July has been a month of transition for everyone in Iraq, but none more than for the Warhorse Battalion.  With the new Security Agreement in place, we have gone from being the main effort in Iraq to an advisory and assist role.  This means we spend more time enabling Iraqi operations than conducting our own combat patrols.  Since our ability to maneuver in the cities must fit more specific criteria than before, we have experienced much more free time than the first 6 months of the deployment.  This is not the ideal situation for a well trained combat task force, but the change of pace has been welcomed by all.  It has also presented us new challenges for our soldiers to focus on which has kept us busy.

   We began this transition with a 5 day safety stand down that was concluded with a battalion wide sports day on the 4^th of July!  We celebrated our Independence with a massive cookout, thanks to SGM Green and the S3 shop, which was surrounded by spades, dominos, volleyball, basketball, and horseshoe tournaments.  The day was concluded with a tug-of-war competition pitting companies against each other and an awards ceremony.  The whole day was filled with friendly competition, lots of laughter, and camaraderie.  For a couple of hours our minds were distracted from the fact that we were still in Iraq, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves!

   When I stepped back from the festivities and games, I had a chance to reflect on the magnitude of the moment.  There we were, celebrating our country’s Independence Day, in a foreign country that has known nothing but war, tyranny, and terrorism for generations!  It has been our job and goal over the past 6 months to help this country reach a point where they can stand up and claim their own freedom.  On June 30th the people of Iraqi filled the streets to celebrate being another step closer to their country’s independence.  In a way, we have reached our goal of preparing Iraq to get to this point, but our mission is not over yet.  It is important that we stay focused, trained, and ready to respond if we get the call for help.  We can and should be proud of what we have accomplished, and the job we continue to do through this period of transition.

   Now that we have a month under of our belt in this new role and slower operational tempo, I’ve seen an increase in “spiritual curiosity” as soldiers have a chance to reflect on the past 6 months and/or previous deployments.  More soldiers are seeking me out for faith related counseling, and the numbers in our various Bible studies and Chapel services are going up!  This is also due to simply having time to attend these services now, where patrol schedules had prevented some to attend these before.  The lighter schedule has also given me the opportunity to start another Bible study.  We kicked it off last Wednesday night, and had 20 soldiers across 5 different battalions participate.  For a brand new Bible study, I am very encouraged by such a good turn out.  The weekly Warhorse Chapel service has doubled in size since the June 30th transition, and our other Bible study is growing as well.  God is doing some amazing things in the hearts and minds of our Warhorse soldiers in Mosul.  My prayer is that He will continue to move through our ranks and protect our Warhorse family throughout the remainder of the deployment.