talk to the local residents. He knew that these relationships are the key to success. I believe in Andy’s vision. In Ecclesiastes 9, the Preacher goes on to say in verse 18:

Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.

Rest in Peace, Andy Dancaster.

In the comments for a post, Janice asks “What is it like when you go to a job site with your security?” To answer her question, I’d like to describe USACE’s approach to construction management in Iraq. As I’ve mentioned previously, I never leave the wire without my personal security detachment (PSD). I have two types of teams that work for me. The team that takes me to site visits is a security escort team (SET). As the name suggests, the SET’s mission is to escort USACE personnel on missions outside the wire. The other type I haven’t mentioned before is called a reconstruction liaison team (RLT). The RLT visits sites without taking USACE personnel with them. They check out the security situation at a project site to see if it is safe for me to visit. More importantly, the RLT also attempts to establish a relationship with the locals that live near the projects as well as with the contractors working on the projects.

You may not realize it, but the contractors working on my projects are not Americans. As much as possible, we hire Iraqi construction firms to build Iraqi construction projects. While this is the right thing to do for the local economy, it does make communication with the contractors very difficult. On the RLT, I have interpreters. They are a key asset.

For the Al Shura site visit I posted previously, first I sent an RLT to the site to check out the area. When I received the RLT report, it said that the area was safe, but it also mentioned that the water treatment plant operator had some questions about the project. So I planned a site visit with my SET and requested to have the RLT team leader and interpreter on the visit as well. Since they had been there and talked to the operator, I knew they would be a big help on my site visit. For a site visit, when we arrive on site, the SET members get out and secure the perimeter. Once they establish that there are no immediate threats, then the USACE Engineers are able to get out of the vehicles to conduct any necessary project inspections.

In the picture below, Gene, the Project Engineer, is talking to the water treatment plant operator with the help of the RLT interpreter. A SET member is providing security in the background.

The key to success on a site visit is constant communication. I hope this answers Janice’s question!

Can I get a witness?

Today I had the pleasure of attending the Gospel service here on FOB Diamondback. This was definitely a time of refreshing. In the midst of the chaos and confusion that constantly surrounds us, about 100 brothers and sisters set aside two hours to come together to lift up the name of Jesus. This is just one of the many services offered throughout the week on FOB Diamondback and next door at FOB Marez.

The Spirit moved throughout the entire service. Today, Brother Alvis Hamilton taught from Luke 15, the Prodigal Son. In verse 17, it starts (NKJV) “But when he came to himself…”. The question he asked was “Where will you be when you come to yourself”? Where ever that happens to be, Jesus will be standing there waiting and knocking.

There was time for what Mugs and I fondly call “Share His Love”. This is when everyone walks around during the service greeting one another. This being a good charismatic service, the standard greeting is a hug. I turned to the person on my left, and he immediately responded by giving me a hug. From his expression, I think this 2nd Lieutenant was a little shocked and embarrassed when he realized he just hugged a Lieutenant Colonel. He was even more thrilled at the end of the service when we got to hold hands with our neighbors.