I'm Home!!!!

Hey everyone!
It is so nice to be home!
We were scheduled to arive on the 14th, but after a 12 hours layover in Germany(normally, hanging out in Germany would be nice, but they just stuck us in an airplane hanger, serving us coffee and cookies for 12 hours), and a 2 hours stay in New York, we finally made it home on the 15th! Even after traveling for over 24 hours, we were so excited that we could hardly contain ourselves.
After taking our weapons and processing us into the States, we were bussed over to the Division Parade Field.
At the parade field, we undloaded the busses and gathered into formation.... The busses pulled out of our way, and we marched onto the field, with the stands filled with our family and friends.... It was so hard to stay in formation. Then the Commanding General spoke. He welcomed us home, and praised us for a job well done... Then, after saluting the Stars and Stripes, they released the stand to come onto the field with us. Everyone, including myself, was crying. We were so happy to be home. My mother came down for the event. She took some pictures, which I will post as soon as possible.
Well, I have spent the past week and a half going through briefs and debriefs, as well as medical screenings, and evaluations. We are almost through with it all, and I will get to start my leave on Friday. I can't wait to see my children.... I miss them so much.
I want to take a moment to thank all of you so much for your support. All of your kind words, letters, e-mails, packages, and prayers have meant so much to me. All of those things put together helped me in so many ways that words could not possibly describe my gratitude to you all.
Thank you so much.

Now that I am at a good and consistent connection, I will go through my 3500 or so photos that I have taken since leaving Fort Hood back in February 2004, and post some that highlight various parts of my time there in Iraq.
Thank you all again

Signing off

Well folks,
Looks like this will be my last post on my time here in the deserts of Iraq. I wanted to thank everyone for their support, and for all of the kind words that have been sent to me.
Thank you for the packages and all of the prayers and such too.
I will be here in country for a little bit longer, but will be unable to get to any computers.
Until I get back State-side....
This is Stallion 23.. out.

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines Day everyone!
Unfortunately, time is beginning to run short for us over here. I am finding less and less time and ability for me to come on here and post.
I will try to put something up whenever I can, but unfortunately, I cannot make any promises as to when that will be.
As for what is going on over here, we have been quite busy with trying to pack and prepare for our trip home, as well as still conducting missions. Our replacements aren't quite ready to take the "hand-off" yet, and it appears that it will still be a few more days or so before they will be ready enough to begin doing things themselves.
The elections went over pretty well. I am personally very happy about that. It all went pretty well, considering where we are, and the surrounding circumstances. Let the international community cast their doubts on our abilities again. Sometimes I get real sick of the news only showing the negatives of what goes on over here.
I am sure that everyone needs to know that some females wrestled around together, and their breasts were seen, or whatever the details were of that last story. But, with the exception of the election results, I haven't seen a whole lot of positives being reported. Why is that? Of course, anyone who doubted how well we would do to get the Iraqis ready for an election would have had no other choice based upon what makes the news, but that is simply not all that is going on. Perhaps if some more of the positive things that happen would make the front page along with the negatives, people would see how things are going over here. That doesn't mean I think that people shouldn't be told about the bad stuff that happens, I think that that information should be available to them... but if the "free press" is going to do their part to show the "news" then perhaps they should show it all.
Just my thoughts...

Tough times ahead.....

Well, having been here a year now, I would think that I had things pretty much figured out. But, with our replacements here now, it would seem that I am wrong.
Our replacements are the 3rd Infantry Division, who was the force that made the initial push here into Iraq. Apparantly they consensus amongst our replacements, is that we are going about things the wrong way.... and that is why we are getting attacked so much by the insurgents. I have been told, by more than a couple, that if we went about things more like they did when we first got here, then we wouldn't have the same problems we are having. I am told that we are doing to much to try to build things here (I thought that was the goal).
I don't claim to know the future, but some of the guys here... with their attitudes, are going to be in for a rough year if they think that they can go about things in the way they did when they were here the first time. When 3rd ID came here the first time, the mission was clear-cut. Go from point A to point B, and take it. Destroy any obstructions.
Now, the obstruction may not be a "bad guy" but an Iraqi National Guardsman, or Iraqi Police officer with a weapon, who, if you kill him, could be considered murder. Hopefully, the majority of these guys don't feel the way the ones I have spoken to feel. Or I fear that we may be in for more soldiers getting in trouble if that attitude is sustained.
Those of us that are getting ready to go are getting antsy. We are going through lots of work to get ready, but the time just doesn't seem to be going by fast enough. It's been a year, and I miss home.

Superbowl Sunday!

We received a nice treat last night.
For the Superbowl, they brought out truckloads of beer for all the troops. Every soldier was entitled to 2 beers! You could either get them with dinner last night, or at 1 in the morning(an hour before the game started). It was so funny to see everyone wandering around with a "buzz" from two beers, since we all haven't had alcohol in so long. It was really nice to be able to take a break like that.
I read in the "Stars and Stripes" the announcement of 15,000 soldiers being sent back home in March. It makes us all feel so good about going home when it's made the news like that. There's always that risk of extension, and the news announcement makes that so much more real. I pray it stays that way.

Running short

Well.... time is beginning to run short. We are making preparations for our rotation back to the world. It's funny. We have been going through briefings about our return, and they always reference it as us going back to the "real world." But, when we were back home and preparing to come over here, it was to come over to the "real mission." Is there a fake one? Is the world over here not real? Seems real enough to me.
I have seen things that I won't be able to tell my children about without risking giving them nightmares... hell, I have them myself. I have also, however, seen things that make your heart resound with joy that so much compassion can come from an individual.
There is a family that had been given permission to come onto our camp and operate a small sewing and alterations shop. They were a very nice family. They would also, bring in other little items that soldiers would ask for, and would sometimes spend days searching for things that someone would ask for. Well, while they were leaving our camp the other day, someone walked up to them as they were waiting to turn onto the street just outside our gate. They shot the husband/father in the head in front of his family. This man was shot because he found a way to take care of his family in the midst of all of this, and it happened to be through coalition soldiers.
Anyway, in spite of those unfortunate circumstances, the woman is still coming here to work. It turns out that a bunch of people have taken up a collection and she ended up getting thousands of dollars to assist her in taking care of her family.
Don't have any more time now.... I will post more when I can.

Spurs

FIDDLER'S GREEN
Halfway down the trail to Hell In a shady meadow green Are the Souls of all dead Troopers camped Near a good old-time canteen, And this eternal resting place is know as Fiddlers' Green
Marching past straight through to Hell The Infantry are seen Accompanied by the Engineers, Artillery and Marines, For none but the shades of Cavalrymen Dismount at Fiddlers' Green
Though some go curving down the trail To seek a warmer scene, No Trooper ever gets to Hell Ere he's emptied his canteen. And so rides back to drink again With friends at Fiddlers' Green
And so when man and horse go down Beneath a sabre keen, Or on roaring charge of fierce melee You stop a bullet clean. And the hostiles come to get your scalp Just empty your canteen, And put your pistol to your head And go to Fiddlers' Green.

SGT Bryan K. Mayfield, brandishing saber and colt, follwed the Cavalry Guidon to the birthplace of civilization in the ancient city of Baghdad, Iraq. He has demonstrated the skill, fitness, dash, discipline, and cunning of a United States Cavalry Trooper, and is hereby entered into the rolls of the "Order of the Spur" and is authorized to wear a pair of Cavalry Spurs at all formal formations.

First Team!

Those words were read to me the other day as I was awarded my combat spurs. One of my former soldiers from my last unit asked that I come to mount his spurs on him. It felt nice to know that they were still thinking of me.

Have to run, as we have lots to do with the elections coming.... it's a busy day!