You might being asking yourself, ‘How can you be in a funk?  Aren’t you coming home soon?’

Yes, the unit is due to return sometime in the next few weeks, but there are still many unknowns, and those unknowns weigh heavily on people who see a light at the end of a tunnel.  The travel plans of the replacement unit, the weather, bureaucratic paperwork, missed forms and overlooked emails, or a myriad of other things can slow down a Soldier who is greatly anticipating reunions with family, friends and, yes, even that civilian job they left more than a year ago.

All that uncertainty, and the unsettling nature it has on our Soldiers, has caused much of the funk and made me think about an Arabic phrase that we Americans here joke about often — ‘inshallah’.  The English language translation is roughly “God willing.”

Sometimes when we ask Iraqis to do something or make a commitment, they answer with ‘inshallah.’  We Americans seem to think it is because they are purposely being evasive, non-committal or lazy.  Perhaps that is true in some cases, but I think maybe there is something more important to the use of this phrase.  It’s about living with reality.

We Americans like to have a plan, but here in Iraq, planning your life seems like time not well spent.  American like to get a commitment, and we get upset when we don’t get what we want when we want it.  In fact, you might say that is the mantra that rules our lives.  If your computer network goes offline in Baghdad, you call 1LT Larrew to fix it immediately….we must have constant connectivity, we demand it.   If you don’t get what you want from a business, move on to one that will give it to you….you are customer and your dollars do the talking.  Or, if you are not happy with your relationship, move on…..there are more fish in the ocean. 

I’m not saying that people should not have expectations or goals, but I think it is unrealistic to build your whole life on the premise that you will always get what you want, when you want it.  Like the old Yiddish proverb (now part of American cuture): Man plans and God laughs.

Yes, our Soldiers want to be home — yesterday, if that were possible.   And yes, we are working as hard as we can to make that wish a reality.  We have prepared briefings and SOPs for our counterparts, packed up gear and shipped it home ahead of schedule, filled out forms in triplicate and sent them to the correct person (followed by a phone call to confirm their arrival), did maintenance on our weapons to make sure we can turn them in quickly, and even cleaned our work areas to remove all of our personal items, to make our replacements’ transition go more smoothly.  But, unfortunately, that does not provide any guarantees.  It only gives the illusion of a guarantee.

We need everyone to know that staking our happiness and mental health on getting what we want, when we want it, based on our experiences in the government, and especially in the U.S. military (the home of ‘hurry up and wait’), is more likely to lead to PTSD than a second year in Iraq.

So instead, I ask that you all support your Soldiers by adding ‘inshallah’ to your vocabulary and your life, at least for the next few weeks.  Realize that none of us (even when working together) can confirm that we will get what we want, when we want it.   There are just too many things that can, and often do, happen unexpectedly to change our best laid plans. 

For now, just know that everyone in the 314th PAOC is ready to come home, and that if all our plans do come to fruition, inshallah, we will be happy to see all of you sooner.  But, if the unexpected does happen, also realize that it may be for some reason that we may not know or appreciate. 

It is tough for all of us to live with that reality, but thankfully, tomorrow is the 314th PAOC’s farewell party from Iraq…a chance for us to say ‘thank you’ to the people and organizations who made our time here more enjoyable and effective…

…well, if it doesn’t rain and the food arrives on time.  Inshallah.