Well, my first full day of work on the brigade staff is halfway over. I compiled an order and looked up some stuff on the Army Publishing Directorate website. It was about as professionally fulfilling as, say, brushing my teeth.
I told the Major that I wanted to redefine my role and responsibilities to better use my experience and abilities. He seemed responsive to that, but I'm not getting my hopes up for anything dramatic.
He wants to work me into the Training section of the Operations shop. I responded that I was willing to do that, but would like to have an opportunity to do some training, see some training, and lead some training - not just sit in HQ writing about training. During my time with C-Company 134th Brigade Support Battalion (the people I mobilized with), I realized that I can do a pretty good job of articulating important concepts to soldiers and leaders at all levels. There were a couple of times I was able to give an impromptu class and I think those classes went well. I don't think I'm the world's leading military genius, but I did learn a few things in 7 years of active duty and would like to share that.
The Major indicated that he agreed with my thoughts on that but did not commit to anything specific - which I guess is understandable. We're still trying to sort ourselves out from the mobilization and adjust to this new organization. He wants to feel more comfortable with day-to-day operations before trying anything unusual.
My role after arriving in Iraq is uncertain, and I don't expect to have a better sense of that for several months, until we run a few Command Post Exercises and we see how it goes. I'm disappointed - very disappointed - not to have the Iraqi Army Training mission, but that's neither the first nor, doubtless, the last major disappointment of my military career.
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I guess there's not much more to write at the moment. This morning, I got tapped to ride with the Brigade Commander in his government issued pickup truck to show him where the pistol range was. I was uniquely qualified for this task, because I had been to a nearby (3-4 miles away) rifle range and therefore I knew the area better than anyone else on the Brigade staff.
After one missed turn, we found the range, but no one was running it. So, we visited some other ranges, talking to the soldiers there. The Colonel was disappointed to find that our NCOs were going to these ranges and acting like "Joes" - they were letting the Training Support Battalion (reservists who are here to assist us in our training) run the show. They were not keeping track of, helping, or checking on their soldiers. Obviously, this is an attitude we must change and quickly!
I actually enjoyed spending those 3-4 hours talking to the Colonel. Among other things, we discussed how hard it is to go from being a company commander to being a "staff weenie." He was sympathetic to my frustrations but told me I could still make a difference; I just need to figure out how. So that helped me feel better. We talked about a number of other subjects and also stopped for awhile to gather fire wood. (The Colonel has a small cabin to live in and it has a fireplace.)
All in all, it was good to finally get to talk to the Colonel directly. For the last 8 months, I've barely spoken a word to him directly, so he seemed like an abstraction.
On the other hand, the more I hear from the guys in Iraq, the more frustrated I get. I keep asking: "Why are we doing things THAT way?!?" ...I still believe that we were right to overthrow the Ba'ath (regardless of whether they had WMD) and that it is essential for us to get the new government on its feet.
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If this were the "civilian world," I would take my ideas, round up the other young officers with great ideas, and start a rival Army to compete with this one, rake in the profits, have an IPO, and become a billionaire. Unfortunately, we've got what we've got.
I guess there's not much more to write about. Today (3 Oct), I am putting together another exciting, "Fragmentary Order" and trying to figure out when and where Rosh Hashanah services are and how to get there. Tomorrow morning is my unnecessary oral surgery, and I will go directly there to an Urban Operations seminar. That will be fun.
