The Continuing Story of Major Pete

Dear Cableites, Family and Friends,

Here it is late December, and the days are short and cool here in Iraq.   The temps here believe it or not are in the low 70s in the day to the mid 40's at night, and the occasional rainstorm is continuing to keep our outpost in a constant state of mud.

Operations here have gone from holding training for the Iraqi border guards on correct procedures of handling detainees to interdiction techniques and procedures.  Our Team medic is even getting involved with training Iraqi Shurtas (enlisted border police) in basic first aid.  Our relations with our Iraqi counterparts continue to grow, along with their abilities.

The Shurtas that we have trained so far really respond to “hands on training” as opposed to the classic classroom environment.  Recently we have been kept busy with the Iranian Army border incursions into our area of operations as some of you may have seen on the news recently (CNN, ABC, etc.)

It just so happens that the Oil well that is in contention with the Iranians and the Iraqi governments, is within a 45 min drive of our location, and is part of our Iraqi counterparts area of responsibility.  So as you can imagine, it is of great interest to us, and has brought a great deal of attention to our team from our headquarters.  As a matter of fact I just returned from a meeting with all the leaders of the ISF (Iraqi Security Forces) of the Maysan Province and the Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen.  It was quite an experience for me since I have never been involved before at such high levels of  coordination. My Iraqi counterpart Brigadier General (BG) Razzak, gave a short brief to Admiral Mullen as to the situation in his AO, and what his operational concerns were.  In short it appeared to be a very successful meeting, as the ISF continues to take control of their country and enforce the Rule of Law, ensuring the country's eventual security.  They have a long way to go, but if they continue along the road of gradual improvements they will eventually achieve a level of democracy that does not exist in this area of the globe.  What we have to keep in mind as Americans, is that their idea of democracy will be different than ours, and it is their country and we cannot go down the dangerous path insisting on American solutions for Iraqi problems.

By the time some of  you will be reading this, I should be on my way home for my mid-tour leave in January.  I hope to see you all then.

God speed.   MAJ Peter Queyrel, 11/4 BTT Team Chief, Team Destroyer, Al Amarah, Iraq

 

 

For all you pilot /airport-types out there, make note of the following info:

Got A Paper Certificate? Replace It Now

If your FAA pilot certificate is printed on paper, it's going to expire on March 31, unless you replace it with a new plastic certificate. To get the new counterfeit-resistant certificates, you have to fill out a form and mail it to the FAA in Oklahoma City along with $2 for each certificate you want to replace, or you can do it online. Either way, the new certificate won't list your original date of issue, so you might want to keep that old dog-eared piece of paper to prove your longevity.

If you apply by mail, it's going to take four to six weeks, and up to 10 days for online processing, so don't put it off till the last minute or you could find yourself grounded. Some non-pilot certificates, such as those for flight engineers and mechanics, are good for another three years but then they will also have to be replaced. Student certificates are not affected.

While you're at it, you can also ask the FAA to issue you a new certificate number that is not your social security number. There is no additional charge to make this change.

(http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/expiring_paper_certificates/)   for more info and the forms you need, or to make your request online.

"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know."  -  Abraham Lincoln

 

 

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