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GEN
Peter Cosgrove signs WOFF Mark Townsend’s rubber chook,
watched by USAF COL William C. Hoffman and Task Group Commander
WGCDR Reece Polmear.
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Photo
by CMDR Jay Bannister
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CDF
General Peter Cosgrove is the first armed forces chief from any
of the coalition members to visit Iraq since the transfer of authority.
His four-day visit to Australian personnel deployed to Operation
Catalyst also included meeting the new commander of the Multinational
Force – Iraq, General George W. Casey, who took command on July
1.
During the visit CDF came face to beak with a rubber chook, a
memento of Warrant Officer Mark Townsend’s WOD Course.
The students on the WOD course were presented with pace stick
desk mounts but did not receive the pace sticks until after they
graduated. In the interim WOFF Townsend and other students purchased
rubber chickens, which they used as pace sticks until they received
the real thing.
CDF autographed the battle-hardened and bemedalled chook – a unit
mascot that has accompanied coalition aircrews on missions throughout
the MEAO – during a visit to the C-130 detachment.
He also visited the AP-3C and Air Traffic Control detachments.
“It has been a long road for the ATC detachment over the past
15 months,” GEN Cosgrove said.
“As the work for you is almost completed here, I want to encourage
you to keep up the good work to the end. “I am continually delighted
by the sense of purpose and cheerfulness of every Aussie I meet
in Iraq. There’s no disguising the danger and hardship they face.
I am very proud of our countrymen and women who are giving 110
per cent to help rehabilitate Iraq. “Among the violence there
are so many good things happening in Iraq. There is real progress
being made in the quality of life for the great majority of Iraqis.”
Can't
wait to see you
Healthy plans for Baghdad
Eventful end to exercise
