Commander's Corner

It’s December 15th and this will probably be my last official update. All future communications will inform you of our current location and expected date of arrival. A lot has occurred over the past few weeks. Our replacement unit was delayed in arriving in Taji due to fog in Kuwait and no availability of helicopters in country. There are many units attempting to leave Iraq, while many more are awaiting transportation into country. In spite of these delays, I am still estimating our return to Minnesota to be around New Year’s. We will notify you immediately when we learn of an exact date.

    Our Brigade Commander pushed back our proposed departure date so we’d be available to support the elections. The Iraqi Army was allowed to vote a few days early so they’d be available to provide election site security during the December 15th elections. It was exciting to watch the thousands of Iraqi soldiers drive to the election site in the back of trucks and buses – singing and clapping with excitement. This is a historic event in Iraq and we’re proud to be playing a role in providing new rights and freedoms to the Iraqi people.

    We’ve completed the first portion of our relief in place with our replacements. We sent CPT Chris Childers, CPT Jeff Nelson, SSG Scot Carstensen, and SSG Ron Hvinden to Kuwait to complete actions ahead of our arrival. CPT Nelson and SSG Carstensen will travel from Kuwait to Camp Atterbury, Indiana ahead of our unit to prepare for our arrival and action items to expedite our out-processing there.

    We are no longer planning to put our soldiers on pass for a few days before returning to Montevideo for training. Once we arrive at the airport (Sioux Falls or Minneapolis – we’re not sure yet) we plan to board directly on a bus and drive to Montevideo for two days of reintegration training. Family members should plan to meet us in Montevideo and not at the airport, as you may not be allowed access to where the plane lands and the bus is loaded. If we arrive early enough, we’ll plan to conduct our Welcome Home ceremony that same night at the Montevideo Armory. If our flight arrives later in the day we’ll still travel to Montevideo to meet our families, but conduct the Welcome Home ceremony the following evening.

    This will take a great deal of patience and flexibility – especially for anxious families during the holiday season. We are extremely anxious to get home to our families and are making every attempt to minimize delays in Kuwait and Indiana. Please stay tuned to your e-mail as we will update you with our location and expected arrival times. Again, thank you so much for your patience and support of your soldier. You – the family – are truly making the greatest sacrifice for these soldiers to serve. Thank you and Merry Christmas!