Doreen and I really love our retired RV life six months out of the year, traveling around our great United States and seeing all there is to see. There are awesome things, historic sites and surprises around every corner! Most importantly we enjoy meeting new friends and reconnecting with old friends, relatives and our huge military family from coast to coast.
Today we reconnected with a great friend and military comrade that I served with during the Iraq war in 2006-2007, Command Sergeant Major (ret) Frank Leota. Frank and I both served at Forward Operating Base Warrior located at Kirkuk Iraq, in the Kurdish area. He was the senior enlisted leader of the Army 3d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division there while I was the senior enlisted leader of the Air Force 506th Air Expeditionary Group there. All together we were responsible for nearly 5000 Air and Army enlisted Soldiers and Airmen. He and I worked closely to bring the Army and Air units together and work as an integrated team to accomplish the mission.
The Iraq war had a huge impact on all of us. I even had a granddaughter Hailee Schellhase born while I was there! Frank eventually retired from the Army and settled here just north of the San Antonio area and we got together for dinner last year when Doreen and I were down this way. Today we met for dinner at the Smoke Shack, a local barbecue restaurant and it was great catching up on what each of us has been up to.
Tomorrow we will met Frank not far from his house at Rebecca Creek Distillery to take a tour and do a tasting! Frank introduced us to Rebecca Creek whiskey last year when we were here, and it seemed most appropriate to visit the distillery and see where it all starts! We might even have to migrate a bit north with us!!
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