Now it's our turn to run things

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's
character, give him power" - Abraham Lincoln

Contingency Operating Base Speicher.... Prior to the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom the place was home of the Iraqi Air Force Academy. Tikrit - Saddam Hussein's hometown - is right next door. During the course of OIF, Speicher has been home of many Soldiers, Airmen, and Contractors. At the height of the surge (when I last visited Speicher) there were over 25,000 uniformed personnel manning three Brigade Combat Teams and a Division HQ. Now that OIF has transitioned over to Operation New Dawn things have been scaled back dramatically. The focus now is closing up shop and returning everything to the Iraqis. Many sections of Speicher are now completely run by the new Iraqi Air Force. The place still looks the same though. And one thing that hasn't changed is the dust storms - fierce. Two days after the arrival of my command team a storm hit that blocked out the sun. Everything went pitch black dark and visibility dropped to around five feet. Wouldn't you know it? The next day dawned bright and clear - only to be followed by several days of wicked thunderstorms. Speicher turned to mud in time for the arrival of the rest of my Battalion.

Due to various flight issues, the main body arrived about three days later than planned. That meant we had to immediately embark on a compressed TOA with our predecessors. This created the potential for serious issues ranging from incomplete inventories to inability to perform assigned tasks. With that in mind, we immediately embarked on extended working hours. Nobody seemed to complain. Only the weather remained a thorn as we drove ahead. Many of my Soldiers had never deployed before and were adjusting fast in a crash course of spartan lifestyle. Yet there were no complaints, no gripes, no moans. Our predecessors were eager to go home - understandably. But they were very professional, courteous and thorough. We all wanted to ensure the mission was never compromised by our transition. I never had any doubt we'd meet the TOA requirements on time. When the big day came we were ready.

Our TOA ceremony was held inside the main gym on the basketball court. Speicher actually has a nice gym, the building is one of the few in Iraq that continuously has been used for its original purpose. Due to the weather, our Commanding General was unable to attend. Some people may not quite fathom that but, trust me, when the weather doesn't cooperate around here you do not fly. The ceremony is a simple event. The Battalion Colors from the outgoing and incoming units are both carried by the Color Guard. The Colors of the outgoing unit are "cased" by their Commander and CSM. Then the Colors of the incoming battalion are "uncased" by their BC and CSM. This symbolizes the transfer of one command to another. The orders are published and then the speeches are given. I kept mine short. Soldiers get bored very easily and their minds can only endure what their butts (or feet if they are standing) can take. In less than thirty minutes we were done. The only thing left for the outgoing unit to do was go home. They'd earned it. My Battalion went to work. This is our mission now, our responsibility and our task. It will occupy our efforts for the rest of the year. COB Speicher is now officially our home.