Nightfighter Family,
Greetings from LSA Anaconda. I am happy to report we have completed our move to Iraq and now have the entire Task Force settling in to our new location. It has been a long process, a very long process if you consider we started this in May 2007. All of the soldiers are now in their permanent housing units. The soldiers are living two per room, the rooms are air conditioned with wall lockers, and a small dresser. The shower trailers and restrooms are a short walk from their housing (within 2-3 minutes in most cases). The dining facility most of the soldiers are eating in is outstanding. They have great choices for every meal, no one should be going hungry. The unit we are replacing has put together a great plan for the Relief in Place and we have jumped right into it. The soldiers are very busy right now and will continue to be for the next few weeks while we learn everything we can from our counterparts. Many of our soldiers have already started going out on missions with the unit we are replacing. The training we have conducted up to this point has really prepared the soldiers for what we are doing over here. We are "falling in" on well maintained equipment that is mission ready.... in short we have everything we need to accomplish our mission. The morale of the soldiers within Task Force 293 is outstanding, I have already heard comments from people over here how professional and disciplined our unit is. That is no surprise to me, but it still makes me proud to hear it. The soldiers do have access to internet through the MWR but right now that is limited due to time contstraints of our training. You will hear about some soldiers having internet capability in their room. That is due to some of the soldiers purchasing sattelite dishes from departing soldiers and setting up their own internet. That is not a sanctioned military system, it is not a right to have but I have not intervened in the purchase of it, and I will not unless it becomes a distraction within the unit. It is my opinion that every soldier will have ample time to contact loved ones at home regardless of unit or location of housing. Remember in the case of emergencies use the FRG system and they will assist you with Red Cross messages.
I hope this update finds all of you doing well, please take care of each other, we will do the same. We have outstanding soldiers in this unit doing an important mission, if communication drops off now and then it is due to the work load. Remember what I said in an earlier message... for us, busy is good it makes time go by much faster.
Proud to Serve
LTC Jerry Hadley
Nightfighter 6
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