1-244 Troops Visit US Ambassador

During a “meet and greet” with the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, the crew members of B Company, 1-244th Combat Aviation Battalion, were congratulated for their hard work and dedication to mission accomplishment.  These aviation crew members are assigned to support the U.S. Ambassador’s helicopter air transportation requirements in support of diplomacy, security, and international relations for Ambassador Crocker and U.S. government officials.  The crew members were invited to meet with the Ambassador to be given recognition and praise for their actions while serving on this mission set.

Throughout the visit, the Soldiers were awed and amazed at the new facilities the U.S. Embassy had just recently moved into.  It is a sprawling facility with every amenity available to government officials, security teams, and embassy staff, to include a dining facility, indoor pool, and shopping center.  Although restricted from taking pictures, the grounds provide a sense of strolling through a college campus with dorm/education-like buildings.  Some crew members even lingered around the alcohol aisle at the BX/PX, reminiscing of home and feeling nostalgic since alcohol is strictly prohibited across the CENCOM area of operations for coalition forces and unavailable in any other shopping facility in the Baghdad area.

When the time came to meet the Ambassador, the crew members lined up to shake his hand and received and coin for excellence.

To the Ambassador’s surprise, CW4 Rick Rowzee had something else in mind.  As he approached Ambassador Crocker and received his coin, he gave a coin in return to the Ambassador.  Several weeks prior, CW4 Rowzee had special ordered several “Wooden Buffalo Nickles” which consisted of a round wood with a buffalo on one side and the state of Louisiana on the other, to emblemize the home state of the 1/244th AHB.  The Ambassador laughing at the unexpected saying it was something that’s never happened to him before.

After the visit, the crew members were given the opportunity to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Cross Sabers in Baghdad.  It was a day to remember not only for the congratulations for a difficult job well done, but a short vacation from daily tasks. As the crew members continue to support the Ambassador, they will not only be thankful for having the opportunity to meet Ambassador Crocker, but also be given a tour of the facilities and the monuments in the Green Zone.

5 Feb., 2009
CW2 Christina Maple
UH-60 Pilot
B Co.  1244 AHB