Mullings: An American Cyber-column By Rich Galen

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A Toast for Independence Day

Rich Galen

Friday July 1/Monday July 4, 2005

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From The Change of Command Ceremony
8th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne)
Ft. Bragg, NC

This was a week for names. And faces. Some you know, like : Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, Dan Senor, and Ambassador Jerry Bremer. Most you don't, like: Don Hamilton, Traci Scott, Bob Goodwin and LTC Mike Ceroli. But you should.

Tuesday night, June 28, marked the anniversary of the Coalition Provisional Authority ceasing its existence, having returned sovereignty to the Iraqi people.

This, in spite of the sad shaking of the furrowed and worried brows of the Washington chattering class on cable TV sadly assuring us this was in no way going to be possible.

Well over a hundred people showed up, some like Mr. Hamilton, flew in from as far as Oklahoma City and General Kimmitt, from Tampa.

Ms. Scott and Mr. Goodwin, among others, put together a reunion of (largely) civilians who had risked their careers (not to mention lives and body parts) to go to Iraq.

These were (largely) young people who had seen a need involving something important and asked to be a part of it. If you followed the Iraq Travelogues you know that the rocket and mortar attacks lost some of their thrill and excitement after a few weeks. These people stayed for months and months and months.

At eight o'clock the party stopped so the crowd could watch the President's speech from Ft. Bragg. The last time many of us had been together to watch the President was Thanksgiving night, 2003 when the Commander-in-Chief spoke to the troops in Baghdad.

State Department people, DoD people, people who had been detailed from other agencies and Departments and a few, like me, just plain civilians. We didn't always get along - sometimes the stress got the better of us - but we had all been there.

During the "How ya' DOOin's" and "Watta ya' UP to's" someone - connected to, but not of, the Iraq vets asked me if I thought anyone would do it again.

I said, "If someone announced that there was a need for some volunteers to go back to the Palace in the Green Zone for another six months, sixty percent of them would be at Andrews Air Force Base packed and ready within 90 minutes."

And I believe my estimate was low.

Thursday morning I was at Ft. Bragg for a military Change of Command ceremony. Lt. Col. Michael Ceroli was giving up command of the PsyOp Battalion which schlepped me into every nook and cranny of Iraq with them.

If I haven't said this before, I meant to: Mike Ceroli is one of the best young officers I have ever met.

At the dinner the night before, a former boss described how then-Captain Ceroli had been sent into some corner of Bosnia with orders to get a bridge built.

First problem was finding the parts out of which to build a bridge. Next problem was finding the people who knew how to put the parts together. Finally, he had to get the people and the parts to the same place at the right time.

A huge logistical problem, but Ceroli solved it.

I offered a different story. One day - maybe it was the day of that trip to Fallujah - Ceroli noticed an Iraqi child running up to the driver of a huge transport truck begging for a handout.

American soldiers being American soldiers, the driver gave the child gum, candy, soda, whatever.

Ceroli got on the radio and ordered that handouts be created and distributed warning parents and children to be careful around the trucks.

I offered a toast: "To the two sides of Colonel Ceroli; One which gets a bridge built in Bosnia, the other which worries about the safety of a child near a truck in Iraq."

And on this Independence Day weekend I offer an additional toast, which I hope you'll repeat at your cookout this weekend:

To the warriors and the civilians where ever they are serving - some of whom we know; all of whom we should know - who see the need and volunteer to fill it. And to their families, their lovers, and their friends who pray for them every day.

Hear, hear.

On the Secret Decoder Ring page today: Not much. A bunch of Mullfotos from the week. Take a look at them.

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