Jim Spiri in Iraq

They encountered an IED. I know the road well where it
happened. I was not there when this event happened.
However, I have been there recently. I've thought
about this event a lot last night. Although I did not
know the ones that were lost, I'm saddened by the
loss. Everyone is. Once again, it's time to pray for
the families. It is a daily routine.

Today, due to mechanical breakdown of a vehicle that
was in our group, I was unable to continue on a
mission. There will be another time.

Football season started Thursday night, and I have
begun this years' season the same way I did last year.
Losing pizza to soldiers. I always pick the
underdog. I was hoping Peyton Manning would not do so
well against New Orleans. Oh well, maybe Brett Farve
will have a good season. It will be his last.

On the news wires I see Osama Bin Laden wants all of
us to convert. Keep dreaming Osama. Not interested.

So, in the meantime, I thought I would share a brief
encounter that transpired compliments of this blog.
There are days I receive many emails on my personal
email account, jimspiri@yahoo.com

Each day, I look forward to see who is inspired and for what reasons.
I had an email from a father whose son is here in
Mosul. He told me his son was in the Air Force.
There are not very many Air Force folks on Marez, but
a few were brought in for some technical work with
comms. The dad, Wade, had emailed me and determined
that I was very close to where his son was. I replied
and told him that perhaps I would see him in the chow
hall one day. It would not be very hard to pick out
an Air Force guy, their uniforms are different than
Army.

Sure enough, I was carrying my plate of food and saw
two Air Force guys. I checked the name tag out and
low and behold, the name, "Johnson" was on the shirt.
I asked him if he was Dale Johnson and if his father
was Wade Johnson. At this, Dale, was quite startled
and began to wonder, "who is this long haired old man
and why is he asking me these questions?".

After a few moments I told him how I came to know of
him and that I wanted to take a photo of him at his
workplace. He invited me over and after chow I picked
up my camera and went traipsing around the FOB looking
for his work site. I found him on top of a building
working on some satelite stuff. I climbed up the
ladder with camera in tow and there stood Dale Johnson
with a birds eye view of the city of Mosul. I took
his photo and we chatted for a while. It was a fun
experience.

The reason I've included this on today's entry is two
fold. One, I love to make a parent happy. It is one
of the reasons I came to do this. The other reason is
because of the Air Force. Now, it's no secret that
the Air Force has a way of doing things. It's well
known to all. There have been times in the past that
the "Air Force system" has really irked me. I've been
known to go head to head with them on many levels.
But in the end, I must admit in all honesty, that I
have found some really good folks even in the Air
Force. Dale Johnson happens to be one of the happiest
and good natured people I've met in a long time.

His father had told me via email that Dale was quite a
character. For sure, Father knows best in this case.
I've run into Dale Johnson a couple times since our
first meeting and each time there is an outstretched
hand waiting to greet me with a big smile and plenty
of conversation. In my assessment, Dale Johnson is a
good will ambassador for the Air Force. He has
rekindled my positive attitude for the "system" he
belongs to.

Maybe Airman Johnson is such a good guy because he's
surrounded by a battalion of Army soldiers. Maybe he
and the handful of Airmen that are with him are
outnumbered by soldiers. Perhaps this is why they are
so friendly. Or maybe he and his fellow airmen are
here in Mosul being one with the mission that all of
us have embarked upon. This, I'm sure is what it must
be. The Army saw fit to have a little assistance from
Airman Johnson and his crew. They have chosen the
right ones. It was a good thing to run into Dale
Johnson. He made my day. For that, I feel obliged to
make his father proud.

Even in the Air Force, there are great young men doing
their part. The "system" has a way of obscuring the
individual. This I understand. But I have a way of
finding the good in everyone I meet.

Dale Johnson is just a good guy with a contagious
positive attitude. He is in communications. He
communicates very well. He made my day.

Jim Spiri
FOB Marez
Mosul, Iraq
jimspiri@yahoo.com