Stryker Brigade News

At the same time, it will be hard to leave a task force where so many relationships and bonds have been made over the previous five months.

The task force accepted A Troop not as a hindrance or distraction, but as a member of the collective team from the first day in Mosul. This was apparent from the task force staff level down to the platoon level of each company.

Comfort could be found in knowing if a platoon happened to run into trouble while on patrol, another member of the task force would drop whatever they were doing and be on their way to help, no questions asked.

Such acts were performed on more than one occasion.

Company and troop commanders often found themselves controlling a mixture of platoon elements from other companies as if they were their own, always keeping the team mentality.

As hard as it will be to leave the Soldiers, NCOs and officers of Task Force 2-1, the troop remains focused on the obstacles ahead.

The long, rough, dusty convoy into Rawah may not be enjoyable, and trading a palace for a tent has never really been considered a good deal in any culture.

Despite these small disparities, I am looking a bit forward to the change of environment.

In my experience (as a general rule, lieutenants should avoid this expression, but I’m going with it), change always seems to make time go by faster.

In the last five months, we have operated in Mosul as well as the vast lands lying to the north.

We have met and developed relationships with numerous individuals to include Iraqi Police, mayors, election workers, Iraqi Army soldiers and countless members of the local populace.