neurotic Iraqi wife

Well LTC H, yesterday was a sad day in Hotel Neurotica. The Gov Leads that I gotto know, left...Went back to their families and friends, leaving behind a great legacy and I mean it when I say a great legacy....Had you got to know them, or spent the time we have spent with them you woulda known exactly what I mean....Col K, was one of the greatest people I have ever encountered..And believe me, I have encountered many personalities....In his farewell speech, that great, solid man, became emotional when talking about the Iraqis who worked with us...he became so emotional, that he had to stay silent for a few seconds inorder for his tears not to show....It was an amazing moment, a moment that gave all of us a sense of gratitude to that great man...a sense of gratitude to what he had done to this program...And you know why he was loved by all, because he was doing it from here....from the heart...He truely believed in the cause...The cause of the Iraqi people....

You see LTC H, I have been here almost a year...In this past 12 months, I would have worked with 4 Gov sector leads. The first one, I can barely remember....Col B, the quietest personality ever....Didnt really deal with him much so cant judge....After that came Col M...Now he was a character...I personally liked him, but the minute he came to Iraq, he hated the place...The minute he came to Iraq, he just wanted to leave...But I have to admit, he did set the rules of letting the Iraqis shine...If it wasnt for him, none of the Iraqis that work with us would be giving presentations infront of generals...None of the Iraqis would have taken responsibility of their programs... He set the guidelines, but in his heart he was after all a military guy...Shouting orders all the time..wanting things to be done right this second, I want this and I want it yesterday...His deputy, LTC perfect, was for me perfection....He too wasnt that popular....but he was the one that discovered the mismanagement of this organisation and tried to rectify it...

LTC perfect taught me so much...taught me things about myself I didnt know I had in me...taught me how to love my job...taught me how to achieve the goals i set for myself...Encouraged me to shine...Oh and taught me how to make american coffee....lol...Then came the greatest team this organisation will ever see....Col K, and his deputy LTC nice guy...Wow...they worked hand in hand with us...They saw the way the program was in the pits because of the bad management we have and they tried their best to revive it...and believe it or not they did....We had lost hope after the failure of some of our prgrams....but with their guidance...with their genuine concern...they brought that hope back to the program...And most importantly they interacted with the Iraqis...They too wanted them to shine and be leaders...They encouraged them every step of the way....Anyone who had a problem, was not shy to ask for help....And they got it...

Oh and I dont want to forget to mention LTC Lively...Man this guy was a character of his own....All his telephone conversations with his wife would be heard throughout the sector..His laughter would fill the ever morbid atmosphere...I have never seen someone who got so many packages filled with chocolates, bubble gum, lollies, starbucks coffee, candy....you name it he gets it...I mean the whole sector put on weight because of him....Even me...the person who tried so hard to put on weight in the past and was never successful, managed a few pounds in his presence...God...those days...memories...nice ones...

The new gov leads on the other hand...I dunno...cant really judge them from one day...but I can tell....they aint LTC perfect, they aint Col K, they aint LTC nice guy...and they definitely aint LTC Lively....We are leaving soon, and Im ever so grateful to have met people from all walks of life...To have met people that touched my heart...touched my soul....The battle of winning hearts and minds may have failed in the war zone...but for the Iraqis here, the Iraqis who work with us, their hearts and minds were won over by the great Col K....And they got to see a glimpse of what may have been a success if there were poeple out there just like him....Including the Iraqi Government....

I mean if just 1% of the current Iraqi government had 1% of this guy's heart this guy's genuinity...This Iraq, this broken, wounded Iraq woulda been in a great shape....But all is not lost, because he gave my Iraqi colleagues the encouragement, the memories, the perseverence in contninuing what theyre doing...He gave them hope...He showed them that there are people out there who truely care, care for them...And he did, he did touch their Heart...Touch their Soul...