 The power of our weapons can win the military battle in Kosovo, but the peace can only be won by the human heart. Obviously, as a combat brigade, once the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were happening, we really thought we were going to go there. We ended up getting the Kosovo mission. But I think what we dealt with here and the processes that we had to go through to, especially with the rioting and adapting the mission on the fly, there's no question that what we went through here in 2004 better prepared us as individuals and teams and units for other missions that we assumed in Afghanistan and Iraq in the future. I've been in since 1983. I was here in 2004 with K-45B. My role as the operations sergeant for the RC East. I've been to Kuwait in 2001, Afghanistan in 2010, Kosovo and then Afghanistan and back here. So it's time to retire. That's been a good experience. I'm glad I got in. When I first got in in the 80s, we were always thinking, we're training for what? Right? I mean, you're not going to ever go to war or go to do anything. So it's kind of like playing football than ever playing the game, is the way I analyze it. And then so when you did have to play the game, it was a good experience, great organization, a lot of camaraderie. And I think the brigade does a good job during division warfires and JRTC, you know, setting the conditions. Like so when you come to a training event like this, you're going to be expected to work hard and understand what's going on at a fast pace. So the other two deployments I have were as a working about us current operations in Iraq for the long 133 deployment. And just the preparation I got on this deployment helped me get in the mindset for that long deployment in Iraq. We are very proficient in what we do. We have great camaraderie and teamwork. And we understand our mission. I was glad to start my deployment experience this year in Coastville and learn the ropes and then take it on to Iraq and Afghanistan. And glad that I wear the red ball on both sleeves. Saying you're from Iowa, saying you're from the 34th ID, Iowa National Guard is guaranteed the elicited very positive response from people around here. I will tell you, I have seen it in the Ministry of Defense. It's got the Coastville flag, the U.S. flag, the Iowa flag that a bunch of other government flags. And it just infuriates other governments because it's not where the Iowa flag belongs. But they like, they like Iowans that much. How is Coastville different from 2004 and 2021 and Afghanistan in 2010? You know, the big thing is that we don't have an enemy at the gates. Coastville is a place where if you're trying to figure out who our competitor are, or if you're trying to figure out who the enemy is, there really isn't one here. In 2010, there were bad people doing bad things. And that's just really not what's happening in Coastville. You know, for me personally, I was the squadron intelligence officer for the cab in Afghanistan in 2010 and very much dealing with how do we foster an environment where things get better. That was a much more complex process than it was in either time I was in Coastville. Coming to Coastville, Coastville is not a, it's not a kinetic operation. It's not guns drawn. It's not field artillery. It's not close air support. It is much more about reaching across the aisle, making friends, building relationships, which I think the National Guard has uniquely developed to do. The National Guard is pretty unique when it comes to being able to adapt to different missions, whether that's peacekeeping or combat. We have such an array of capabilities within our formation of things other than the Army that we tend to lean on pretty heavily when it comes especially to peacekeeping missions. You know, we have teachers, we have farmers, we have lawyers, we have, you know, you think of any occupation in the civilian world that you could have, and we have that in our brigade. And it provides us a really unique opportunity to leverage those experiences against a peacekeeping mission, most specifically where you're trying to help build a society and help them learn and grow, where we can have teachers talk to teachers and farmers talk into farmers. So I think the National Guard and specifically our brigade is pretty, you know, we can be highly successful in a peacekeeping mission because of that kind of maturity and diversity of our formation. Part of the mission here is simply deterrent, to be a deterrent presence. However, it's not enough to just sit back and allow yourself to be a deterrent. It's much more rewarding and it's much more useful. You accomplish the mission more fully and successfully by doing the most you possibly can to improve the environment, to form relationships with the local population, to form relationships with the Serbian Armed Forces as we conduct patrols with them, just to do the most that you possibly can to get the most out of the mission. I've done a CONUS deployment providing security. I've done two K-4 deployments and I've done a combat deployment. I've done those things as a commander and also twice as a staff officer. And so what motivates me most is the ultimate dichotomy of mission first and people always. I love the training, the preparation and the execution of operations. Just the operations process is very enjoyable to me, but at the same time, probably the biggest motivator to me is the relationships that I've formed. And I would say that the best friends that I have in the whole world are all in the United States Army and most of them in the Iowa Army National Guard. And I would say that it's really an honor and a privilege to be a member of what I consider the best brigade combat team in the Army National Guard. It really is rewarding, I would say, to be a part of this brigade because of the history and culture of excellence and of serving alongside my brothers and sisters in this uniform, doing the things we do. That is primarily what motivates me to keep going and keep serving.