Friends,
Two months from today, I will be home with the family. I am scheduled to arrive home the day before Thanksgiving ... I am sure that I will much to be thankful for - Kelly, Ben, Sophia, Josh ..... and then there is ginnie, molly, oscar, goldy and perhaps a few other pests that may eventually make our home theirs. :-)
With two months to go I can only say that a year is a long time. It is hard on individuals, it is hard on families and it is hard on marriages. We are not yet close enough to feel the end of it all coming, but I do look forward to that time.
And on a completely different note, I found out today that I will be the Commanding Officer of a Naval Reserve unit in Charlette, NC. The unit, Navy Reserve Strike Group Operations, Detachment F (NR SGO DET F), it is a submarine support unit. So off to Charlette once a month fo the next two years. The unit coordinates submarine operations when they are operating with surface ships.
Pax et Bonum,
Chris Culver
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Greetings,
First, I would like to let you read a small portion of PM Maliki’s speech on the change of the US mission in Iraq - which happend earlier today. We are no longer in Iraqi Freedom, but Operation New Dawn. I don’t know if any of the news channels covered this.
“And here, we have to praise the commitment of the United States to its promises, whether at the time of signing the agreement in the era of former U.S. President George Bush, or during the implementation of the withdrawal agreement, based on agreed schedules, in the current period of President Barak Obama.”
Keeping these promises has been the hard work of thousands of US Military and US Civilians in the Department of State, Homeland Security, Treasure, Justice, etc. I mention this because what has made the biggest impact here in Iraq is the honesty and friendships fostered by these very committed Americans. My prayer is that we in the US never completely lose this commitment to honesty and this commitment to service – and that with God’s help that it grows.
To all of regulars,
I guess my average for writing is getting worse. As time progresses it is becoming more difficult to find things to write about. My original stance was to note the new and explain the odd, but after 9 months the new is old and the odd well just is. As to the mission here in Iraq, most of what I do … I can’t really discuss … so I in general do not talk much about the mission. That said, I do think that what the United States Government is doing here in Iraq is very important and we need to ensure a strong commitment to Iraq for many years to come.
I thought for this letter that I would share some vignette about my interactions with Iraqis.
The first story comes several from several months ago, when I visited the Iraqi nuclear power facility. As I was walking around with the men in charge, I had a discussion about family, hopes and dreams. It could have taken place in just about any place in the world and at some level it showed that we are all human. When the scientist discovered that the military could not drink in Iraq, he was shocked and couldn’t believe it … like I said, we are all the same.
While here in Iraq I purchased a handmade rug. It took several trips to the store which was located at the Iraqi mall on the base across the street. Given the heads up, I made my first visit with another man who was familiar with the owner. It is important to make a personnel connection when dealing with Iraqis. It worked. I made several visits and looked at many rugs. It was something that could not be rushed. Of course I offered about 35 % less than his lowest price. After some haggling, I we settled on 20% off. That of course would be expected. The unexpected part was that when the VISA would not work (since it was $1,800 in Iraq and USAA blocked the transaction) he gave the rug to take back with me. It has happened to others and he understood that I needed to call USAA to clear the transaction. Of course I went back the next day to pay. But it does show that if a positive personnel connection is made, it will go a long way in this culture.
That said, if the connection is not personnel in nature – say more business in nature, the behavior can go in quite the other direction. Some of the Iraqis we deal with are come across the American psyche as very self centered and selfish. Of course several Americans act this way as well, but it is more accepted to act this way as the sense of civic community and civic responsibility is significantly less than in America – I think it a more abstract idea that has yet to take root here.
I mention these both later stories in contrast to each other. The Middle Eastern culture is very different from American Culture and the democracy that they create here will be very different. And like our own republic back home in America, it may or may not stand the test of time. That will depend solely on the individuals who make up and give to the society as a whole. Just some thoughts for the time being. ....
On a completely different note, a picture for the day, I took this at the headquarters building on the main base in Baghdad. I am amazed that this even need to be written.
Peace,
Mr Culver
First, I would like to let you read a small portion of PM Maliki’s speech on the change of the US mission in Iraq - which happend earlier today. We are no longer in Iraqi Freedom, but Operation New Dawn. I don’t know if any of the news channels covered this.
“And here, we have to praise the commitment of the United States to its promises, whether at the time of signing the agreement in the era of former U.S. President George Bush, or during the implementation of the withdrawal agreement, based on agreed schedules, in the current period of President Barak Obama.”
Keeping these promises has been the hard work of thousands of US Military and US Civilians in the Department of State, Homeland Security, Treasure, Justice, etc. I mention this because what has made the biggest impact here in Iraq is the honesty and friendships fostered by these very committed Americans. My prayer is that we in the US never completely lose this commitment to honesty and this commitment to service – and that with God’s help that it grows.
To all of regulars,
I guess my average for writing is getting worse. As time progresses it is becoming more difficult to find things to write about. My original stance was to note the new and explain the odd, but after 9 months the new is old and the odd well just is. As to the mission here in Iraq, most of what I do … I can’t really discuss … so I in general do not talk much about the mission. That said, I do think that what the United States Government is doing here in Iraq is very important and we need to ensure a strong commitment to Iraq for many years to come.
I thought for this letter that I would share some vignette about my interactions with Iraqis.
The first story comes several from several months ago, when I visited the Iraqi nuclear power facility. As I was walking around with the men in charge, I had a discussion about family, hopes and dreams. It could have taken place in just about any place in the world and at some level it showed that we are all human. When the scientist discovered that the military could not drink in Iraq, he was shocked and couldn’t believe it … like I said, we are all the same.
While here in Iraq I purchased a handmade rug. It took several trips to the store which was located at the Iraqi mall on the base across the street. Given the heads up, I made my first visit with another man who was familiar with the owner. It is important to make a personnel connection when dealing with Iraqis. It worked. I made several visits and looked at many rugs. It was something that could not be rushed. Of course I offered about 35 % less than his lowest price. After some haggling, I we settled on 20% off. That of course would be expected. The unexpected part was that when the VISA would not work (since it was $1,800 in Iraq and USAA blocked the transaction) he gave the rug to take back with me. It has happened to others and he understood that I needed to call USAA to clear the transaction. Of course I went back the next day to pay. But it does show that if a positive personnel connection is made, it will go a long way in this culture.
That said, if the connection is not personnel in nature – say more business in nature, the behavior can go in quite the other direction. Some of the Iraqis we deal with are come across the American psyche as very self centered and selfish. Of course several Americans act this way as well, but it is more accepted to act this way as the sense of civic community and civic responsibility is significantly less than in America – I think it a more abstract idea that has yet to take root here.
I mention these both later stories in contrast to each other. The Middle Eastern culture is very different from American Culture and the democracy that they create here will be very different. And like our own republic back home in America, it may or may not stand the test of time. That will depend solely on the individuals who make up and give to the society as a whole. Just some thoughts for the time being. ....
On a completely different note, a picture for the day, I took this at the headquarters building on the main base in Baghdad. I am amazed that this even need to be written.
Peace,
Mr Culver
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)