Update
A very good friend of mine sent me an e-mail the other day and he mentioned that it was about time for an update on what’s been going on these past few weeks, and I completely agree. Thx JR!
Let’s see... right now my team has completed final issue and all our bags are packed, all our equipment is zeroed in, and we are standing by for our flight to Kuwait. How long we will be on standby for keeps changing, but best estimate says I should get comfortable, and maybe unpack that bag that has my civilian clothes in it. Our team is pretty indifferent about the situation (We have all been in long enough to know how the hurry up and wait of the Army is still running rampant) though I feel that all of us are ready to get to work in our respective Area of Operation (AO).
So what’s a team to do? Well as Civil Affairs specialists we know that one of the big economic pushes in Iraq right now is to create Poultry and Fish farms in Iraq… so taking the initiative we have started researching both of these seemingly simple, but really complicated avenues that is the latest “fix” for helping to stimulate the Iraqi economy by providing needed, locally grown/produced products, for distribution and sale within each province. Can you guess what that means for me? You got it! Next week our team will be visiting both a fish hatchery and a Turkey Farm to do assessments on how we would start such endeavors from scratch in a desert environment!
This is one of the reasons I love my job, because in order to do my job better I am asked to go out and learn about all different aspects of building a nations economic possibilities. My last tour I worked on a cities water treatment plant, talk about being in over my head, but I learned a ton and enjoyed working to provide an entire city with clean water. So Chicken and Fish farms it is, plus most Americans who find out that we are trying to do in Iraq what they do here in the states gives them a chance to share their expertise, and problem solving conditions they would never experience here in the states is usually a lure to someone that loves their job. On that note I did discover that they have fish farms in Nevada, so I sent an e-mail to a couple local Hatcheries for advice on the dynamics of running a fish farm in the desert.
Aside from the new found research on Poultry and Fish Farms I have also taken interest in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s). Men, women, and children, singles, and entire families that have been displaced from their homes due to several different reasons. Most have been forced out by threat of death. It’s a huge issue in Iraq and within my AO we have the largest IDP population and currently 250 Humanitarian Assistance Organizations have different levels of involvement in the care of these 2.2. Million IDP’s, but conditions are very poor, so I am going to see if I can get involved in the business of coordinating the HA and ratification of new laws to help reintegrate the displaced populaces back into society. That alone can keep me busy for the next 10 years… and maybe this is the mission field God wants me to work in = ) We’ll see… getting out and starting a family still sounds pretty good too, but we can all just keep praying for it all.
So… when I get in country it will probably take some time before I get a handle on all the things we are starting to brain storm now, that adjustment period always exists when transferring into Iraq, but as soon as I get a lead on where God has fit me into all this opportunity to build a better Iraqi nation I will tell you all about it. Love you All!
-Chris
Let’s see... right now my team has completed final issue and all our bags are packed, all our equipment is zeroed in, and we are standing by for our flight to Kuwait. How long we will be on standby for keeps changing, but best estimate says I should get comfortable, and maybe unpack that bag that has my civilian clothes in it. Our team is pretty indifferent about the situation (We have all been in long enough to know how the hurry up and wait of the Army is still running rampant) though I feel that all of us are ready to get to work in our respective Area of Operation (AO).
So what’s a team to do? Well as Civil Affairs specialists we know that one of the big economic pushes in Iraq right now is to create Poultry and Fish farms in Iraq… so taking the initiative we have started researching both of these seemingly simple, but really complicated avenues that is the latest “fix” for helping to stimulate the Iraqi economy by providing needed, locally grown/produced products, for distribution and sale within each province. Can you guess what that means for me? You got it! Next week our team will be visiting both a fish hatchery and a Turkey Farm to do assessments on how we would start such endeavors from scratch in a desert environment!
This is one of the reasons I love my job, because in order to do my job better I am asked to go out and learn about all different aspects of building a nations economic possibilities. My last tour I worked on a cities water treatment plant, talk about being in over my head, but I learned a ton and enjoyed working to provide an entire city with clean water. So Chicken and Fish farms it is, plus most Americans who find out that we are trying to do in Iraq what they do here in the states gives them a chance to share their expertise, and problem solving conditions they would never experience here in the states is usually a lure to someone that loves their job. On that note I did discover that they have fish farms in Nevada, so I sent an e-mail to a couple local Hatcheries for advice on the dynamics of running a fish farm in the desert.
Aside from the new found research on Poultry and Fish Farms I have also taken interest in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s). Men, women, and children, singles, and entire families that have been displaced from their homes due to several different reasons. Most have been forced out by threat of death. It’s a huge issue in Iraq and within my AO we have the largest IDP population and currently 250 Humanitarian Assistance Organizations have different levels of involvement in the care of these 2.2. Million IDP’s, but conditions are very poor, so I am going to see if I can get involved in the business of coordinating the HA and ratification of new laws to help reintegrate the displaced populaces back into society. That alone can keep me busy for the next 10 years… and maybe this is the mission field God wants me to work in = ) We’ll see… getting out and starting a family still sounds pretty good too, but we can all just keep praying for it all.
So… when I get in country it will probably take some time before I get a handle on all the things we are starting to brain storm now, that adjustment period always exists when transferring into Iraq, but as soon as I get a lead on where God has fit me into all this opportunity to build a better Iraqi nation I will tell you all about it. Love you All!
-Chris
posted by CalmInTheStorm at 11:21 AM
1 Comments:
Hi Chris,
Great Update. Poultry and Fish, sounds like a winner. I love to hear about all you will be doing to help the Iraq people rebuild and make their country a better place. So, with the delay in leaving, maybe another trip home for a round of golf??? Well, we can dream..... Love you, Mom
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