Byesville Rotary hears firsthand account of US military withdrawal from Iraq

Pictured: Oziel Jeffries, Byesville Rotary President; Col. Phillip Harding, guest speaker; and Dennis Harding, Speaker Host.

Reading for next meeting: August  Rotarian, New Traditions, p. 13.

BBQ Saturday. If you are not working, stop buy and and get a chicken. sales will start around 9:30am.

Col. Phillip Harding, currently serving in the US Air Force, spoke to the Byesville Rotary about his deployment in Iraq. He has 30 years of experience in the Air force and explained that he volunteered for deployment overseas.

He was assigned to a post in Baghdad, Iraq, and spent a year in Iraq during the final days of the US military withdrawal. He was assigned to the Office of Security Operation for Iraq. This office worked out of the US Embassy in Iraq. As a result, the colonel had two bosses-- the US Ambassador and the military.

His job assignment was to facilitate US military withdrawal from Iraq and turn responsibility for former US operations over to the Iraqi government. Col. Harding explained that training for his mission included 3 weeks of Security Assistance Management out of Wright-Patterson plus an additional 10 days at Fort Dix, New Jersey. He described the training as “multi-service” which meant that different military services participated in the training. He stated that being trained from the perspective of the Army was a new experience for him.

He was hit with cultural and climate shock on his arrival in Iraq. He stepped off his transport into 100 degree plus temperatures. His assigned quarters were a converted shipping container called a CHU (Container Housing Unit). He stated that he adjusted quickly to the changes in his life.

During this transition phase there were no military operations. He was one of only 153 US military personal that remained in Iraq. He reported that by mid September, 2011, all US bases in country were been turned over to Iraq and the Baghdad base had been packed up. By mid December 27/28, 2011, the last US personnel were gone.

His final impression is that the average Iraqi is tired of war and wants peace after being at war for over 30 years. The Iraqi government now needs to insure peace for its citizens by dealing with internal terrorism.

Randy Launder, co-chair of the chicken BBQ, reported that all is ready for the chicken BBQ to be held on Saturday, August 25, at Rotary Gazebo in Byesville. The Fellowship of Christian Athletes will be helping the club on Saturday. Sales will start around 9:30am.

The club meets 7:30 am every Tuesday at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Evelyn  Spring, 740-439-4343.