Farewell to Qatar

Friday 30 October
0830

Well, today is my last day here. Tonight I go to the airport, and at 0145 I’ll be wheels up on my way to my next duty assignment.

This has been a very interesting tour in many ways. It had challenges and frustrations like I’ve never experienced before, but I learned a lot both through dealing with those and also from the staff and civilian contractors I worked with.

For much of the time here I felt as though I was swimming upstream, and not always fast enough to overcome the current. I seem to have managed not to be swept out to sea, though, so that’s something. In retrospect I did manage to accomplish some things I’m proud of, although I didn’t get as much done as I’d hoped I could when I started. I suppose if you have any kind of ambition or desire to do a good job, it always feels at least somewhat that way, but in this case I really did feel as though I’d been held back or let myself down somehow.

Then I had my farewell events, when you get together and say goodbye and thanks to the people who helped you, and they say some things about you. These were kind of an eye-opener for me.

The first one was my official “Hail and Farewell” with all the officers and NCOs, held on post in the club. It was ok, but not really special. We try to make these a nice event, but so many people come and go, we have one every month, and many of them are eminently forgettable. When I got the floor, I took the opportunity to publicly and sincerely thank a few officers who had really gone out of their way to help me, and from whom I had benefitted and learned some things while here. So that was nice and I was glad to be able to do it.

Then earlier this week we got together for a few minutes at the end of the day in the office. The people in DPW had gotten a memento made for me, and wanted to give it to me before the movers came to get my things. I’m glad they did, as it would have been hard to carry and might have gotten damaged in the mail. It’s really nice – a framed plaque that includes a picture of our section (with some nice words on it about me), folded U.S. and Qatari flags, a pair of traditional Arabian knives (a la Lawrence of Arabia), a couple of US Army coins, and some desert-themed items to balance it out. It will definitely have a place on my wall:





What really struck me, though were the things people said about me. I won’t repeat it all here, but they were very complimentary, and said things about the effect I’d had on them that I would not have predicted. We all like to think well of ourselves, but if we’re honest about our limitations and our flaws, we know that we aren’t really all that special and that it’s the people around us that help us to be successful. But they really took me by surprise with some of the things they said, and it made me feel as though I’d had more of an impact than I was giving myself credit for. So that made me feel very good, and I appreciated it.


I had my outbrief with the commander, and had a chance to exchange views on my experiences here at CAS and how I thought things might be improved. I appreciated that opportunity. She is relatively new and just getting past that first few months of getting a feel for the command. So I hope that perhaps some of my observations might help to enable a few things down the road to go a little more smoothly. It’s in other people's hands now! In parting, she also gave me a commander’s coin:

CAS Commander's Coin - Obverse






CAS Commander's Coin - Reverse

My section wanted to take me out to dinner, and picked a nice place downtown where we went last night. I was very surprised when we walked in, because not only were the people from my section there, but so were many of the civilian contractors we work with on a daily basis. Socializing with our civilian contractors is not normally condoned due to possible perceptions of favoritism or improper relationships. But the OIC of the section had gotten special permission for this event, as a strictly voluntary, everything-at-your-own-expense farewell dinner for me. It was particularly appropriate to do so, because we actually only have a very few military people in our section, and depend entirely for our efficacy on the work of our civilian contractor counterparts. Without them we simply could not do our jobs. So it was very nice to have them all there.

It was a very enjoyable dinner – good food, a nice atmosphere, and very good fellowship among everyone there. I had a very interesting conversation with the civilian across from me, as well as with his wife. He is ex-military (A Vietnam veteran of the Americal Division) and I heard first-hand stories about rocket attacks on Da Nang and the massive Air Assault helicopter lifts out of Phu Bai. He and his wife have also had extensive time stationed where I am headed, so we had some interesting conversations about that area as well.

I have to say that I felt very honored by who all came – there were about 15-20 people, and amongst them were several of the on-site managers of the company we work with – all the people I work with on a daily basis and their top management. I didn’t expect that, nor did I expect the warm and sincere compliments they paid me after dinner. I am not often rendered speechless, but I came close this time. I did manage to say a few things and express my appreciation. I hope they understood how sincerely I meant it. We’ve been through a lot together, and I could never have gotten anything accomplished without them. They gave me a nice framed certificate as a memento as well, which will also have a place on my wall.

I really wish we could do things like that more often. The barriers that are set up between contractors and government employees are well-intentioned, and there are certainly very good reasons for delimiting and circumscribing the relationships in some ways. But I think that in our zeal to avoid the appearance of impropriety, we go a bit overboard (or perhaps a better metaphor would be throwing the baby out with the bathwater).

At least on a rear-area logistics base like ours, we are absolutely and completely dependent upon civilian contractors to do our jobs. As in any organization, you have to have good working relationships in order to function effectively. And since we’re all human, an important part of those relationships is the human side. You simply can’t separate them, no matter how hard you try. I have felt fortunate in that the civilian contract managers I’ve worked with have been very professional and capable, and we’ve been able to develop understandings that have helped us to overcome some pretty significant obstacles in our work. But I wonder how much better that might all have gone, had we been able to let our hair down once in awhile and simply go out and get to know each other as individuals. I hope that perhaps our dinner last night will have that salutary effect, and that after I’m gone, the current crew will gain some lasting benefit from the interchanges and fellowship we experienced.

So I’m left with quite a contrasting set of memories of Qatar – this was one of the most challenging, frustrating, and stressful assignments I’ve ever had in the Army, but I will remember my farewell send-off as one of the high points of my career. I sincerely thank everyone and wish you all the best. Patton’s Own!

Mood: Happy
Music: Bobby Horton – “Good-Bye Old Glory” (Songs of the Union Army):

Four weary years of toil and blood,
With loyal hearts and true,
By field and fortress plain and flood,
We've fought the rebel crew,
But Victory is ours at last,
The mighty work is through,
Sound drums and bugles loud and fast,
This is our last tattoo.

Chorus:
Farewell farewell to march and fight,
Hard tack a fond adieu.
Good bye "Old Glory" for tonight,
We doff the army blue.

O comrades that may ne'er return,
Who sleep beneath the dew,
Where Vickburg's gleaming signal's burn or
Lookout's crest of blue.
Where-e'er your blood has sealed the faith,
We brought in triumph through,
Goodnight to glory and to death,
And that's good morn to you.

Chorus:
Farewell farewell to march and fight,
Hard tack a fond adieu.
Good bye "Old Glory" for tonight,
We doff the army blue.

Goodbye to muster and parade,
Goodbye the grand review,
The dusty line, the dashing aid,
Goodbye our general too.
Goodbye to war, but halt! I say,
John Bull a word with you,
Pay up old scores or we again
May don the army blue.

Chorus:
Farewell farewell to march and fight,
Hard tack a fond adieu.
Good bye "Old Glory" for tonight,
We doff the army blue.