As you know from my previous posts, my squad really has been overwhelmed with tasks lately. Well, we finally got some reinforcements! The US Army and our coalition partners (in particular the United Kingdom and Australia) sent some additional animal soldiers to perform missions with my squad. They arrived yesterday.

They reported to me, and I took a few minutes to talk with each of them and take their picture. Here they are:

I asked this guy his name and he said “SNORT!” So I’m assuming that’s what his name is. He is one of the “Red Bull” soldiers for whom our brigade and division are named! On a personal level, he says some of the things he likes are eating grass and starting stampedes. His dislikes include brands and matadors. Before he was mobilized, he was part of the PCT circuit. PCT stands for Professional Cowboy Throwers – it’s the bulls’ counterpart to the PBA (Professional Bullriders Association).

Ian is from the United Kingdom – specifically, from Scotland. He is a member of the Royal Scottie Regiment who is on temporary duty as a member of my squad. He likes eating leftover haggis and “swimming in the loch,” whatever that means. He dislikes people who don’t know the differences among the words Scot, Scots, Scotch, Scottish, and Scottie.

Winston is also from the UK. He grew up near London and is a member of the Queens Royal Hussar Regiment. I said, “Oh, so I guess that means a Hussar is a kind of bulldog?” He said no, a Hussar is a cavalryman; Winston just happens to be in that regiment. When he arrived, he was surprised that I already had equipment (including body armor) and a room available for him and the rest of his crew. He said something to me about how “never before have so many owed so much to one polar bear.” He likes to have tea and milk-bones every day at 5 o’clock, and he dislikes French Poodles.

Steve is from Australia. He was originally sent to join the Australian Battlegroup here at Tallil, but got diverted to join my squad instead. He makes lots of strange noises, some that sound kind of like this: “GWAAAAAAARRRRRRUUNNNNNGH,” and some that sound sort of like this: “CRIKEY!” I thought he looked a little like a bear, but he explained that he is actually a marsupial. Marsupials have pouches on their bodies in which they carry their young – at least the females do. In Steve’s case, he just has an ammunition pouch. He likes sitting on branches eating eucalyptus leaves, and he dislikes dingos and stingrays. He wants to say “g’day” to all his “mates” back home, and looks forward to eating “eucalyptus on the barbie” when he gets back.

I’m really looking forward to working with these new soldiers. This will be exciting! CPT Simer has had the chance to work with a lot of coalition soldiers before, including soldiers from Australia, the UK, Poland, Denmark, Bosnia, Italy, Romania, and Japan. Now it’s my turn! It’s really neat to see so many countries banding together to help the Iraqi people achieve democracy and justice.