Today we finally came to the end of our deployment! Our replacements have gone with us on a few missions, and they are ready to do the mission without our help. I reported this to MAJ Simer, and he told us to conduct a "Transfer of Authority" ceremony. So we just did a very simple ceremony on the roof of the BCT Headquarters.

Here are some pictures from the ceremony - I'm handing the flag over to Second Lieutenant Goldy, the platoon leader of the group replacing us. 2LT Goldy is a graduate of the ROTC program at the University of Minnesota. He’s an engineer officer - he told me he chose that specialty because of his excellent digging ability.

2LT Goldy was really excited to take the flag and get started with his mission!

And here's a picture of 2LT Goldy and I posing for a picture right after the ceremony. You can just barely see the Ziggurrrrrrrrat of Gurrrrrrrr right over 2LT Goldy’s left ear...

I'm a little sad to leave behind some of the friends I've made here, like the local village bears and the camels. I'm also a little sad that the war is still going on and that the Iraqi people still have to face insurgents and terrorists every day. But I think my soldiers and I have done everything we could. I’m excited to get home and see my family again!

MAJ Simer has warned me that it will be a long and tedious process to get back home and finish all the paperwork to "demobilize" (that’s what they call it when National Guard soldiers like me leave active duty and return to their civilian lives). I hope it's not as bad as he says - I'm getting really impatient to get home, so if I get slowed down just for paperwork, I might have to maul someone!

PS: For photos from the 1/34 BCT's Transfer of Authority ceremony (held on July 11th), you should check them out here: http://www.redbullweb.com/12.html