Lt. Col John Loughlin (left) and Colonel Scott Alpeter serve potatoes to the troops on Thanksgiving Day in Baghdad.
BAGHDAD — As the United States military presence in Iraq winds down, one of those still there is former State Rep. John J. Loughlin II of Tiverton— they call him Lt. Colonel Loughlin there.
Last Tuesday, Nov. 22, Lt. Col. Loughlin was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal, the third-highest award bestowed upon members of the United States military by the United States Department of Defense.
A couple of days later — Thanksgiving Day — found Lt. Col. Loughlin serving up mashed potatoes to the troops.
“One cool tradition here is that the senior officers serve the Thanksgiving meal to the junior officers and enlisted folks, so I have been assigned mashed potatoes,” he said by e-mail.
The Meritorious Service Medal is presented to members of the armed forces who, while serving in a joint activity, distinguish themselves by outstanding achievement or meritorious service.
Lt. Col. Loughlin, while serving as a logistics advisor for the Army Aviation Advisory team, was recognized for several projects meant to help professionalize and modernize the Iraqi helicopter service. His current period of service is May to December, 2011.
As troops leave, things are changing rapidly there, he said.
“When I arrived in Iraq there were more than 50,000 troops here. Now we're under 20,000 and dropping every day,” Lt. Col. Loughlin said. “At least I don’t have to wait very long at the barbershop.
He added, “I think there is a tremendous feeling of accomplishment as we see the Iraqi forces we work with really maturing into a force that can defend Iraq going forward.”
“Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from Baghdad!”
Comments
jethro 5 months, 2 weeks ago
Proud to serve. See you soon, put your political hat on.
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