Reunion

Last night, Friday, we had our first drill with pretty much everyone in attendance. Two things stood out. On a drill before mobilization, we'd show up, mill around, say hello to other soldiers, have formation, then split for our various destinations and duties. Last night was not so different, except the feel of reunion in the air. People were shaking hands and hugging. Many soldiers lingered after formation to chat and catch up. There is clearly a bond among these soldiers that was not there before we mobilized.

I also couldn't help but notice the uniforms. I counted six different uniforms. Some wore green BDUs with beret, some with black boots, others with tan boots. Some wore tan DCUs with beret, or with the field cap. Some wore the new grey uniform. One soldier wore his PT uniform, I guess because he haad to take a PT test. It was a motley crew, and reminded me of the Iraqi Army, which also seemed to wear whatever they wanted.

The reason for our variation is that the new gray uniform is being phased in, while the green one is going out. However, the new ones haven't been issued yet, so any gray ones were self-purchased. Many soldiers have their uniforms still in shipment back from Kuwait, so the tan DCU is the only one they have. Some of our soldiers did not deploy, so only have the green uniform.

This variety in a sense reflects the turmoil the brigade is going through as it adjusts and reorganizes.