Tarmiyah Iraq

Last night the remainder of the Company closed on Camp Taji. Our equipment is arriving at a much slower pace then we had hoped. We are working steadily to prep our Strykers, and company equipment for the move to Tarmiyah.

Yesterday I had my first meeting with the Sheiks in Tarmiyah. It was an interesting session which culminated in my first lunch engagement. Out of the meeting some things became very apparent. The unit we are replacing truly has made great strides towards stabilizing the region. Tarmiyah at one time was a hot bed of insurgent violence, and now is relatively quiet with many rebuilding projects. Yesterday, as I drove through the market I was astonished by the number of shops which were opened, and the variety of goods which were being sold. This is a huge change from my last deployment. The streets were free of trash and rubble and their were construction projects everywhere.

As we continue forward with our mission it will be important for the company to continue these strides, and focus on building civil capacity. There is truly no one better equipped for this mission then the National Guard. Not only are we professional soldiers we are also civilians with unique skill sets (firemen, policemen, project managers, electricians, carpenters, etc). We will be able to leverage these skills to further advance this city and inevitable transition authority for good.

Over the next several days we will start moving out to the JSS. I will continue to post updates and pictures as we move forward.

CPT Muller