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dom to help this Nation build it’s Army and

establish peace that our soldiers may return

home.”

Our prayer complete.. We unfurled the Na-

tion’s color and hoisted them up a make shift

flag pole underneath a perfectly tempered

blue sky...a light breeze extending at full

length this powerful image of the sacrifice

that was required for all we have as Ameri-

cans.

In recognition of the true meaning of

our US Thanksgiving Day federal

holiday our eleven souls stood at the

base of a make shift flagpole as I

read the words of Abraham Lincoln’s

Thanksgiving Proclamation from Oc-

tober 1873. “ In a time of conflict…

far from those we love…” Lincoln’s

words were laden with truth and pen-

etrated to the heart of what we were

gathered to do.

“ To recognize the hand which has staid the

Liberty we experience as Americans.. To ask

forgiveness for taking for granted such great

freedom.. to thank God for our families,

friends, health, wealth, security… to under-

stand and acknowledge that our Heavenly

Father is the source of all our blessings as a

Nation.”

Upon conclusion of the proclamation I said a

prayer that asked God “ to heal … remove

the violence from this land. To ask for wis-

T H A N K S G I V I N G F L A G C E R E M O N Y 9 T H

D I V I S I O

N

M

I T T

T E A M

V O L U M E 2

T H E R E G U L A T O R

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

T H A N K S G I V I N G

F L A G C E R E M O -

N Y

1

C O M M A N D E R ’ S

C O R N E R2

D I V I S I O N ’ S H Q

M A K E S I M -

P R O V E M E N T S

3

A N O T H E R D A Y

A T T H E D O C K S3

T H E M Y S T E R Y

S T O C K I N G S4

D I V I S I O N G E T

A T T E N T I O N

F R O M T H E T O P

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N E W W A R O N

T E R R O R5

9th Division MiTT advisors

salute the US flag on

Thanksgiving Day.

Cont. on page 6.



C O M M A N D E R ’ S C O R N E R

to kiss the ground when I hit the first

US airport,” “Can’t wait to hug the wife

and kids,” and “I’m going to eat at

McDonalds everyday,” etc are just a

few of the late night conversations

amongst us all. I included can’t waitto see the family and just relax a little

for a change. To read the paper, have

a casual conversation with my wife,

and play with my kids…..ring in my

mind everyday.

The big news on our end is the arrival

of some of the newest tanks and ar-

mored personnel carriers (BMPs) the

Iraqi Army will ever receive. A gift from

NATO, they arrived on our doorstep

about a month ago. The Iraqis have

been hard at work training on them

and getting them ready to fight the

terrorists. We think these 77 addition-al tanks and 36 BMPs will be just

what the doctor ordered in helping the

Iraqis defeat this insurgency. We also

finally got the Division Headquarters a

new place to live. If you ever watched

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with

the three grandparents sharing a bed

because their was only one to go

around, you have a good picture of

what we have been dealing with these

last five months. The small headquar-

ters the Iraqis have been sharing is

shall we say, “quaint.” This all ended

yesterday with their brand new head-

quarters finally being turned over tothem. I would venture to say it is prob-

ably the nicest headquarters for any

Iraqi Army Division. Now, the big chal-

lenge will be where to get all the

furniture??

I think I can speak for all of the

team members, when I say we

thank you all for your support. The

morale and motivation continues tostay high knowing that all of you are

praying for us and cheering us on. I

can honestly tell you, if it weren’t for

the support I receive from the home

front, this mission would be much

tougher than it already is. We also

know that Christmas should be

spent together with families and

friends. This year unfortunately

many of us will have to say those

magical words “Merry Christmas”

via email or over the phone. We

wish our situation was different but

in the end, our year in Iraq and thework we are trying to do to get the

Iraqi Army back on its feet we hope

will mean one Gigantic Merry Christ-

mas when we step back in the Unit-

ed States for good. Have a great

Holiday Season and God Bless all of

you for supporting all of the Men

and Women overseas deployed in

support of our Nations war on terror-

ism.

Col John H. Hort

9th Division Senior Advisor

Merry Christmas and Seasons

Greetings from Taji, Iraq home of

the Iraqi 9th Division and the advi-

sor teams who support these sol-

diers. As expected, we have been

very busy these last couple of months with our Iraqi counter-

parts. Being this busy though,

does help the time go by a little

quicker and keeps us always on

our toes around here. As you prob-

ably already know, all of the advi-

sors have become very good at

being multi-functional and multi-

purpose kind of guys. From warri-

ors outside the camp to quelling

riots because of poor Iraqi chow

inside the camp, we have seen it

all. I guess this is par for the

course when you are standing up a

new unit as large as an Army divi-sion. Not sure if we can add too

much of what we are experiencing

to a resume but it will make for

great war stories when we all final-

ly get home.

Speaking of home, we are at the

point in our deployment where

some of the team members are

starting their much deserved leave

back to the States. This is exciting

for all of us knowing that we are at

the stage in our deployment where

our vacations are finally starting. I

can tell you we all talk about leavearound here like it was the Super

Bowl. And to us, it is. Comments

like: “How long do you think it will

take us to get home?” “I’m going

V O L U M E 2

The 9th Division MiTT Team



As mentioned in the previous

Regulator, Taji’s land and

buildings were ravaged by

the previous war. The end

result was a severe shortage

of office and sleeping areas.

For the 9th Division this

equaled the majority of the

Division’s officers living and

working out of the same of-

fice. Some times as many as

four to five Iraqi officers lived

together in a one man room!

We must have received a free

pass straight to go, because

some of these problems may

soon end. Some clever

scouting by some of the 9th

Division MiTT Leadership led

to the discovery of an area

big enough to accommodate

this new growing force. This

new area contains an abun-

dant amount of buildings with

more than enough space for

the division’s cramped prob-

lems.

Facilities like the medical

clinic and multiple billets,

essential to the health and

welfare of Iraqi soldiers will

now be closer and more ac-

cessible. It even contains

structures large enough to

perform heavy maintenance

on the tanks and other vehi-

cles assigned to the Division.

The area is being refurbished

but, with a little work and a

lot of paint, Iraqi soldiers will

soon reek the benefits of this

new location. No more will

soldiers have to use their

work desk as dinner tables

and their beds as work sta-

tions. Things are looking

good for the away team.

K A T R I N A L I K E C O N D I T I O N S N O M O R E F O R T H E 9 T H D I V I S I O N

A N O T H E R D A Y A T T H E D O C K S

ti functional Americans!

SSG Baker got this mission

and was personally responsi-

ble for training a team in the

basic operations of the T-72

(a Russian tank) and how to

maneuver this huge vehicle.

Their initial duty was to go to

Kuwait and upload 77 T-72

and 36 BMPs on huge trucks

called HETT’s. Sounds easy

right? “Not the case” Ser-

geant Baker says. The team

had to deal with first the fear

of driving this massive vehi-

cle. Secondly they were un-

der extreme time constraints

by only being able to work at

night.

Fortunately the team was

able to effectively communi-

cate and solve problems

quickly, resulting in a job well

done, well except for maybe

one boo boo.

History was made on 10 No-

vember 2005. The day the 9th

Division received it’s fleet of

new tanks and armored person-

nel carriers (BMPs).

They came as a gift from our

NATO friends and landed in

Kuwait. Because of the current

restriction against Iraq military

traveling to Kuwait, the down-

load of these vehicles from the

ship became a job for the advi-sors. You talk about some mul-

V O L U M E 2

Tank driving isn’t as easy as it seems

New living quarters for the division

The new Division Headquarters



It was the 13th day before

Christmas, when all through

the hooch.

You could hear the snores of

soldiers sounding like moose.

All were tired and sleeping in

bed.

Dreaming of division and

what’s ahead.

Thoughts of Friday that half

day off

Darn it’s Sunday my dreams

are lost.

I’m up and can’t sleep what

should I do?

Go to the PX oops it’s past

curfew.

Out in the hall, what’s that

sound.

A loud thump like a mortar

round.

I opened the door and what

did I see.

Red and White stocking for

everyone and me.

I shot a back azimuth trying

to locate the POO (Point of

origin).

When I saw a big belly but

couldn’t guess who?

from the higher echelons in our

government.

In his remarks to the troops he

acknowledged the current situa-

tion here in Iraq and his gratitude

for all the efforts that have been

made by all the soldiers. It was

truly a spiritual lift to all division

advisors seeing our secretary of

the Army engaged with the pro-

gress of the Iraqi Army.

The Secretary of the Army flew

into Camp Taji to visit the sol-

diers of the 9th Division on 24

November. His goal was to gath-

er information on the progress

the MiTT teams have been mak-

ing in the rebuilding stages of

this new fighting force.

It always feels great when all the

hard work the teams here in Iraq

have been doing gets attention

T H E M Y S T E R Y S T O C K I N G S

9 T H D I V I S I O N G E T S A T T E N T I O N

F R O M T H E T O P

V O L U M E 2

An area search was conduct-

ed he must have got away.

He vanished like Santa on a

slay.

I gathered everyone to ask

the question.

Who is suspect of bring

these blessings.

Still to this day no one knows

who.

Is the bringer of these mys-

tery stockings and how he

disappeared without a clue.

These stockings were mysteriously

hung on each of the team mem-

bers doors.

The Secretary of the Army and the 9th Division Leadership



Some days feel like a South

West Airline commercial.

When something goes wrong

your waiting for the commen-

tator to say “ Want to get

away”? Don’t worry about it

though, soldiers are some of

the most resourceful people

on Earth.

Like myself, I happen to be

the driver of a huge 25 pas-

senger bus. It has a few

scratches in the paint, and

the rear is dented. Some of

the team members laughed

at the condition of the vehi-

cle, but she’s ok with me.

She serves as my personal

home away from home.

When dead lines and the

pressures of work start to get

too tough, one start of the

engine and a click of the

H O M E O N W H E E L S

N E W W A R O N T E R R O R

Who are these new insur-

gents you might ask? Wellladies and gentlemen, we are

currently at war with flies.

That’s right, Iraq is home to

some of the most aggressive

flying critters on Earth.

I’m surprised the Crocodile

Hunter has not featured

these insects on one of his

episodes. They are every-

where, in your room, the

bathroom, even in your vehi-

cle.

Some how, one of the team

members were able to ac-quire a new device that’s

been our preferred weapon in

our attack against these

vicious creatures.

It’s an electric fly swatter in

the shape of a tennis racket.

The flies are really a nui-

sance, but this has turned

out to be a new sport and a

great form of entertainment.

for the team.

As if the war on terror in Iraq

was not bad enough, the 9thDivision has raged a new

campaign here on Camp Taji.

Through the halls of the MiTT

Headquarters building you

can hear numerous loud zaps

and LTC. Turner screaming

“another KIA” (killed in ac-

tion)! You can also hear the

enthusiasm in SGM Herbert’s

voice as he cheers on the

rally against one of Iraq’s

most notorious insurgents.

V O L U M E 2

Who said war was easy? Sol-

diers have to overcome the daily

pressures of being without fami-

ly and friends.

We try to remain focused while

accomplishing our individual

duties and multiple taskings. We

realize the importance of our

work and what it means to be a

soldier of the United States.

Radio…. troubles become non-

existent.

A couple of weeks later, more and

more people began ridding the bus

to chow and realized the wonders

of what one bus trip could do. It’s

sort of like therapy, and a great

pressure release valve.

In fact it’s not just a bus ride to

chow any more, we call it the

“magical joy ride” where work is

forgotten and our war torn campleft behind.

SSG Pettigrew wielding the FS-22

(electric fly swatter)

SSG Smith preparing for a Magical

Journey.



What do you mean a parking ticket?

We played the Star Spangled

Banner and paid respects

with our salutes. This com-

plete, the Flag was taken

down, folded with respect,

and saluted for the last

time....to be encased as a

reminder of this singleThanksgiving day....in a land

far from home....and our

blessings as Americans.

This is one afternoon in a

soldier's life Thanksgiving

Day, the 24th day of Novem-

ber, 2005....

C O N T . F R O M F R O N T P A G E

T H E G O O D T I M E S

Relationships are stronger than ever

This traffic is horrible.

Remember safety first.

Vote Pettigrew for governor

The 9th DIV team members watch as Col. Hort steadies the flag while SGM Herbert attaches it to the flag pole

the regulator 2

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