The American mission in Baghdad is in a constant state of transition; people are always rotating in and out; military units change over with regularity. Some of the members of our team from 1st CAV are now going home after 15 months in country. It is customary to send off our comrades with a farewell dinner and gifts. I wrote up the following tribute for one of these soldiers, a key member of our team. I'm often asked to write letters of recommendation for people who I've served with on the team - for Adam I decided to do one better.
Dear America-
I know I don’t write too often, and maybe we've been out of touch lately but I thought I would just drop you a line and let you know what's going on over here in Baghdad. Baghdad is a tough place, and this is a tough mission, and there are definitely days when I doubt myself; what I'm doing here; and frankly whether we can accomplish what our country has asked us to do over here in Iraq. Let's be honest - a lot of people doubt whether America's current generation of people is up to its current generation of challenges.
But let me tell you what, America, there's this guy named Captain Adam Richmond I work with here that makes me proud to be an American, and optimistic about our society. I can think of few other people that I have worked with, in any job I've ever had, who better embodies the attributes of what most Americans - and America itself - aspires in their best moments to be: hardworking, competent, kind, generous, dedicated, idealistic, tactful, loyal; he has a professional attitude towards his work, a moral certainty in his character and a genuine humanity in his spirit that is evident to all who work with him or know him as a friend. He possesses an ambition that is the fuel for his endeavors, not the garland of his ego. He is the real deal. He's a Great American.
That's a phrase I picked up over the years to describe a certain type of person that I've had the good fortune to work with. I don't use it lightly. There are lots of Americans, but in my book, it takes somebody special to be a "Great American."
I have some other phrases that I use to describe people I respect and enjoy working with. Adam fits for most of them. One of the phrases is, "I'd let that guy date my sister." That one doesn't fit for Adam so well. But let me tell you about some others.
I first encountered Adam, then Lieutenant Richmond, when he was working out of the MND-B office in the North Wing. He seemed like a sharp guy, so I approached him about trying to figure out a way to summarize and disseminate key notes from all the reports that the BCTs and CA units were sending up on a daily basis; something that would greatly help out the Governance section in tracking what was going on at the local level in Baghdad. Adam eagerly volunteered to start going through them and provide summaries; he even went beyond what I had asked by re-typing some of the reports into an easier-to-read format. I was impressed with his intelligence and his initiative. I will admit now that I went straight to LTC Ruch and tried to steal Adam for the Governance section. That didn't work out so well for me, but there is no doubt that his later increased involvement with the PRT through the Infrastructure section brought tangible and vital benefits to the work of the entire PRT team. For me personally, I developed a professional relationship and a friendship with the kind of person that is invaluable to know in any situation, but definitely more so in a place with as much ambiguity and incredible complexity as the Baghdad in which we find ourselves. Adam is a "Go-to guy." When you ask him a question or pose a challenge to him, he doesn’t ask what's in it for him; he doesn't say that it's not really his lane; he never says anything is impossible - without at least doing some quadratic equations or advanced calculus first. He will do whatever it takes to answer the question or solve the problem. His phone is always on. That's the way he is - he's a "Go-to guy" - and I know that there are guys all over Baghdad in BCTs, ePRTs, ITAO and lots of other places that know that as well, and I believe I can speak for all of them as well when I just say, "Thanks for being there, man."
There are few people in Baghdad who understand as much about the kerosene delivery process as Adam. And I really think that includes most native-born Iraqi residents of this city. To have the persistence and diligence and patience to unravel that mystery almost from scratch, and then the mental bandwidth and hard drive capacity to understand it and communicate it effectively to others, is the mark of an exceptional human being. Everyone involved with Project Clean Delivery owes Adam a huge debt of thanks; any success that comes from this endeavor - an endeavor to help the Iraqis cope with one of the most vexing problems facing their society - will be directly attributable to Adam's work. And if this endeavor does see success, Adam has not only served the interests of his nation - but also of the Iraqi people as well.
I spent some time in an active duty combat unit, training for a war that didn't come. At least not until after I had been out and had gotten used to civilian life and a little inconvenience called the inactive ready reserve list. But so far, I believe that the most valuable lessons I have ever learned, and the most useful skills I ever developed, were those I picked up as a company grade officer in the army. Right there, as a junior officer working directly with some really squared away sergeants you feel like you are right smack dab in the middle of the whole US Army - and if your country needs its warriors to go overseas and engage the enemy - everybody is going to depend on you to make those quick decisions on the ground that is going to save your soldiers' lives, and make any mission that comes down from higher a success. During my years training at Fort Hood and going to NTC, with some outstanding soldiers and sergeants and fellow officers, I understood a new level of respect I could have for another person. A respect that is professional, personal, unquestionable and infinite. In my book, the best thing I can say about somebody else is: "I'd go to war with that guy."
I mean this in all sincerity; knowing somebody like Adam makes me proud to be an American, makes me believe that our nation has the talent to face any crisis, and that our best days are still in the future. Dear America, those of you who don't know Adam Richmond, don't worry; he's young - you still have time. Those of you who do know him can count yourselves as lucky. I'd go to war with that guy. As a matter of fact, I did.
Sincerely,
Dan Bisbee
Baghdad PRT
Baghdad, Iraq
