I'm still alive and kicking!

In case anyone was checking in, I am doing fine. Jack Bauer and I moved on post about 6 months ago, my Tastefully Simple business has taken off (2nd highest sales in the region for January), and I am hanging out when I can on Facebook. If I know you, I'll friend you on Facebook so we can connect there.

I won't be taking this blog down since it continues, for some reason, to get very good traffic even without new posts from me. Additionally, I know one day I will want to look back and read over everything. And, of course, Jack will deploy again and I may need to find a place to keep my thoughts about that.

Till I return.

A Few Good Models

We, or to be more accurate I, watch America's Next Top Model most every Sunday while they've got the cycle marathons running on Oxygen. Jack Bauer and the doggies do their best to tolerate the fights, tirades, and tears. I'm mean really, what do you expect when you get a bunch of 18-25-year-old beautiful, tall women together? It is sheer genius!!! Entertainment galore!!! I can't get enough!!!

There is NO talking during a current cycle, but I am slightly less stringent on Sundays. Heaven forbid I miss a single word of the show. The doggies MUST be non-woofy. Jack remains in the room so that he can instantly take care of any doggie needs.

Apparently this past Sunday, Jack was feeling, um, inspired by Cycle 8 with Jaslene, Renee, Natasha, Dionne, and especially Brittany and thier Aussie experience. Jack loved, yes, loved, Cycle 10 with Whitney and Anya in the final runway. Combine judging panel with JAG, stir in A Few Good Men, and poof! Just imagine Jack Nicholson as a judge on panel. The following is my husband's interpretation.

Girl, we live in a world that has catwalks and those catwalks need to be walked by women in beautiful clothes. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Nigel Barker?

I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Anya and curse Miss J; you have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Anya's loss, while tragic, probably saved fashion and that my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves fashion.

You don't want the truth because deep down in places you don't talk about at parties you want me on that catwalk, you need me on that catwalk.

We use words like fierce, fabulous, and supercute. We use then as the backbone of a life trying to defend something. You use them as a punchline.

I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very fashion I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said "thank you," and went on your way.

Otherwise, I suggest that you put on a couture gown and walk a catwalk. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you are entitled to.

Oh, Jack, you are so amusing. And incredibly tolerant.

You don't want to be an appliance in this house

We moved in to this house in early October. And since then it has been bad news for appliances. I just need to recap this for myself because it is an amazing string of unfortunate events. Let me start by saying this house was built about 4 years ago, occupied by the owners for about a year, then occupied by at least 2 other families.

October: Garbage disposal broken when we moved in. The disposal had a huge crack in it. And it was not the original disposal in this house. This should have been a sign of things to come.

November: Shower head has less than half the holes working.

December: Oven/stove is so off on temperature we have a service man come out to adjust the temp. That doesn't work, but he does convert the oven to work with propane instead of natural gas, even though it hadn't been done originally and had been burning improperly for 4 years. That was just 4 years of carbon monoxide leaking into the house. Oven/stove still sucks ass. There is no low setting on the burners and it cannot be adjusted. Now the broiler drawer is falling apart. :D

January: Dishwasher stops working while we have company. Takes landlord 10 days to get someone out here to replace it.

February: Refrigerator filter light comes on. We replace it with the exact same model and it leaks for about 3 weeks, but eventually works fine. The filter light never goes off. Latch breaks in the closed position on the largest windows in the house that provides great cross ventilation; landlord opted to do nothing; fortunately it was too cold most days to open.

March: Jack gives up on his computer. It won't stay on for more than a few minutes at a time. We make do with just one computer.

April: My Kitchen Aid blender dies. No replacement. New shower head becomes so clogged half of the holes aren't working, and the previously pleasant rain shower is turned into stingy darts; cleaned out with a bottle of CLR run through it; now works almost as good as new, but not. I thinking there is a hard water problem in this house.

May: Cuisinart coffeemaker self-clean light comes on. We clean it. It dies just over a year after it was purchased. Replaced immediately. Our cordless phone handsets start dying. Jack attempts to reformat his external hard drive to work with the Mac; he loses everything on it, meaning tons of stuff from Iraq that was only on that drive. Jack attempts to reformat his mega iPod as well; loses everything on it. Our only computer falls out of the back of the car after our last trip to SoCal. The base is cracked so the battery is popping out.

June: Found a tool to open latch on large window. Get great cool evening breeze again! Yesterday, the sliding adjuster on waffle iron received as Christmas gift less than 6 months ago breaks off, but it looks like it might still work, for awhile.

The TV and accessories seem to be working fine. The washer and dryer are sufficient. Water heater works very well. Heating and cooling systems are working. Oh, wait. We haven't yet turned on the AC this season. I'll let you know if that goes. I can't lose my cool!

It has been a difficult 8 months for things in this house. It is so ridiculous that at this point, we are taking bets on what will go next. And just for fun, we are planning on renewing the lease in October!

A new title???

First, thank you all for your words of sympathy and encouragement in regards to my last post. They really do help. In fact, finally writing it out was quite cathartic. Note to self: do it more often.

So I promised I would write something more positive. I have been thinking a lot about what what to write about, especially humorous and lighthearted things. Well, I think I've found it. Zumba.

A friend gave me a month pass to a local gym. Since I've gained probably 15 pounds since moving here in October (curse you Rachael Ray!), I figured I really needed to do something about it. Especially since I cannot afford to buy a new wardrobe. Of course, if I were to lose a ton of weight, you know I'd find a way to get some new threads.

The appeal of this gym, and why it is worth paying money over free gym on post, is Pilates classes in addition to a full gym. I love getting back to doing mat classes and feeling less stiff. And there is a morning mat class 3 days a week. Perfect! I can do Pilates and then a little cardio and really feel like I've worked out. Maybe I'll move up to doing some weights to help. Now all that sounds real good.

My free month ended and I went and got all signed up. I get 4 free shakes and 4 free training sessions. All that AND Pilates? Awesome! Except now the Pilates instructor has gone on vacation until after July 4, which means I need to find a replacement activity. And many people have recommended Zumba. Think Salsa meets Aerobics. Fortunately I was able to hide in the back of the crowded class filled with skinny young things. While I mostly felt ridiculous, I kept laughing, and when I couldn't keep up the steps, I just kept swaying my hips, figuring that it was some movement and that must be good. I mean, it is a dance/workout class, and sweat means something. Bottom line: learning Zumba is ridiculous, almost as ridiculous as learning Pilates. Thus, it has presented a challenge. Challenge ON!!! I'm going to swish and sway and twist and girate into a smaller size!

Anyway, I'm thinking this blog may need to be retitled "Does this Army make my butt look big?" Because given the last 8 months, the answer is clearly and decidely YES! And not only do I look like a big butt complaining about everything, my butt has gotten bigger.

So here's to taking this butt back to a more normal size.

Still here . . . kinda

There really isn't much going on that seems worthy of blogging about. Here are a few highlights of the past couple months.

Jack Bauer has been home for more than a year now.

The last job I applied for on post went to someone who worked in Jack's department. I was pissed. PISSED!!!! I didn't even get an interview. It uncovered some larger hurdles in the trying-to-get-a-job-on-post game. And it is clearly a game to those already in it. Haha. Joke's on me. Got it. Moving on.

I applied for another job on post. I was asked to apply for the job by the people I'd be working for. My hope level of even getting an interview are very close to zero. At least now I know it is a game and the joke's on me. (Not that I am bitter or anything. OK. Clearly I am.)

Finally got one of the banks to stop calling about when we are going to pay them for the house in Middleville. We had to write them, state that they were violating the Fair Credit Act (or whatever it is called). The house remains on the market, zero offers. The Housing Assistance Program, which was expanded to include military people in our situation, claimed to start funding the program mid-April, then mid-May, and now it is all a big mystery. As far as I am concerned it is just more lip service. Life moving at the speed of businessbeaurocracy.

I found out the reason my job last three weeks. It was because of not being able to make the January payment for the Middleville house. So if I had been able to make the January payment then I would have been able to keep the job and make the payments for February, March, April, May, etc. (Irony.)

Jack had his gym bag stolen from the on-post gym locker room. Cars keys. Wallet. Uniform. Military ID. Credit cards. Dog tags. We had to get new locks for the house, buy new keys and reprogram my keys for both cars. He filed a claim for $1300.

For having spent so much time apart with his deployments, we did very well financially. We got rid of over $55K in credit card debt and had more than $12K in savings. The savings is virtually gone. Cynicism and bitterness are creeping in everyday.

I do believe this is the SUCK I am supposed to be embracing. Cuz it sure does suck. Maybe more than deployment. And I mean the entire 28-month thing.

And one more thing. Jack's computer is on its last leg and mostly collects dust while it waits to be replaced. Somehow. With unknown extra money.

I will post something good at some point. Just not today.

Employment issues

LAW emailed me letting me know about a series of blog posts on milspouse employment over at Left Face. I started writing a long comment over there and decided to just post it here and maybe get some of you to go over there and comment.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Here's my situation (and please pardon the oversimplification of somethings and the length). My husband was in the Army Reserves and deployed to Iraq. We didn't know what he was going to do when he came home since he'd given up his law practice when he moved 1500 miles away to get the unit ready to mobilize. He had no job to come home to and he was not interested in setting up his own practice again. He applied for AGR (Active Guard & Reserve). He was asked to stay in Iraq for a second deployment. With nothing from AGR, we agreed that he would stay on in Iraq and move to a different location. A few days after he made that commitment, AGR called to let us know he'd been accepted into the program. He honored his commitment and remained in Iraq. This still left us wondering what he'd do when he came home. He applied for and was accepted into the Active Duty JAG program. We knew that would mean moving every couple of years and more deployments in our future. We knew that would mean I would be leaving my job and finding new work every couple of years. We've been here at our first duty station since October and I have yet to solidify a job. We are very fortunate to be able to live off of his paycheck.

My education and work experience is diverse. I have a BSN and worked as an ER RN for three years. I have a JD and worked as a trial attorney for three years. I left law for a less stressful life as a technical writer while my husband was deployed. My last job I had for three years.

I am looking for a good paying job. I have applied for jobs with defense contractors and on post. The biggest challenge for me has been getting my foot in the door. Most of the jobs on post are not open to the public; they are for "status candidates," which is essentially someone who has previous worked for the federal government. I am not one of those people. My husband and I have heard directly from the person in charge of the Dept of Army civilian hiring that they prefer to make jobs available to status candidates because, get this, otherwise they would have to give these jobs to veterans due to the veterans preference. (Uh, that sounds a lot like discrimination of veterans.) So I cannot apply for the vast majority of positions on post. The jobs that are left are either MWR jobs or jobs that I am not remotely qualified for (I am not an electrical engineer or a computer scientist).

The second challenge is knowing how to play the game so I could get a secretarial job. I would, incorrectly, have assumed that a JD means I have graduated from high school. Not so. Since my Resumix resume didn't include that I was a high school graduate, I was rejected. Or else "you were not among the best qualified candidates" means that I am overqualified. Either way, my online resume was inadequate. I spent a looooong time with the right woman who told me that your Resumix resume needs to be packed with information. Find the job descriptions and use that to help build your resume. It is all about key words. The people doing the screening aren't thinking outside the box; we need to figure how to get in the box. (Of course, it helps to know how the game is played!)

Even though it has been 9 years since I last practiced nursing, I did apply for a nursing job on post. That requires only a license in any state. If I wanted to practice in town I would need to be licensed in this state. It would cost me about $1000 to do that. The same thing holds true for an attorney position; my current law licenses are sufficient for federal jobs. I would have to sit for another bar exam if I wanted to work in town, assuming that there was a position available. Licensing is an issue for milspouses since it is done at the state level and not all states grant reciprocity.

Since I have been here, I started doing direct sales with Tastefully Simple. It is something to help keep me busy and certainly presents new challenges for me. And it will present the same challenge of growing my business every time we move. But it is MINE, I can take it with me and grow it as much or as little as I'd like.

Last September, President Bush signed an Executive Order in an attempt to make it easier for military spouses to get jobs, or basically, become "status candidates." I have been told that will not go into effect until regulations are written to make that happen. It is April and I still haven't heard anything about this being in effect. Somewhere deep down inside, I am hoping that Mrs. Obama will do more than listen to military families and portray us as people who need the public's sympathy.

Just hanging

Not much going on here.

Last week was Spring Break and all regularly scheduled activities were canceled. Post was quiet. I would have never thought so many people in charge could take off at the same time.

This past weekend we went to visit Jack Bauer's uncle who lives about 3 hours from here. We hadn't seen him since our wedding 10 years ago. I met one of Jack's cousins for the first time. We got to hang by the pool, do a little hiking, and learn shuffleboard (not the Love Boat kind). Turns out that shuffleboard is way fun and I almost beat Jack's uncle who's been playing for a zillion years. We'll have to go back to play some more. (While I understand that shuffleboards are frequently found in bars out West, this shuffleboard was on their backyard patio. I'm not likely to take up bar hopping here in Cav Canyon just to play shuffleboard.)

Otherwise, just keeping busy with my Tastefully Simple business and getting some exercise and working on getting organized.

Wanted: Carpet Steamer

You think I can rent a carpet steamer on post? We've had, um, a few accidents around here. (Poor poochies. Poor BW.)

Where do you think I should start my search? Jack Bauer said something about Self-Help and MWR Rents. Has anyone done this?

Getting into a groove

I'm getting back into a groove, having my days to myself. There are several areas I want my days to focus on: fitness, social networking, my Tastefully Simple business, and housekeeping. I've scheduled time in my day for each of these. What do those of you who aren't going off to work everyday schedule your days?

Fitness: I'm walking the dogs in the early morning, which is great because the sunrises here are just beautiful. (And there are no rattlesnakes out!) I'm increasing the distance a little each day. And I'm doing a little pilates and yoga on top. I know that if I don't start off slow, I'll either injure myself or get frustrated and quit. So it is slow going to start. I'll make it up to the level of these ladies: Sara (with crossfit), Wendy (with running), and ABW (with running). You gals are an inspiration! Who else is working the fitness?

Social Networking: Checking Facebook and reading more blogs. And, of course, posting here more.

Tastefully Simple: You all have been so supportive of me getting my business started. And I am so lovin' it! I had such a great time in San Diego at the conference. This is such a fantastic company: debt-free AND growing AND hiring! I've shared this opportunity with some of you, but unfortunately I don't have everyone's email address. So if you are looking for an income or just something fun to do, email me at butterfly.wife.life AT gmail.com. I would LOVE to tell you more about how much FUN you could be having. :D

Housekeeping: With two dogs and a cat, there is always cleaning to be done! These beasties shed faster than I can vacuum it up. Beyond basic cleaning, I will be working on getting the one junk room turned into a working, resting, reading space for me!

Blogoversery

Today this blog turns 2! Holy cow! It's hard to believe I've been here in the blogosphere that long. But here I am. I've met here and in person some great people. You all helped me more than you will ever know, especially while Jack Bauer was deployed. Thank you!!!

God must have other things in store for me

I am unemployed. Again. After three weeks of work, I am back home in the middle of the day. My employment was conditional and that condition was not met.

I took a long drive to clear my head. I drove out to the small border town where my father went to high school. Last time I was there was 30 years ago. Can't say that it seemed much different. It looked like many small towns I've seen across the country. Its heyday has past, but there is a spirit that is undying. Down, yes. Out, no. Like so many, the jobs may come and go, but the life goes on, struggling through the tough times. Waiting, hoping, praying, and slowing working to get back on its feet.

I called my dad while I was there. He had me drive by the old apartment house he lived in with his father and brother. Not much to look at. Weeds overgrowing the front. A fresh paint job within the last 5 years. But 50 years my dad slept there in a small room he shared with his brother.

And then I drove home. To this gorgeous 3-bedroom + den, 2-bath, 3-car garage house with gourmet kitchen, soaking tub, walk-in shower, and entire living/dining room that we don't know what to do with, all sitting on 1.5 acres with views on the mountains on three sides. I want for nothing.

So God must have another plan for me right now. I am thinking I need to take better care. Of myself, the housekeeping, my dogs, my husband (not necessarily in that order). I can work on all of that.

I do have another job I am applying for later this week. And we'll just go from there.

And while I have your attention, who wants to have a Tastefully Simple Catalog Party? Seriously. Email me if you want to earn free products and our host collection. I'm still going to have FUN.

What's in a number

We start counting to 10 with fingers and toes.

We grow and hit the double digits with big fanfare. Being 10 was awesome.

We ascribe perfection to 10.

And of course there is the Jack Bauer 10-minute rule (i.e., Jack Bauer can get anywhere in LA in 10 minutes regardless of the time of day or how far he needs to travel).

But today 10 is how long my Jack Bauer and I have been married.

Happy Anniversary, my love.

Another Active Duty First

So yesterday I had my first experience with military medicine.

Actually it wasn't bad at all. No forms to fill out even though I was seeing a new doctor. Just had to show my ID. That is pretty nice.

Polite receptionist, funny nurse, very interested doctor. And I was in and out very quickly. Not bad at all.

SNOW!!!

Just a couple weeks ago, I posted on Facebook how much I was missing the snow that they were getting back in Middleville. And today it is snowing at my house in Cav Canyon. And actual decent flakes and it is sticking to the ground. Sounds like last year, they closed the post when they got an inch of snow. That is one single inch. Interesting to see if they do that again.

Thanks to everyone for the well wishes yesterday. The first day of work went well. It was very nice that they had an assignment for me to work on. I love editing and learning new style guides so it made the afternoon fly by. The group I am training with right now is a great group of seven women editors. Fantastic!

Off to work

After an amazing experience with Tastefully Simple this weekend, I am off to work at a full-time day job this morning. Having been unemployed for 7 months, I am looking forward to this structure in my time and some added cash in my wallet.

Wish me luck as I will be tackling an entirely new subject matter. And I am not used to getting up this early.

Catch you later.

Just the short of it

While I was busy making plans for my last two weeks before starting my job, the universe had other plans. I start next Monday. So in my last week of domestic-ness I got to get movin'. And I will be out of town Friday through Sunday. Maybe a list is in order.

• Make list (Monday).
• Finish painting bedroom (Monday & Tuesday; couldn't get it all done today). There is glue on the ceiling, btw. Itsdone!Itsdone!Itsdone!
• Get clothes ready for first week of work, including ironing.
• Download, print, and complete all the paperwork I need to take on Day 1.
• Vacuum and clean floors.
  
• Clean bathrooms.
• Clean out and organize living room "organizational system" (i.e., the storage ottoman).
• Straighten up second office.
• Take care of Moo after her "procedure" to remove the owie on her lip (Tuesday). She seems to be recovering nicely. Suture line looks good. We'll get pathology results in a few days. No chewing on bones for two weeks (this will be a tough one for the champion chewer). Poor girl, had to have half her face shaved, whiskers and all.
  
• Pack for trip (Thursday).
  
• Go to Tastefully Simple on Tour in San Diego (Friday through Sunday).
• Make menu for next week so Jack Bauer can go to the commissary on Sunday before I get home.
  

That seems like enough to keep me busy for a few minutes.

Good News from Iraq: 2 Feb 2009

From WSJ, Iraqi Election Officials Begin Vote Tally. Check out the slideshow here.

BAGHDAD -- Election officials here turned to the daunting task of counting millions of ballots after Iraqis voted Saturday in provincial elections that saw little violence but less-than-expected turnout.

While the election itself went fairly smoothly, observers say it's critical that the polling--and now, the counting of ballots--be perceived as free and fair. A successful election would provide a shot of confidence for the Iraqi government as U.S. forces begin to pull back combat troops from cities at the end of June.

That pullback is based on a timetable set out by a security pact agreed between Washington and Baghdad last year that would see a complete withdrawal from the country by the end of 2011. The Obama administration is seeking ways to speed that up. A relatively corruption- and violence-free election could provide more ammunition for both U.S. and Iraqi officials to accelerate the drawdown.

Iraqi security forces had braced for widespread violence, but no major incidents were reported. Elections officials said there were no serious technical problems during voting on Saturday, which was the first time Iraqis administered elections on their own in the post-Saddam Hussein era. The last local elections in January 2005 were largely run by the international community.

"These elections mark a significant milestone for the people of Iraq, and are a major step forward in Iraq's democratic development," U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and U.S. General Ray Odierno, the top military commander in Iraq, said in a joint statement on Saturday.

But authorities are still concerned that those who lost the elections may not peacefully accept the elections results. Some 14,000 candidates ran for 440 provincial council seats.

Unofficial results should be known by the end of this week, but it will take two to three weeks for official results to be announced. Elections officials asked Iraqis to be patient as they went through the complicated counting process.

Read the rest here.

My inner domestic diva

With just a couple of weeks left until I return to working full-time, the domestic goddess in me is showing her head. I have completely resisted being a housewife. Really. I don't enjoy housework. The tediousness of ordinary cleaning and maintenance don't interest me much. Sure we could couch it in terms of taking care of my family, but that doesn't really make it any more interesting for me.

We've had a few areas where stuff from moving has sat mostly untouched since it was dropped off more than three months ago. Even having company over didn't inspire me to do anything with it. Yet, the idea of staring at it for the next two years while I am working seemed to kick my butt into gear. The two boxes in the bedroom are now gone. The miscellaneous kitchen items in the room for which we have no plans (aka the formal living) held the items for which we had no plans. Yesterday, in a fit of domestica goddessia (a very rare condition), I made some snap decisions about what stays and what goes.

But that is not the half of it. I did laundry yesterday as well. That, in addition to patching the bigger nail holes and getting rid of all the gold paint in the bedroom (two coats of Kilz) and putting up one coat of pretty blue paint and then changing my mind about where the paint is going to go. Oh, and I made dinner from scratch.

If I can muster a few more domestic fits, this house will great shape by the time I start work.

Back to work now.

The MOST difficult paint job EVER!

I am declaring the job done. For anyone considering repainting a 3x5' room with a 12-foot high ceiling with two different colors of paint on opposing walls and the ceiling needs to be painted as well and there is a large immovable object in the room (e.g., a toilet), you might want to seriously think about whether you can live with what is already there.

This was by far the most difficult paint job I have undertaken. But it is done. And worth it. The entire room, ceiling included, was bright purple. And a poor paint job to boot. (It looks like purple paint was spilled while doing the job as there is paint smeared on the baseboards.) The closest color I can describe it as is the color used in the title of the latest Military Spouse Magazine. The. Entire. Room. That's a lotta color for such a small space. I even cleaned up the purple off of the toilet itself.

Now while I am relieving myself I can look at a nice sage colored wall in front of me with cottage white to my sides.

With the worst of the paint situation corrected, I can now move onto getting rid of the gold paint in the bedroom. The entry cove, including the outlet covers, and the archway into the bathroom (not the same on both sides mind you) are gold. Then there are the three foot-wide gold stripes of gold painted along one wall. It must have been painted by the same incompetent painter as the commode. It is sooooo uneven and that which is supposed to go to the baseboards and ceiling does not make it all the way. (It's called tape and an edger, people!)

Have a mentioned the sponge painting in the formal living room that doesn't go all the way to the ceiling? As in there are about four feet of wall above where the sponging stops. Who does this in a rental house?

OK. I'll stop my bitching. Maybe I'll take some before and after pics of the bedroom project.

Good News from Iraq: 27 Jan 2009

From MNF-I, Government of Iraq signs for Camp Ramadi. (Jack used to hang at Camp Ramadi. And two-plus years after he got there, it is hard to imagine the incredible progress that occurred.)

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq – Official documents finalizing the transfer of ownership of Camp Ramadi to the Iraqi government were signed on Camp Ali, Iraq today.

The documents were signed by Maj. Gen. Martin Post, the deputy commanding general of Multinational Force-West, and Ali Al Yasiri, the director general for the Council of Ministers Operations, Government of Iraq. Representatives from the Iraqi army, Government of Iraq and Coalition forces witnessed the signing, which officially gave Camp Ramadi back over to the Iraqi government. A memorandum of agreement was signed last week outlining the areas that will continue to be used by Coalition forces.

The memorandum of agreement, which was signed Jan. 20 by Staff Brig. Gen. Adel, the commander of the First Quick Reaction Force Brigade, Iraqi army, headquartered at Camp Ali, and U.S. Army Col. Ronald Kapral, the commander of Camp Ramadi and the 81st Brigade Combat Team, Washington Army National Guard, acts as a tenant agreement for the Coalition forces who are scheduled to remain on Camp Ramadi through 2011.

Signing over Camp Ramadi is a step toward Coalition forces pulling out and handing complete responsibility and control back over to the Iraqis.

“This is very important for Coalition forces because we are handing the land back over to the Iraqis,” said Post.

“It shows that the U.S. military and the Coalition forces are starting to prepare to turn over and demilitarize the bases that we have been using for the past five years,” said Kapral who took part in both signings. “If you look at what has been done in the past five years, the Iraqi army has started taking responsibility for their actions. They’re starting to support themselves. They are proving training we have given them over the past three years is starting to pay off. The Iraqi army wants to take charge of their country, wants their bases and wants to provide the security for the people of Iraq that they have been lacking up until we came in and started a democracy in Iraq.”

Ar Ramadi was a center of Sunni insurgent resistance in the years following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. The area is now better known as one of Iraq’s biggest success stories.

Coalition forces took possession of Camp Ramadi, formerly known as Camp Junction City, in 2003 shortly after the ground offensive. Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Ar Ramadi has had a handful of bases occupied by Coalition forces returned to the Iraq government. Camp Ramadi is now one of the last Coalition-only bases left in the Ar Ramadi area.

Although the signing marks a big step for the Iraqi government and leaders of Coalition forces, the majority of the troops stationed on Camp Ramadi will notice little change, if any.

“For those of us who physically live on Camp Ramadi, it really doesn’t change the normal day-to-day operations. What it does mean, from a long-term perspective, is that Coalition forces are giving back the bases and land to the Iraqis, due to their sovereignty,” said Lt. Col. Kevin McMahan, Camp Ramadi operations officer, who was present for both signings.

Force protection measures will not be changed. All camp improvement projects will continue. Iraqis will take a look at the buildings on Camp Ramadi to see if it is something they want to keep. The physical structures built on camp Ramadi will either be prepared to be handed over in 2011 or torn down. Part of the agreement is for Coalition forces to put the base back to the way they found it.

The Iraqi army and the Iraqi Police have been taking control much more, as Coalition forces have been stepping into the background.

“From my personal opinion, it is the beginning of the end. We are posturing to give back bases to the Iraqis. It will allow us to take a more supportive role,” said McMahan.