The Last Week

Suddenly, I find myself in my last week in Iraq. It snuck up on my in way I didn’t think it would. After all, I’ve been looking forward to the end of my tour – everyone does. But to be actually faced with its impending completion leaves me feeling, well, strange.

I had my outcall a few days ago with the Army colonel who runs my shop. He asked me how I felt and I told him I was surprised I didn’t feel like I thought I would. In fact, I had mixed feelings. Not about what I have done or accomplished but with the simple act of leaving behind the people I’ve worked so closely with over the past year. As I look around my office, I am the senior guy; that is, I can remember the day everyone walked into the office. I can remember the guy each of them replaced when they arrived. I explained to him that the biggest surprise was that each of the people who walked through the door was as good or better than the person we said good bye to. How was that possible? How long could that keep up? And yet it did for the entire year I was here.

Years ago, I served in a Navy tactical helicopter squadron. It was a great assignment and when I finished I thought I would never experience that kind of camaraderie again. I was wrong. The people who end here consistently are excellent and enjoyable to work with. Maybe it’s the fact we are in a war zone and were occasionally shot at. Maybe it’s the subject matter. The prospect of rebuilding a country and government from scratch is daunting but we were surrounded by smart people who generated a sort of collective wisdom that informed our actions, our planning.

Last Friday, it was my turn to stand up, receive my end of tour award, and give a brief speech. It echoed what I wrote above: it was always about the people, in Navy parlance, my shipmates, which made the experience worthwhile, satisfying. I won’t miss many aspects of Baghdad but I will miss the people I served with: Americans, Brits, Aussies, civilians from the Department of State, Treasury, Justice, civilian translators, the local Iraqis who work in the International Zone, and all the Third Country Nationals who keep everything running.

Today was my last Sunday mass at the Embassy Chapel, located in a large trailer outside the palace. At the end of mass, the priest always asks if anyone is leaving the coming week and invites them forward to receive a blessing. There were quite a few of us this week and it was with that same feeling of now it’s my turn that walked up to receive a blessing in the name of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers.

Finally, another milestone: it was one year ago today that I reported for active duty at NOSC Alameda. A whole damn year.

I’ve only got a few more days left in Iraq. I better get packing. There’s a lot more ground to cover, and many miles to go, before I sleep at home.