Iraq is behind us now.
After nearly 330 days, all of the 314th PAOC Soldiers are now out of Iraq and on our way home. The last 8 of us, including LTC Perez and me, left Baghdad International Airport right at the end of Veterans Day. Four of our Soldiers are already at Fort Dix doing the work of the advanced party…and the rest of us will join them in a few days.
We all slept in yesterday morning, and then started the work day with an awards ceremony. SGTs Autumn Hope, Mary Lee and Kellena Leech all received an Army Achievement Medal for work they did toward the end of our year in Iraq. SSG Jeremy Fowler received a Certificate of Achievement for an incredible end-of-tour magazine he created thata spotlighted all our Soldiers. Family members might want to look at the magazine to get some insight into the experiences of their loved ones. Finally, SGT Kellena Leech and 1SG Glassford got the great news from the commander that they had both been selected to be recipients of a $500 USAA Army Reserve Scholarship that they can use for their schooling in 2010.
If that was not enough good news, we also got word late in the day yesterday that SGT Kevin McSwain was recommended for promotion to staff sergeant. For those of you keeping track, that makes 70 percent of the Soldiers in the 314th PAOC promoted from the time we came together last year. I am sure this is a record of some sort….and this last promotion was a great way to end the year.
We are looking forward to coming home, but are glad to have the time here in Kuwait to decompress a bit and relax. When we land at Fort Dix, we will be able to contact our families and update them. It will likely be a few days there to complete some very important outprocessing paperwork and medical exams. Soldiers will have time, however, to call and email families and give them details of their arrivals times into Birmingham and elsewhere.
Of course, we are all excited about the Warrior Leader Course training that SGTs Anderson and Richardson, and SPCs Clifton and Wright will be attending before they return home to Alabama. I plan to stay there with them until they check into the NCO Academy. Thanks to the special fitness training from SGT Hope, they are in better shape than they have been in a long time…and I am sure they will all be making use of the fitness facilities there at Fort Dix and Maguire Air Force Base to prepare for their fitness test on the first day of class (we are all hoping it will not be snowing that day).
Thank you again to Del Tull — and all the family members — for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We will be home soon to share all the details of our experience in Iraq.
Friday, 13. November 2009
We can’t wait to see you all!
Friday, 13. November 2009
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the blog post From the Front: 11/13/2009 News and Personal dispatches from the front and the home front.
Friday, 13. November 2009
Yea! We are so ready to see everyone! Thanks for keeping us updated and for staying and getting the group settled in for the Warrior Leader Course! We appreciate all you do!
Laurie
Friday, 13. November 2009
Found my way here via Mudville Gazette… Congratulations on a very successful deployment, and thank you all so much for your service. We’re so very proud to call you all “ours”.
Godspeed and best wishes!
Friday, 13. November 2009
YYYeeeEEEE HHHaaaWWWWW !!!!!!!! …. stay frosty…
Monday, 16. November 2009
This blog site was wonderful! Thank you SGM and the soldiers who wrote the articles. It really help all our families cope with the seperations.
Thursday, 21. January 2010
Hey SGM Troy!!!
While I know that you’re proud of your 70 percent of the Soldiers assigned to the 314th PAOC got promoted during their time in Iraq, may I remind you of a small factorid with regard to promotion:
During the first rotation of the 318th PAOC in Baghdad, 94 percent (all but one!) of the enlisted Soldiers assigned to the 318th were promoted — 19 during a promotion ceremony in the “Freedom Palace” and SGM Beth DePoint was promoted a month later to her present rank.
The only two enlisted Soldiers who did not get promoted (we could not get them promoted) were the two AGR Soldiers — MSG Dave Zerbe (who was SFC Zerbe during that time) and SGT Tracy Christmas (who is now SSG Tracy Christmas and my understanding is that he’s no longer in the AGR program).
Of the nine officers assigned to the 318th PAOC, three were promoted in rank during the time or within three months of our “recovery period”.
As you know, promotions reflect on the leadership of the unit — and their ability to motivate, encourage and inspire their Soldiers toward meeting the demands for that next grade. As I place your unit’s excellence at the foot of you and your senior NCOs…I place my unit’s outstanding acheiveement not as anything I did other than signing the order — but rather at the foot of Dave Zerbe and Beth DePoint. The two of them did much to make me and our unit look good.
I know where you are now… *smiling* and I hope to be trading stories with you over some great German beer in the coming months before I have to take off to get back to the States!!
LTC Mike Walton (settummanque, the blackeagle)
former Commander, 318th PAOC
“Blackhawk Communicators”
Sunday, 24. January 2010
Hello sir — 19 out of 20 enlisted promotions is indeed impressive, but you are comparing apples to oranges. I said 70 percent of the ENTIRE unit (officers AND enlisted) were promoted. Do you know how many officers in the 318th were promoted during that same period you mentioned? We had 21 out of 30 TOTAL promoted for 70 percent.
Looking forward to your updated information.