I hate this place right now...

Imagine walking outside into a sand blaster.  That's what it was like when this wretched mass of stirred up sand rolled in.  This particular one came through on Easter and we are having another one tonight.  You can't even keep your eyes open or you get blinded by all the sand.  Thankfully, they don't last too long and we have Containerized Housing Units (CHUs) to live in.  You can see a few of the CHUs in this picture also (white buildings surrounded by big concrete walls).  This place is absolutely despicable sometimes.  I can't imagine living here more than I have to.

Besides the sand storms, things have been pretty good over here.  I know I haven't written in two months and a ton of things have happened during that time so I'll try to hit the highlights.  I had a nice lull during the month of February where I was between jobs and didn't have much going on.  That time involved much "Settlers of Catan" and hand rolled cigars after work with my two JAG buddies here, John and Ryan.  Settlers of Catan is a great game that combines a good amount of strategy and the roll of the dice into a fun game that is different every time you play due to the game set up changing every time.  In this picture you can see John and I setting up a new game on one our many nights of playing.  Other than that, I focused on inventorying all the property I was about to sign for (100% change of command inventory), on preparing for taking command on 1 March and thinking through some of my philosophy and focus before I made that big step. 

My change of command ceremony took place on the morning of March 1 and was over in less than 20 minutes, but almost immediately I felt a big change.  The moment we finished passing the company guidon (flag), I was all of a sudden the guy in the chair, the one calling the shots, the commander.  It's actually pretty amazing how many things in the Army are left to the "commander's discretion," and I really had little understanding of what they were until now.  Of course, some things never change and almost everything is bureaucratically documented thanks to the plethora of Army Regulations, but specifically how strictly or how deliberately one applies those regulations is very much up to the commander.  It's been challenging, taxing and yet rewarding even just in this first month.  I had to deal with many of my "firsts" during my first two weeks in command - my first Article 15 hearing (Article 15 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) allows for commanders to execute non-judicial punishment), my first red cross message for emergency contact to a Soldier, my first opportunity to promote Soldiers and my first time to be the one counseling another officer.  Things have been happening fast and furious at times and I take a chance to breathe and relax when I can. 

After being in command for about 3 weeks, I went up to another base in Iraq for a conference with my battalion commander and the other company commanders in my battalion.  We got a good chance to discuss awards philosophy, some future planning for redeployment and reset back in the US and lessons learned from some of the more senior commanders who had been in command for over a year.  It was a great opportunity to get to know each other a little better and establish working relationships since 4 out of 5 of us were basically brand new to command.  We also got the chance to have a little fun while we were there and get our hands dirty doing some torch-cutting down at the motorpool.  The real purpose of going over to the motorpool was to get a closer look at where and how our vehicles are maintained, but we definitely enjoyed burning through some metal while we were there. 

I know that doesn't really do justice to two months worth of time, but it does offer a brief synopsis.  Most of the other stuff that I'm dealing with involves a greater deal of drama than I'd like to admit.  The bottom line is that some of my Soldiers operate under a very selfish mentality where they think the world is supposed to cater to them or that they are entitled to something that the world isn't giving them.  Sometimes I feel like a parent trying to explain to some of them that life isn't fair or that things aren't always going to go their way.  It's not really worth the details, but if you think about it, just pray for me to have patience, compassion where necessary, but firmness to stick to what I know is right even when people break down and cry in front of me (it's happened already). 

I've also been leading worship at the local chapel here off and on for the last month or so which has been a good thing.  It's great to be able to lead others in worship, even while over here in the desert.  I didn't bring my guitar, but I was able to borrow one from someone else here so that has worked out well.  I've also been doing a Bible study with a few guys off and on when they're not out on mission.  I'm going to have it again this Sunday so pray for it if you think about it.  It's just something small, but I think it's helping a few guys get more into the Scriptures than they otherwise would and see some of God's Word for themselves. 

I hope you're all doing well and I will do better about posting more things as they come up.  I'll try not to let it go two months without a post again!  Oh, and my new address in case you're concerned:

Tim Frazier
63rd NSC, TF 201
COB Adder
APO AE 09331

Thanks for reading!