June Down Range

So, these past couple of months has been a very busy part of the deployment for me as we transition into a force that is more focused on training the Iraqi Army. During this time I have had the opportunity to dispose of mountains of ammo that I found to be bad during my inspections. Working with my EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) counterparts we were able to blow most of it up in a single day. This is a real tiring process, but with a lot of helping hands we were able to lay out all of the munitions and do some training for some of the younger Soldiers. The explosion may have been a little larger than what we said it was going to be, so there was some negative feedback once we returned, but I say it was a success since the shockwave actually moved the vehicle I was sitting in.

One of my very good friends Bryan Williams took command of A Company last month which has vastly affected the dynamics of the unit. My Soldiers are re-energized and come to work every day ready or whatever is thrown at them. This new found motivation was needed as moral was starting to go down as the temperatures keep inching their way up.



The school semester is almost over and I have to say my stress level is getting ready to go down once I finish finals week. I have had the opportunity to see just how much I can fit into a day and I have to say this isn’t something I want to do all the time. The Army has decided not to fully fund its educational programs from now on due to the cost of the war on terror so it looks as if I might have to slow down a little bit.


I have been taking financial management classes the past few weeks as I try and make the most of my time here. The classes are based off of a program by Dave Ramsey who a well known financial counselor and syndicated radio host. My roommate Jordan and I go every Monday night in hopes we are able to take away some information that both we and our Soldiers can use.


As you can see I have found many things to fill my time while I am over here. I feel the more that I can cram into a day the quicker it will go by…the quicker these days go by the quicker I can get back home to my wonderful wife as well as all of you…