There were several interesting things that developed while I was there, typically involving Iraqi insurgents and the Iraqi Army Aviation Command. As a result of how I got to participate in those events, and due to the contributions my teams enabled me to make, I was awarded the Bronze Star, today, by Lt Gen Gorenc, the commander of Third Air Force.
I had deliberately not mentioned the level of award (mostly because I found out only recently) because I wanted to be able to post the pictures and video here to share with all the followers. I did not mention that to Joy, though, and she might've mentioned it on Facebook before we could get the BLOG up-to-date. Added to that, I have captured the video on computer, but it's too big to post, and the software I have to edit it won't recognize the format the video is in. Add to that, the theater was really dark, and the picture above is the only one that really came out. SO, apologies to all that I didn't spill the beans earlier, and a promise that we'll keep trying to get the video up so you can hear the citation!
I don't know what will happen in Iraq as US forces leave, but I know that we left an indelible mark on the people with whom we worked, and they changed us, too. I know that the cradle of civilization has some cultural inertia to overcome, and I don't harbor any illusions that they will ever be a near-peer competitor, again. But there are some Iraqis who have tasted liberty, who know what freedom of expression is, and they are the ones who need to fight for their own security against an enemy that offers no retreat, no dialogue, no hope, no future, and no competing vision of any value whatsoever. The good guys in Iraq exist. I met them. I spent a year of my life with them, and my family gave a year of their lives to them. The Bronze Star is merely a representation of the blood, sweat, and tears that one family gave so the greatest country on Earth could share with the people of Iraq their chance to claim the inalienable rights of their Creator, namely life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I wish them well. 
