Head'em Up! Move'em Out!

"In the usual progress of things, the necessities of a nation in every stage of its existence will be found at least equal to its resources." - Alexander Hamilton
It is crunch time around here. Just like Apollo Creed told Rocky Balboa - "There is no tomorrow!" The end of the year is fast approaching. With it comes the deadline to be out of Iraq. One by one the bases up north are closing for good. With each closure comes another waterfall of southbound equipment of all types. Now all of this stuff has got to move across the border into Kuwait. There is so much stuff everywhere it almost seems like an insurmountable task. Everything is priority to move but it can't all move at once. It is a good feeling to know that I am surrounded by highly skilled transporters and logisticians who all understand how to get this stuff moved. These are the Soldiers of my Battalion. While everyone around us panics that the retrograde out of Iraq can't be done by year's end, they just go about their business unfazed. It has become a common sight to all of them to see General Officers poking around and asking questions. I think my Soldiers actually relish that they are now high-visibility targets for the Generals. There is sincere worry on the part of many within our chain-of-command that the retrograde timetable is falling behind schedule. Then a General will come talk to one of my Soldiers, who will put the world back together and ensure that all is well, we are on target. I've observed many of these informal discussions taking place on the hood of a vehicle in the middle of cargo handling yards. My Soldiers aren't worried about this stuff so I'm not either. When the retrograde is complete and we are out of Iraq for good we'll all look back and tally up how monumental a task we've successfully completed.

In the middle of all the flurry of southbound activity is a change of seasons. Long gone are the hot days of summer. Lately we've had very cool nights accompanied by the soothing sounds of thunderstorms. But this, in itself, adds to our challenges. Iraqi mud is unforgiving. It is a thick muck that clings to everything like spackle. I've never known mud that is so stubborn and unremovable. While the rain keeps the dust down, it breathes life into an even greater adversary. With that being said, we're happy with the cooler temperatures and the sound of rain on our CHU's. But Iraqi mud is a worthy adversary that can truly clog the machinery of retrograde. It is an unwelcome foe. There is no mud on earth I've encountered that can compare. I certainly won't miss it.

In spite of the rain, the mud, and the seemingly overwhelming work remaining to be done we are all in very high spirits. The end is in sight. The work we are in the process of completing represents the final phase of operations in Iraq. When we get finished with what we are doing it is only a matter of turning out the lights and handing the keys to the Iraqis. The only thing left for us to do at that point will be to catch that "big iron bird" back home. Soon, but not just yet...