The past two months have been extremely busy for Team Beef and our Iraqi Army counterparts.

The team has been cycling our soldiers home for several weeks of well-deserved leave. I was able to come home for a few weeks and spend some great time with friends and family in La Crosse as well.

It is amazing how green everything is there. You really notice the colors after living here, in a world dominated by tan and brown.

We've also been equipped with the newest Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. These behemoths take a little getting used to, and we've been conducting training in preparation for taking them on patrols. To further complicate our lives, our battalion recently received an order to move to a new area north of our base camp.

The battalion received the order and immediately began to transition its current area with a newly created Iraqi battalion.

Admittedly, their relief in place procedures are nowhere near as detailed as ours. Most of the new units received a quick orientation but few introductions or in depth transition.

Our battalion moved back to Camp Taji for day or two of focused maintenance and preparation. The leadership began a series of reconnaissance patrols to learn their new town, the major routes, and all of the fixed sites.

As my team was at another FOB, training on the new MRAPs, we were not able to go with them but I was able to discuss the plans with my counterpart.

The new area is one of the few remaining hotspots in our brigade's area. Nearly entirely Sunni, we would not have to worry about the Shia militias that consumed so much of our time in Sab al Bour.

The new enemy would be primarily al Qaida, its various splinter groups, and other Sunni insurgent organizations. The enemy activity in this area is slowly increasing as government offensives in the Mosul and Diyala provinces are forcing the insurgents to flee and seek of refuge.

The battalion is still missing the company that deployed to Basra in March. That company has moved twice and is currently involved in the operation in Diyala.

The two remaining companies did a complete maintenance inspection on their vehicles and equipment. While some of the vehicles had to be evacuated for repairs, the first company was ready in one day.

Team Beef had returned and joined the battalion in its movement to the new area. When we arrived at the motor pool in the morning, the tanks and support trucks were already lined up and the Iraqi officers on the ground checking their soldiers and ensuring they were ready. The trucks and trailers were loaded, and honestly, looked more like gypsy wagons with air coolers, mattresses and other bags hanging out of them. But at least they were loaded.

When the battalion commander arrived, the company moved out of the motor pool, lined up on an adjacent road and began to roll out the gate with the battalion commander in the lead.

It was quite a sight, as the armored column wound through the narrow serpentine roads along the Tigris River.

The local Sahwat volunteers and townspeople came out to gawk as the column trekked along. At each checkpoint, the battalion commander detached part of the force and spoke with the IA unit that was staged and waiting to leave.

This process continued along the route, with the battalion commander taking notes on the living conditions and introducing himself to the local security volunteers.

This continued the next day but instead of winding up a circuitous route covered in palm trees, we drove down straight agricultural roads surrounded by open fields and canals.

At the end of the day we met with the local U.S. unit and leadership. The Iraqi company commander established a command post with the Americans, Iraqi Police and Sons of Iraq volunteers.

This joint command post is a key element of sharing intelligence and ensuring operations between the forces are coordinated. The battalion commander pledged further cooperation and, once his forces are established on the various checkpoints, would begin to conduct operations to learn the city.

Col. Ali determined the battalion's priorities. Most important was providing for the soldiers well being.

The checkpoints were a collection of shanties and tents surrounded by earthen barriers.

While some had power, none had refrigerators or air coolers. Over the next few weeks he procured sufficient freezers, use of construction equipment, air coolers and relocated some living trailers for his men.

While none of these efforts went as smoothly as they could have, the soldier's quality of life improved significantly. He stressed that his soldiers had to be disciplined, and set a new standard in their AO.

The soldiers were understandably concerned about not knowing the people, and of course, believed the worse rumors about the enemy in the area.

Once the life support effort was underway, Col. Ali began to meet the local sheiks and government leaders. The insurgents opened the first volley in the information war, spreading a rumor that the Shia dominated "Muthana Brigade" had moved into the area.

Of course, this rumor was accompanied by myths of sectarian abuse to cause the populace to fear the army and gain support for the insurgents.

Col. Ali identified this and immediately moved to counter it. He ensured that the local leaders new him, most remembered him from a previous tour to the area. He identified himself by his tribal name, a known Sunni tribe with a tradition of military service.

He sought out the local newspaper and conducted an interview stressing his unit, their service in other areas, and their desire to work with the local tribal and government leaders.

Finally, he had signs constructed and placed at each position identifying his men and urging cooperation to defeat the enemy. "Together we can secure our families" was the theme and each sign had cell phone numbers for tip lines so the people could call and report enemy activity.

While there were some issues integrating with the local police and Sahwat, these were resolved quickly and amicably.

Most of these issues resulted from soldiers attempting to search vehicles or being too stern with the locals. Each of these instances resulted in the battalion commander reassuring the locals that the soldiers were doing their best and these things may happen.

Operationally, the battalion stressed active patrolling along the routes and dismounted security patrols around the fixed sites so the soldiers could learn the area and begin to establish themselves as part of a community.

Their efforts have paid off as they have already detained several suspected insurgents.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this entire process was the level of independence displayed by the battalion.

They have progressed to the point that very little input from the adviser team is required. We are still with them, but often only have to offer small hints in passing. The unit is experienced and able to conduct operations on its own.

The area is still dangerous as the enemy is testing the new unit. There have been some IED strikes aimed against U.S. forces and local security volunteers.

My team is focused on assisting the Iraqis when needed and integrating them with our partnership American unit.

Simultaneously we are beginning to look at our redeployment and transitioning our battalion to a new team. The new team has arrived in Kuwait and will complete its training in a couple of short weeks.

The pace continues to quicken but the end for us is in sight. The year has indeed flown by.

Moore, of Sun Prairie, is leading a military transition team in Iraq.