Some would say that CPT Short looks like Jim Gaffigan

After spending a fun filled week with the 34th ID, I traveled back to FOB Kalsu, Iraq.  A quaint little military outpost South of Baghdad.  The 172nd Infantry Brigade Public Affairs shop lacks a broadcaster in theater.  The office I work for, Multi-National Division — South grants CPT Jim Gaffigan the use of a broadcasting asset.  This time around it’s me.

It’s been a pretty eventful week so far.  I traveled to Diawania to cover a ribbon cutting.  The US State Department Provential Reconstruction Team gave the Agricultural High School about $20,000 to purchase bee hives.  Previously they only had around five hives.  Their grant gave them more than 50.  These hives should produce around $50,000 – $60,000 of revenue per year while giving high school aged ag students valuable experience with bees.

I got a little close to the bees

Then I was at the biggest truck stop in Iraq.  Convoy Support Center (CSC) Scania is about an hour-and-a-half south of Baghdad.  They have mechanics who can fix vehicles traveling on the major road from Kuwait to Baghdad.  For years it was off limits to the Iraqi public.  Parts of the road also known as MSR Tampa have been opened to the public.  The last 4-5 km around Scania were off-limits until this past week.  Iraqis had to take a dirt bypass road because the entire highway was essentially used to stage convoys.  The American forces that control the base opened up the southbound lanes for traffic.  The best quote can be attributed to my previous Commanding General, Major General Michael Oates when he said that it only makes sence that Iraqis should be able to drive on their own highway.

Drill Sergeant Sugar Bear. He married an officer and she told him to wear that.

On the left is SSG Sean McNeal from AFN and the 222nd Broadcast Operations Detachment out of Los Angeles, but he’s from New York.  He was in the Broadcast Journalism class before mine at DINFOS last year.  Also at the event was SGT Neal McCabe who is a chatty historian.  It was fun meeting him especially because he and Monty got into an argument about Mary’s virtue after she gave birth to Jesus.  Monty won in a stunning upset when all he had to do was quote Matthew 1.  SGT McCabe loves his history and his bible.  He was about to pull out the greek concordinance until McNeal and I shamed him into relenting.

Here in Kalsu, one member of the 172nd, Michael Taylor, was promoted to Staff Sergeant, E-6, while I was here and I got to take some photos of his ceremony. I included them in the slide show below.

SSG Michael Taylor of the 172nd Infantry Bde on the day of his promotion.

I think I’ve spent only a week and a half in Basra since I left for leave on April 25. I can honestly say that I don’t miss Basra. I miss sassypants, the sorority soldier, and some of the other people. I don’t miss the enviroment where we are apparently blowing minds. My problem is that I have yet to find anyone who cares. This may come as a shock, but this war won’t be won or lost because of our “public affairs” effort. Who knows….maybe the enemy will spend too much time editing all our dog and karate stories instead of firing rockets at our base?

This post is tagged 172 Infantry Brigade, 343rd MPAD, Blackhawk, FOB Kalsu