Training (and Sweating) to standard

So the temperature in Bangladesh this time of year is hot. The average in the Farenheit grade has been between the high 80s and the high 90s with an average of 98 degrees, with a humidity of about 70%. Thus, being the sweat machine that deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Katrina have proven me to be, I have shed about eight pounds since our arrival...now to keep it off.

The exercise has enabled us to work with combat leaders from across the Asian subcontinent and it has been a great opportunity to get to know the cultures, values and training standards of these diverse peoples.

It has also given us, as members of the Oregon National Guard, both Army and Air components, to get to know each other better, reminding us of the incredible value we bring to the expeditionary military environment we are currently so actively involved within. The

Each of us is preparing to redeploy within less than a week with a strong relationships that reinforce not only the regional stability and commitment that each nation offers to the world, but with the knowledge, that, when you work and sweat together, we are not all that different from each other.



Soldiers are in the business of the implementation of national security objectives, but as General MacArthur observed long ago, it is the Soldier who prays most heartily for peace because it is he or she that must endure the scars of war for a lifetime. It is an honor to be involved with a mission that highlights that message on a daily basis.



-out here