200!

Yet Another Milestone!

As of today, I have been in Iraq for 200 days, which means that I only have 165 days left in my deployment!

More importantly, I only have 7 days before I am home for my R&R leave. If all goes to plan I will be in Atlanta on Saturday morning.

When I get back to Iraq, I will only have a little over 4 months left.

Heck, that’s only the length of an Air Force tour. Anybody can do that!

Ammo Cook Off!

Lots of excitement last night in the IZ!

I was woken up last night by the sound of a large explosion last night. That isn't the first time this has ever happen, but what made it unique is that the explosion was followed by another and then another and they sounded very close.

By the third one, my roommate and I got up and stuck our heads out the door. We were convince that a sustained tank battle was going on. But when we stepped outside we didn't see any indications of a battle. However, the explosions kept on coming.

At some point, my roommate got the smart idea to check the TV. That's when we learned from Fox News that an ammunition wharehouse was on fire and the explosions were from tank and artillery rounds cooking off in the fire.

The cool thing was that Fox News had a camera on the ammo site and was showing a live feed on the explosions (see photo above) taking place just a mile or so from our trailer. So we could watch the explosions shoot up in the air on the TV and then simutaneously feel the impact vibrate through our trailer.

Very cool!

Long Distance Promotion

Yesterday I was offiicially promoted to Lieutenant Colonel during a very nice ceremony here in Iraq. But more importantly, yesterday I was able to lay my eyes on Mara and the kids for the first time in Six Months! What a thrill it was for me to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and have my family participate in it via a Video Teleconference. Mara went up to Fort McPherson and was able to view the ceremony in a conference room. Afterwards, I was able to "talk" to them one on one. A lot of different people, both here and back in Atlanta, worked hard to make sure the video connection was up and running for us, and for that I am very grateful.

After being promoted, I went through a long list of people I needed to thank. In particular, I wanted to thank everyone over here for continuing to work so hard. I also pointed out a few people in the crowd who had made a difference in my career during previous assignments.

But at the end, I made a point of telling Mara that this promotion would not have been very significant to me if she and the kids weren't there to share it with me.

I am truly blessed.

Promoted!

When I arrived at my desk this morning, I learned that I had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. I was very thrilled and humbled by it. We are planning on having a promotion ceremony this Friday and we are preparing to have a VTC set up between here and Atlanta so that Mara and the kids can look on. There are so many different people who have helped me reach this point that I couldn't possibly name them all. I can remember when I was a Lieutenant and ready to pack in and leave the Army. A very wise Captain told me to stick it out for one more assignement and see how it goes. That "one more assignment" has now turned into more than 17 years. The Army has provided me with a lot of opportunities to serve my country and the ability to take care of my family. I' m glad I listened to that advise.

Half Way Home!

I'm over the hump! I have now been deployed for 180 consecutive days which means I'm half way done with my year long deployment! It feels very good to be able to say that. On top of that, I will be heading home for my 2 weeks of R&R at the end of October. Can't wait to get home and hang out with the family and see as many friends as possible.

All is well