Around Baghdad

These are a couple of pictures from an Iraqi Police Station in Baghdad. I went out on a convoy with our Commander to visit wounded Soldiers, as well as visit this Iraqi Police Station and another one of our own units.

The Police station we visited is located in one of Uday Hussein's former palaces. We went and met with these police, and then walked around the grounds for a bit. The top photo is on the way into the Police Station.

The bottom photo is on an interesting structure. On Hussein's former property, there are some sculptures, as well as a replica of the 14th of July Bridge. In the bottom photo, our Commander and I are standing on that bridge. I am the one on the left in the picture.

The visit to the CSH (Combat Surgical Hospital) is becoming too familiar. Something interesting happened there, though, today. I visited our wounded Soldier, with the Commander and the Soldier's company commander. At the end of the visit, I stayed and prayed with the Soldier. After praying, my assistant and I turned around to leave the room, and there was a Three Star General and his entourage standing in the doorway, waiting to enter after the prayer was finished. The General greeted us, and thanked us for our ministry, and began to ask us how things were going. After talking for just a bit, he gave us both his coin.

The giving of coins is a military tradition. High ranking Soldiers (commanders, command sergeant majors) usually have a coin designed for their office, and give it to Soldiers as a sign of a job well done. While I didn't do anything, it was neat to get the coin.