Sunday Pictures: Christmas Edition

On assignment on celebrating the holidays in Iraq in 2003

Sharing the adventure

Christmas in 2003 found me serving as the Executive Officer of 6th Battalion of the 101st Aviation Regiment with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Iraq. We were based at Q-West forward operating base in southern Ninewa Province after arriving not long after the fall of Baghdad in early May 2003.

I had made some news back in our then hometown of Peachtree City, Georgia having dropped out of the race for Mayor and returning to the regular Army after 9/11. As these things go the local paper did a story, followed by an Atlanta TV station, and CNN anchor Kyra Phillips invited me for an interview from Baghdad on July 4th. We would regularly chat after that to update her and her audience on our work supporting the local Iraqi civilians and conducting combat operations as the insurgency began to grow.

Special Assignment

As we approached that first Christmas in Iraq, Kyra’s producer asked me if I could take some pictures of what life was like for us on our base and share it with them on the air on Christmas day. Never one to miss the chance to show the American people how their soldiers were doing I jumped at the chance and looked for opportunities to show the strange life of serving in a combat zone from home.

So, I got to work. We had asked our supporters at home for toys to give to kids in the region and they came through along with decorations for the soldiers so I tried to document our adventures.

Here are the results.

Christmas in Iraq

Stockings hung by the weapons with care.

Festive Blackhawk

Battalion Personnel officer Captain Jennifer Phelps working by Christmas light

Battalion Tactical Operations Center “Wreath”

Iraqi boy with a brand new soccer ball

New stuffed animals for the babies

Stuffies and coloring supplies

In the end we had a nice holiday even as the insurgency began to gain traction in the region. Our soldiers had been flying missions daily on top of regular patrols to visit local villages. Keeping 18 helicopters in the air while covering much of northern Iraq for flight missions was exhausting work.

Merry Christmas and Happiest of Holidays

It was good then to take a moment amidst it all to celebrate together and with our Iraqi friends. I hope you are doing the same today with your family and having a hopeful and joyful holidays this year. The year is ending on a very positive note for the nation and I feel like we are turning a corner in pushing back against those that would tear us apart. I hope you will continue to have hope and find joy in the moment.