Army Controllers Keep
Aircraft Flying Safely

By Sgt. Christopher Carney / 367th Mobile Public Affairs

CAMP SPEICHER, TIKRIT, Iraq — With military flights departing or landing day and night, in all kinds of weather, through all kinds of weather conditions, it falls to air traffic controllers to coordinate their movements so air collisions or accidents on the ground don't occur.

The responsibility for controlling traffic in the air over Task Force Ironhorse belongs to F Company 1 st Battalion 58 th Aviation, which is based at Fort Bragg, N.C. Normally attached to 1 st Cavalry Division, the unit is currently assigned to 4 th Infantry Division.

Unlike the Air Force, which has combat, tactical air traffic and fixed-air traffic controllers, the Army has one military occupational specialty to coordinate air movement at sites ranging from temporary landing zones to a fixed tower airfields.

“For us the same MOS (military occupational specialty), air traffic control specialist, covers all of these tasks,” said 1 st Sgt. Michael E. Boardman, first sergeant of F Company. “We cover all aspects of ATC (air traffic control), everything from landing zone drop zone control for air assault missions to the kind of stuff we do here (at Camp Speicher). We're a jack-of-all-trades.”

Boardman said it took time for 4 th Infantry Division to realize the full capability of F Company. Now one is dependent on the other.

At Camp Speicher, originally an Iraqi fighter training base, where bits and pieces of their planes can still be seen, F Company operates out of the original tower.

“The tower was badly destroyed and our soldiers helped fix it up, along with our other buildings,” said Boardman. “They have really worked hard. I feel it's important for morale to not only stay busy but to improve living conditions. Everyone has helped in some way or another.”

From the refurbished tower, the controllers man the radio that communicates with the aircraft.

“Everything coming in or out goes through us,” said Staff Sgt. Derrick Brown, F Company's facilities chief. “We push about 5,000 movements per month.”

Movements are defined as any aircraft coming or going.

“We separate aircraft and sequence them for landing and departure,” Brown said. We control about a 5-mile radius and anyone that comes in has to coordinate with us.”

The tower handles both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft.

Another aspect of air traffic control is the ground-controlled approach radar, an essential piece of gear to the controllers' mission.

“The GCA (ground-controlled approach) is here to provide assistance to aircraft if they can not see the airfield because of light or weather conditions,” said Sgt. 1 st Class Tony Alonzo, of F Company. “We can guide them to the airfield by providing them a vector and azimuth to keep them on the center of the runway. We can do this with an accuracy of 20 feet at touchdown.”



Sgt. Jose Gutierrez, an air traffic controller with F Company 1st Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, communicates Jan. 10, 2004 from the air control tower at Camp Speicher, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher Carney

In addition to the controlled environment of Camp Speicher, F Company sends out tactical teams to work forward air refueling points. These points are sometimes in remote areas, but still require good communications between the controller and the pilot.

“Normally a team of about four soldiers with a tactical tower control system can set up in about 20 minutes,” Boardman said.

The tactical tower control system is fact a Humvee outfitted with radar and communication gear in the back that can be quickly set up at the site.

“Temporary sites for the division or a brigade can be set up even quicker with man-pack radios,” said Capt. Denita Lynch, commander of F Company. “We provide continuous air traffic services wherever we're needed.”

The unit's need is obvious as air movement is essential in this part of Iraq.

“We have a broad spectrum mission for a relatively small company,” Boardman said. “We have a mission that we do everyday and (the soldiers) display pride in their work everyday,” he said.

In face of demanding times, Boardman said members of the aviation unit are more than capable of handling the high-tech jobs that keep aircraft from harm.

“They are intelligent,” he said. “In 20 years I have never been a part of an organization that is as good or as tight as this is.”

During my stay in Iraq I thought it was probably one of the most stressful places, but at the same time it was one of the most stress free places I have ever been. I advice to anyone there or on their way is to take everything way day at a time, and sooner than later you'll be home.

Combat hospital relocates to new home at FOB Speicher


By Steve Liewer, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, January 12, 2005



The 67th Combat Support Hospital has moved its patient wards into a pair of buildings at Forward Operating Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq, the hospital’s commander said Tuesday.

Lt. Col. Karen Gausman said the two former Iraqi air force barracks had been used to house 4th Infantry Division soldiers during the first Operation Iraqi Freedom troop rotation last year but had been abandoned when 1st Infantry Division troops took over the base in February.

The hospital formerly had been housed in a series of interconnected tents on the other side of the base. Patients’ rooms will be in the two buildings, which are connected by a covered walkway, Gausman said, while operating rooms, laboratories and the pharmacy remain next door in tents.

The new hospital is near the main dining facility, gym and post exchange.

“We’re much closer to all the amenities,” she said.

Gausman said the site was identified about six months ago.

Contractors began renovating the buildings in September and completed the work just after Christmas. She said the new emergency room opened Dec. 29 and received its first patient within half an hour. The 67th CSH hosted a grand-opening ceremony Jan. 4. Two new helipads also were built nearby.

The chief advantages to the new buildings, Gausman said, are cleanliness and security. It is difficult to keep dust out of tents, and canvas offers no protection against mortars that sometimes are fired onto the base.

“[The new buildings] do provide a concrete structure, so we’re not running for the bunkers with our patients,” she said.

The 67th CSH deployed to Iraq from its home base in Würzburg, Germany, in January 2004. It is scheduled to return during the next few weeks. The unit also opened a $450,000 hospital at Forward Operating Base Marez in Mosul in November, according to a news release from the Multinational Force Iraq. That hospital proved valuable a month later, when a suicide bomber detonated explosives in the chow hall at Marez, killing 22 people and injuring 69 others.

Writing music helps young soldier cope in Iraq, and helps him help others cope
By COLLEEN KENNEY / Lincoln Journal Star

He's someplace real. Home? He's not sure.



All he knows is that she's here, too. They're talking about the good times, laughing. He's holding her close.

A .50-caliber machine gun goes off in the distance.

Spc. Timothy "TJ" Chrastil wakes up.

It's before dawn in Iraq.

He's on his mattress in the trailer he shares with another soldier, snapped back to a place that often seems unreal, Camp Speicher, Iraq. He's a welder with the 267th Ordnance Company, a Nebraska National Guard unit out of Lincoln.

He's also a guitar player. A songwriter.

After a 10-hour shift, he's back in the trailer. He's thinking about the dream.

He can't remember the details. Just the feeling of it, how much he loves her. That's what he wants to capture in lyrics.

As he writes, he finds himself capturing another feeling, too n how much he misses her and misses home.

He reaches for his guitar.

"… Calling from Baghdad to hear your voice on the phone. I know that you're busy. I know that you're all alone, and so am I …"

Soon, he's someplace else. Someplace real. And he's holding her close again.

He names this song "P.S. I Love You."

nnn

In an e-mail interview from Iraq, the 20-year-old Lincoln Southeast grad writes:

My guitar and singing is helping me cope because whenever I'm playing I'm not here, I'm in another place, with no people, no audience, no thoughts, no worries, no problems.

It's just me and my guitar.

He wrote many songs before leaving Lincoln last winter for Iraq. He cut a CD, played one last gig at the M&N Sandwich Shop on 27th Street.

His parents were there. Proud. Worried. He brought a stack of his CDs to Iraq. He brought his guitar.

Other soldiers come to hear him play. They ask for his CDs. They memorize his lyrics.

Music helps people cope with difficulties because it is an unashamed language. Music is never afraid to say what it means. In a way, I think music clears people's minds.

He meets other musicians with other styles. He hears lots of Arabic music.

He's been working on his vocal range, control, falsetto.

Many songs are about his girlfriend who lives in Texas. He's been shot at once. He tells her not to worry.

I am not afraid of death. I will go when it's my time to go and not even an impenetrable bubble could stop that … I do fear for the lives of my friends every day, here and at home.

He's written many songs since arriving in Iraq. But a few of them, he says, he only could have written here in Iraq.

nnn

It's July in Camp Speicher, about 3 a.m.

He's sitting in the trailer, numb, unable to sleep. A few hours before, he and the others got word that two members of the 267th had been killed by a roadside bomb.

He didn't know "Fish," Staff Sgt. Jeremy Fischer of Lincoln. He did know "Sergeant T," Linda Tarango-Griess of Sutton.

I don't know if Fish ever heard me or not. But he probably heard my music from Sgt. Aulner, who had my CD … I know for a fact that Sergeant T heard me because I played for her and 1st Lt. Durr. They pulled me aside one day and had me play some songs for them. I played "Just My Luck" and "Where Do I Go From Here" and then we sang some together, just having fun, like "Sweet Home Alabama" …

I know that Linda liked my music.

He starts writing a song. This one is about how he thinks they would like to be remembered, and about how they will be remembered by the lives they changed at home and in Iraq.

They died for a just cause, regardless of our government's motives, and people need to realize this. No matter what our government's political motives, whether good or bad, WE are doing good. WE are helping people. And the news won't show that.

That is something only a soldier serving here will see.

He plays the song at the memorial service, sitting in a metal folding chair next to big photos of them, behind their empty helmets and boots.

He tells himself: Make it through. Don't break down. He keeps his mind clear as he plays.

It's a simple song. He calls this one "Our Memory Remains."

He wishes he never had to write it.

nnn

In the months since the memorial service, it seems everyone at Camp Speicher has been praising that song.

Every Friday, someone requests it at open-mike night at the coffee house, a tiny trailer beside a helicopter hangar.

They call it "The Oasis Coffee House." It seats maybe 10 people. It smells of coffee. Besides coffee, there's hot chocolate and sometimes espresso and chai.

The bar is in the middle to the left as you walk in the door.

It's all plywood, with posters taped over the walls above a tiny stage. Next to the stage there's a beat-up jazz trap set.

There are two couches in the back.

It's the closest thing to home that you can get here. Everybody has a part in helping each other cope, no matter if their talent is singing, joking or just listening.

On nights like last night, we fit about 50 people in there and I tell you, that is packed … I tell you, there is nothing more invigorating than an audience singing to the songs you wrote.

Another song someone always requests is "Good to Miss You."

It's about how people shouldn't look at missing someone as a bad thing.

It's about how people should remember it's much better to be missing someone than to not miss them at all.

To miss someone means that you are being missed, and the fact that someone is missing me back gives me comfort.

It's about friends he's lost in Iraq. About his parents and friends back home.

About her.

n n n

Last night I had one of the dreams about her again and it was real, like the one I wrote the song about, and I remember we were both in pajamas standing in front of a Christmas tree. Crazy, huh?

I don't remember much else about it, besides holding her.

Lately, he's been busy welding armor onto military vehicles, making them safer.

Conditions are good. He has a comfortable mattress.

The trailer has air-conditioning, electricity. He can plug in his laptop. Phones and the Internet are a short walk away on post.

There's a store. There's a great chow hall. In the past couple months, the post has added a Burger King, a Subway and a Pizza Hut.

Morale is good.

It's much cooler now, maybe 40 to 50 degrees these mornings when he wakes up.

It makes him think of home.

There is a little bit of home in all of my music, whether I sing about it or not.

Music helps people cope with difficulties. …

Thank you very much for your interest in me. Talk to ya later.

TJ

Reach Colleen Kenney at 473-2655 or ckenney@journalstar.com.

SMACKDOWN 'CHRISTMAS IN IRAQ' REPORT
by Buck Woodward @ 10:01:00 PM on 12/23/2004


Smackdown for December 23rd, taped last week in Iraq, opened with the usual Smackdown opening video, before showing U.S. Troops gathered at Camp Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq.

Vince McMahon came down to the ring, as Tazz & Michael Cole informed us that we would be hearing messages from the troops throughout the show. Vince said that the superstars were all there to say "Thank You" to the troops. Vince said they came to boost the spirits of the troops, but it was the troops that were boosting their spirits. Vince said the media only reports on the negative in Iraq, and not all the positive progress the troops are making. Vince said he was going to look up the "negative media types" when he got back home and tell them to "go to hell". Vince then introduced Raw ring announcer Lilian Garcia, clad in a sexy Santa outfit, while Cole and Tazz explained that Lilian had grown up on military bases as a child. Lilian then sang the national anthem. The troops chanted "USA" following the anthem.

A video was shown on the wrestlers traveling to Iraq, with lots of candid footage of the wrestlers traveling in a military plane, and having to wear helmets and flak jackets.

Rene Dupree vs. Booker T. Rene was booed, coming to the ring with a French flag, as Michael Cole reminded us that France was against the operations in Iraq. Booker dominated early, but missed a scissor kick, and Dupree scored with a low mule kick. Dupree stomped Booker down, then did the French Tickler dance before dropping an elbow for two. Dupree but Booker in a chinlock, but Booker elbowed out. Booker hit a flapjack and a side kick, then planted him with a spinebuster. Booker did a spinarooni and hit the scissor kick for the pin at the four minute mark. Winner: Booker T.

We heard the story of a female soldier who is going home soon, but her husband (also a soldier) was being called into duty and would be coming into Iraq at the same time that she is leaving.

Another video package was shown, this one including the wrestlers being given instructions from the soldiers while they were traveling. Mick Foley talked about traveling over the country in a chopper, and seeing how many Iraqi's were happy to see the soldiers. They also showed footage of a school being built. They showed JBL joking around with the troops, and Rey Mysterio looking at a "mortar garden" which was comprised of mortar and missile fragments that had been shot at them. After a commercial, another package was shown, with several of the workers being made into honorary "Steel Tigers" since they had been mortared during their visit.

Santa Claus came to the ring, and thanked the troops, then said he had brought presents for them all. Santa then brought out some "extra special presents", which were Torrie Wilson, Dawn Marie and Miss Jackie. Santa and the Divas (including Lilian) tossed out gifts and gave hugs to the troops. Santa then brought the Divas back into the ring, and gave them each lingerie as a Christmas gift, except Dawn Marie, who got a half-drank bottle of Gaterade, since she was "naughty" this year. This led to Dawn trying to steal Jackie's present, and the two got into a catfight. Torrie then "revealed" that Santa was actually Mick Foley.

They told the story of a single mom who is serving in the army in Iraq.

They reviewed how Heidenreich cost The Undertaker the WWE Title at Armageddon.

The Undertaker vs. Heidenreich. Undertaker came out in his ring gear, no coat or hat. They did have some smoke (very little) for his entrance. Taker stomped Heidenreich down in the corner at the start, then hit the Old School ropewalk forearm and a faceplant for a two count. Heidenreich rolled to the floor, and pulled the Undertaker to the outside to hit some punches. Back in the ring, Heidenreich scored a two count with a clothesline. Back to the outside, Taker took control and elbowed Heidenreich as his neck was stretched over the apron. Taker thi delivered a ring apron legdrop. Back in the ring, Undertaker went for Snake Eyes, but Heidenreich blocked it and grabbed Undertaker in a spinning sidewalk slam for a two count. Heidenreich hit some punches in a corner, then choked him down with his boot. Heidenreich hit a clothesline for another two. Taker battled back with right hands, and Heidenreich grabbed a sleeper, but Taker broke out with a back suplex. Both men were down, but Undertaker sat up at the eight count. The two traded right hands, and Taker hit the flying clothesline for a two count. Undertaker hit a series of splashes in a corner, then hit Snake Eyes and a boot to the face. Taker dropped a leg for a two count. The troops chanted for a Tombstone. Undertaker went for a chokeslam, but Heidenreich kicked Tager and rolled out of the ring. Heidenreich tried to escape through the crowd, but the troops wouldn't let him through. The referee counted him out, and the troops booed as Heidenreich left up the aisle. Winner via countout: The Undertaker.

The story of a soldier who has a newborn baby was told, with the soldier informing his wife (via the show) that he was coming home on leave and would see her on Christmas day.

A video package with the wrestlers' giving their thoughts on the trip was shown, with several of them saying they want to come back again. They also showed the wrestlers thanking the troops personally, with Eddie Guerrero and Lilian Garcia getting choked up as they thanked the troops.

A package was shown discussing the camp they were at in Iraq, and the coins that are given to the soldiers for excellence. The wrestlers were given a special coin for coming over.

Hardcore Holly vs. Kenzo Suzuki. Kenzo played heel to the crowd as he came to the ring. During this match, they scrolled the names of the people on the technical crew for this show across the bottom of the screen. Kenzo was wrestling in bare feet. Holly took over early with chops, but Kenzo hit a Hot Shot and stomped him down. Suzuki hit a clothesline, then put Holly in a sleeper. Holly came back with a clothesline and dropkick for a two count. Holly hit a top rope clothesline for a two count, then hit the Alabama Slam for the pin at the two minute mark. Winner: Hardcore Holly.

They told the story of a soldier that is currently stationed in Iraq and missed his daughter's birth.

A video package was shown on how they set up the dilapidated soccer stadium in Iraq for the show. It included some footage of soldiers fooling around in the ring, including doing a strut and "Whoo" ala Ric Flair.

John Bradshaw Layfieled came to the ring in a humvee, decorated with JBL stickers and longhorns. JBL was escorted to the ring by armed soldiers, and was wearing a biohazard suit with a cowboy hat on it. They played up the storyline from last week that JBL didn't want to come to Iraq. JBL, acting nervous, said he wasn't afraid. JBL said the conditions are "atrocious", the food doesn't have "an exit strategy" and their toilet paper is "abrasive". JBL said that they could at least open up a bar by now. JBL mentioned that whenever he visits, the troops capture someone (Saddam), and he is tired of doing their job for them. JBL joked that Iraq was like being in rehab, due to the lack of cold beer. JBL was looking to make a quick exit, when the Big Show came out. JBL joked that they had just found "the weapon of mass destruction". Big Show chastised JBL for his attitude, and called him a "deserter". JBL tried to leave, then tried to sucker punch Show. Show blocked the punch and headbutted JBL to the floor. Show put on JBL's cowboy hat in the ring, as JBL took off.

They showed a video of last year's visit to Iraq, which went into a package on this year's visit, which included having the wrestlers visit Forward Operating Bases during their three days in Iraq.

Another video package on the tour, showing the wrestlers interacting with the troops, was shown.

Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio vs. Luther Reigns & Kurt Angle. Angle got on the mic to explain that he doesn't "suck", but was interrupted by Guerrero's music. Rey and Eddie, decked out in helmets and flak vests, drove a jeep to the ring, with Rey filming the troops with the "619 cam". Rey had a camouflage mask and ring gear for the match. Angle started out with Rey, outwrestling him on the mat. Rey springboarded out of an armbar, but Angle grabbed him with an armdrag. Luther tagged in and gave Rey a backbreaker for a one count. Angle tagged in, stomping Rey down and hitting a vertical suplex for two. Luther tagged back in and hit another backbreaker, pushing down on Rey's chin to add pressure to it. Rey kneed out of the backbreaker, and booted a charging Luther twice. Rey delivered a tilt-a-whirl DDT to Luther and tagged in Guerrero just as Angle tagged in. Eddie hit Angle with a pair of clotheslines and decked him with a right hand. Guerrero dropkicked Luther when he ran in, and took Luther and Angle down with a armdrag/headscissor combo off the top rope. Guerrero hit two vertical suplexes on Angle, but Angle blocked the third and applied an ankle lock. Guerrero kicked him into the ropes, and Rey went for the 619, but Luther clotheslined Rey. Guerrero hit Luther with a DDT, and Angle hit Guerrero with an Angle Slam. Rey gave Angle a rana, taking both of them to the floor. In the ring, Luther covered Guerrero for a two count. Guerrero poked Luther in the eyes, and lifted Rey to kick Luther in the back. Rey hit Luther with the 619, and Guerrero followed with the frog splash, but Angle broke up the cover. Angle then charged Guerrero, but Eddie backdropped him to the floor. Rey then hit Luther with a springboard legdrop for the pin at the six minute mark. Winners: Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio.

A music video showing highlights of the trip ended the show. It should be pointed out that in addition to the wrestlers that appeared in the ring, Charlie Haas was also on the trip, as he was shown in the various video packages visiting the troops.

A sparse Veterans Day crowd, which was moved indoors to the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium out of the rain, was reminded Thursday "only a soldier knows the feeling of leaving home" to go off to war, not knowing if he will return home alive to his family."
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Specialist Tommy Clark, commander of the Cooper Yerger Post No. 28 of the American Legion, who served 13 months in Iraq before returning to Clarksdale in March, set the tone for the morning program which included brief personal insights from Staff Sergeants Daniel Shing, Phillip Draughdrill and Kenneth Gleaton.
Clark said "only a soldier"- not someone in civilian life - deserves the credit for the freedoms won on battlefields which Americans often take for granted.
"Only a soldier "knows the feeling of having to "watch his back" in fighting the enemy, while trying to protect one another.
Clark, a funeral director at Nowell Funeral Home, served from February 2003 to last March in Iraq with his unit, the 223 Engineering Batallion, in Tikrit.
"I was in communications," Clark said. "Wherever our unit leader wanted to go I was his driver."
Clark cited his family's military legacy that dates back to World War II and Korea.
Shing, a Clarksdale native, said the National Guard is the oldest military unit in U.S. history, dating back 367 years to colonial days when the militia had to bear arms against the British to gain the initial freedoms which were forged into the Constitution.
Praising those who fought in the many wars Americans have been engaged in to maintain freedom in our own country and others worldwide, Shing said the Iraq war continues to see increasing numbers of national guardsmen since his unit was mobilized in 2003.
Shing digressed to interject an anecdote about Draughdrill, who followed him at the podium.
Shing said as he and his guard unit was preparing to leave Fort Campbell, Ky., when they saw Draughdrill standing on the flight line looking rather forlorn as the plane departed.
Shing said the next time he saw Draughdrill was in Iraq, wearing a broad smile.
Draughdrill, looking in Shing's direction as he stepped to the podium, explained that he was detained at Fort Campbell because an oversized suit designed for chemical warfare didn't fit.
"You noticed that I am quite a bit bigger than these other guys," Draughdrill said.
Draughdrill said he was crammed aboard a Blackhawk helicopter with four other solders in the cargo area as the plane arrived at Camp Speicher, the headquarters for the American forces.
"We were flying about 100 feet above the ground. There were two gunners, including the crew chief. While I had my weapon there were no bullets," Draughdrill said.
Draughdrill said as the helicopter was flying over a wheat field in Iraq he noticed the archaic way the people harvested their grain.
"They were cutting wheat with sickles and stacking it up since there are no combines like in America," Draughdrill said.
He said camels, which are prevalent in the Middle East, began eating wheat grain lying on the ground and as the Iraqis attempted to chase the animals away, the camels turned and began chasing them.
Draughdrill switched to a more somber mood when he spoke of Americans being involved in "a full blown war."
Draughdrill said his role was like that of most members in his Clarksdale unit to repair roads and buildings that had been bombed during the war.
The encampment was the safest place Americans experienced in Iraq, Draughdrill said.
However, the open road was a different story.
"Being in a truck convoy on a road is dangerous," Draughdrill said. He spoke of guardsman Rapheal Davis of Tutwiler, the only person in the Clarksdale unit, who has died to date in the Iraqi war.
"I met him. And while I didn't know him well, he was one of us and we miss him just as his family and friends, do" Draughdrill said.
Draughdrill, who works for Clarksdale Public Utilities, said on returning home, the old Delta community "looked really good."
Draughdrill said he has "burned the road up" commuting to Tupelo to see his first grandchild who was born while he was in Iraq.
Gleaton of Batesville, who retired from the U.S. Marines with the rank of master sergeant after 19 years and has since retired after 10 years with the guard, referred to travel in military trucks as the "convoy from hell" because it only stopped for refueling.
Since his second military retirement, Geaton has returned to his job as production manager for Parker Henefin, Inc., which manufactures automotive air condition parts for heavy duty trucks and farm tractors.
Gleaton shared a story about a freak accident that left him bleeding profusely and wondering if he would be surgically repaired before it cost his life.
"I was working with a circular saw when a wooden splinter flew out and struck me in the jaw bone," Gleaton said. " I was bleeding like the water flowing on the Tigris River."

By LARRY BINZ, Staff Writer

All the days we walked the hard sand in Camp Speicher. In the begining we ate MRE's, and one hot meal a day from the MKT. The food honestly was horrid. Three or four months into our deployment a tent chow hall was provided, and the food was a step up from the norm. A month later KBR took over, and built a large chow hall that took the boat. The food was really good. Now SubWay, I would have traded KBR for SubWay any day.


At 5:45pm Iraq time, AAFES' Commander Maj. Gen. Kathryn Frost, Camp Speicher's Commanding General Brig. Gen. Stephen Mundt and AAFES' COO Marilyn Iverson cut the ribbon for the Subway located in Tikrit, Iraq (photos available on request). Troops flocked to the new restaurant, ringing up sales of $930 in the first four hours of operation.

"Name brand fast food is a huge morale booster," said AAFES' Vice President of Food and Theater Richard Sheff. "AAFES is very excited about the opportunity to deliver a taste of home to troops deployed throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom."

Phyllis McQueen AAFES' Senior Restaurant Program Planner added, "In addition to being the most popular sandwich chain in the U.S., Subway provides a nutritional branded alternative." AAFES currently operates 46 Subway restaurants including 37 overseas.

The Tikrit Subway is the first of 19 name brand fast food concepts approved for immediate development in Iraq. AAFES currently operates three Burger King and two Pizza Hut restaurants in Iraq. AAFES plans to open more than 50 name brand fast food facilities over the course of the next twelve months in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Army & Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) is a joint command of the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, and is directed by a Board of Directors who is responsible to the Secretaries of the Army and the Air Force through the Service Chiefs of Staff. AAFES has the dual mission of providing authorized patrons with articles of merchandise and services and of generating non- appropriated fund earnings as a supplemental source of funding for military Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs. To find out more about AAFES' history and mission or to view recent press releases please visit our Web site at http://www.aafes.com/pa/default.asp .

It looks like were getting closer to home every day now. Today was a shorter day mostly spent cleaning up our maintenance building, so the 701st can move in. A few weeks ago we had some reporters here, they wanted to see how things were going. The 1SG, and Commander monopolized their time, but I guess that was a good thing. I am sure if they were left with the troops for to much time, they may point out negative things. I am not saying everything in Iraq, or Camp Speicher is bad, but their are certainly a few things that are questionable. The maintenance platoon has had their good, and bad times. We have adjusted fire, and done pretty well! The maintenance platoon has not had a chance to visit the place where Saddam was captured, and all the other platoons did :(. We have made sme comments about the issue, but have had no response. SGT Bermudo thinks his picture should be here, but I beg to differ.