For me, however, I have not taken leave yet so I cannot claim the easy and obvious. No, for me, my answer lies in last month which proved to be a very positive one once I was able to look past the move to a tiny base with a lack of bathrooms, the 3 minute combat shower, and where the 1SG hates all living things (including Soldiers). The good that came from such a move was the accessibility we had to the members of the Iraqi Army giving us up to 7 hours a day to spend with them. During this time we were able to teach, speak with, and mentor many Iraqi Soldiers. The time was brief but I got to learn many Arabic phrases, endeavor together with my interpreter to find the best way to share my experience and knowledge, and even have a touching conversation with one individual about his struggles as a Soldier under Saddam during the Gulf War 20 years ago. But the most incredible part of teaching was when I turned the time over to one of the students who
did just an amazing job teaching to the class. Yeah, basically the most positive thing was to let him do my job. There isn’t a lot of positive when all you can do is think about missing your family and home but when you watch another individual learn or grow, no matter what age they are, it sure puts a smile on your face and makes it all worth it.
