Mediaboss Marketing

Prince Dudley | Staff Photographer

Tron Bosse, a junior policy studies and history dual major, decided college wasn't the best step for him after high school. Instead he joined the United States military.

When Tron Bosse walked off the helicopter, he immediately heard the sound of gunfire. It was 2005 and he was on his first tour of Iraq.

Bosse is now a junior policy studies and history dual major at Syracuse University. A smile washed over his face as he admitted he is considering adding a third major.

The military prepared him for college, he said. After finishing up high school, he wanted to leave home as fast as possible, but college wasnt right for him at the time. So, a 17-year-old Bosse set his sights on the military. He wanted to see the world.

Transitioning back to civilian life has brought some big changes, Bosse said. He is conscious of the fact that when in Iraq, he always had a weapon on him.

Your first day back, you wake up and automatically check, wheres my M-16, but then you realize youre back in the States, Bosse said.

Bosse always knew he wanted to go to college, and now that he is back in the United States, he can be found poring over his books before classes. He wants to go to law school after graduating hopefully at SU, he said, grinning and crossing his fingers.

When SU students learn that Bosse is older than the typical college student, they dont treat him any differently. When they learn he is a military man however, the questions start. Some of his stories surprise them, he said, describing how a Humvee he was riding in Iraq was once hit.

SU has always been welcoming to him, Bosse said. When he was younger, he had always looked to SU as a possibility. He admired John Wallace, the basketball player, and wanted to follow in his footsteps. It wasnt until he had completed two tours of Iraq and a tour of Africa that he decided to move up north.

Although he was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and raised in Texas, Bosse came prepared for the weather, having experienced extreme weather conditions before.

One time in Iraq we left where it was 110 degrees and we landed in Maine where there was two feet of snow outside, Bosse chuckled. You just have to be ready to deal with whatever the weather throws at you.

Every day, Bosse tries to absorb as much information as possible. The military taught Bosse that discipline is the instant willingness to follow order. But he defines it differently.

Discipline is really the ability to choose between what you want now, and what you want the most, Bosse said. To me, thats discipline.

Published on March 26, 2017 at 9:41 pm

Contact Rachel: rcgilber@syr.edu

Read the original:
Tours in Iraq prepared Tron Bosse for college - The Daily Orange

Baqouba, Iraq, 25 March 2017 The United Nations took its Iraq: Youth and Coexistence Forum to Diyala Governorate, hoping to enrich the discussions aimed at gauging the opinions of the young generation on reconciliation with experiences from an area that symbolizes diversity but one which has paid a heavy price from conflict and violence.

It is the fourth of a series of cross-country youth forums intended to give a voice to youth for their crucial role in charting the road to peaceful coexistence in a future Iraq. With these kind of fora, the young generation of Iraqis across different ethnic and sectarian backgrounds has the opportunity to deliberate post-conflict issues, engage on national reconciliation and voice their opinion.

A total of 68 youth in the age group of 18-35 from Diyala Governorate participated in the Iraq: Youth and Coexistence forum, which the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) organized in collaboration with the Iraqi Al-Amal Association.

The opening session was attended by Mr. Khidr Muslim Hafez, secretarygeneral of the Diyala Governorate Council representing the governor, some members of the Diyala Governorate Council, Mr. Jaafar al-Zarkoush, director-general the Education Directorate in Diyala, Ms. Hana Edwar, head of the Al-Amal Association, and Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG) for Iraq for Political and Electoral Affairs, Mr. Gyrgy Busztin.

Mr. Busztin noted in his address that the Diyala Governorates mix of various ethnic, sectarian and religious groups and the conflict it endured makes this stop all too important. He recalled that the UN has lost a staff member as a result of the violence in Diyala.

This governorate has suffered immensely and has offered great and painful sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. Diyala knew how to vanquish terrorism, rivalry and hate. The role of the young in peaceful coexistence and national reconciliation gives this stop in the series of forums great importance because of the diversity of this governorate and its suffering as a result of terrorism and rivalry, as well as triumphing over it, Mr. Busztin said.

The Diyala forum is the fourth of the cross-country forums. The first was launched in Basra on 28 January 2017 and brought together about 120 participants from the four southern governorates of Basra, Missan, Dhi Qar and Muthanna. The second followed in Erbil on 19 February with 135 participants from Ninewa Governorate. The third was held in Najaf on 18 March, with 115 participants from the Najaf, Karbala, Babel and Qadissiyah Governorates taking part. Other conferences are to follow in the Governorates of Suleimaniyah, Baghdad, Kirkuk and Salaheddin, culminating in an overarching national conference in Baghdad in May to be attended by representatives of the youth to incorporate recommendations from these forums in the decisions that support the process of reconciliation and coexistence.

As with the format for all the conferences, the participants in the Diyala forum broke up into working groups to deliberate and respond to questions about what they would like to see in a future Iraq and how they can contribute. At the end of the meeting, the participants debated their responses and adopted a set of recommendations.

Read the original here:
Iraq: Youth and Coexistence Forum Diyala Stop Underscores Iraqi Diversity's Role in Building Future [EN/AR] - Reliefweb

On Monday, President Donald J. Trump welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to the Oval Office to reaffirm Americas support for Iraq and the Iraqi people in our shared fight against the terrorist group ISIS/Daesh.

President Donald Trump greets Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Monday, March 20, 2017. (Official White House Photo by Ben Applebaum)

President Trump was particularly honored that Prime Minister al-Abadi was one of the first foreign leaders he has hosted at the White House, a testament to the close bonds between the American and Iraqi people and the importance of the relationship between our governments.

President Donald Trump meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the Oval Office, Monday, March, 20, 2017. (Official White House photo by Benjamin Applebaum)

The President held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister al-Abadi of Iraq in the Cabinet room of the White House where he commended the Prime Minister on the work being done in Iraq. I want to thank you very much for being here, great respect for you. I know you're working very hard, and General Mattis and General McMaster and Rex Tillerson have all been telling me that you're doing a job -- its not an easy job, its a very tough job.

President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence pose for photos with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi and the Iraqi delegation in the Oval Office, Monday, March, 20, 2017. (Official White House photo by Benjamin Applebaum)

Here is the original post:
President Trump's Meeting With the Prime Minister of Iraq Haider al ... - The White House (blog)

Foreign Policy (blog)

Tillerson's Push for Safe Zones in Iraq and Syria Faces Questions, Obstacles Foreign Policy (blog) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced a plan to establish safe zones in war-torn countries to allow refugees to return home, setting the stage for a dramatic shift in refugee policy and a greater U.S. and Western military footprint in Iraq and ... Pentagon: After defeat of ISIS in Iraq, our troops will remain to protect our 'interests'AMN Al-Masdar News (registration) US troops to stay in Iraq after fight against ISIS ends Defense Dept. officialsRT Mattis: Expect US troops in Iraq even after ISIS fallsMilitary Times Center for Research on Globalization -Newsweek -Breitbart News all 363 news articles »

View post:
Tillerson's Push for Safe Zones in Iraq and Syria Faces Questions, Obstacles - Foreign Policy (blog)

Dan Zimmerman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served in the first Gulf War and Iraq, is the new state secretary of veterans affairs.(Photo: Meg Jones/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

MADISON- The new secretary of veterans affairs takes over a department facingcontroversy over care at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King and contentious relations with county veterans service officers.

Dan Zimmerman, a retired Army lieutenant colonel, 51, is being praised for his transparency, improving communications with veterans organizations and county veterans service officers and for moving swiftly to reassign the commandant of the King home. Thedepartment has a $143 million budget and 1,300 employees, most of whom work at the state's three veterans homes in Chippewa Falls, King and Union Grove.

Under Zimmerman's predecessor John Scocos, who left in January, the Legislature launched an audit of the King home because of concerns over the quality of care and spending. Last year county veterans service officers and county administrators sharply criticized efforts to change the way block grants are doled out by the state Department of Veterans Affairs.

He said the biggest challenge is ensuring veterans living in Wisconsin take advantage of the benefits and programs available to them.

"One of the things with veterans is they tend not to self-identify. We know we have over 400,000 in the state, but we don't know where they're all at and they don't always come in" to seek services and benefits, Zimmerman said in an interview last weekin Madison.

Rick Patton, Fond du Lac County's veterans service officer, is encouraged by the change in leadership.

"There was a lot of friction with the last secretary and our state association. I am looking forward to a new slate," said Patton, an Army veteran. "I've already seen some of the ice melt in Madison, which is a good sign."

On Zimmerman's first day he visited the home at King and drove to Oshkosh to meet withJoe Aulik, president of the state veterans service officer association.

"We felt like we weren't looked at like stakeholders in the delivery of benefits. We didn't have good communication and collaboration with the previous administration. Dan wants to open that up," said Aulik.

Zimmerman faces an evolving cohort of veterans that includesrapidly dwindling World War II and Korean War populations as the ranks of post-9/11 veterans swell. Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are coping with traumatic brain injuries, amputated limbs and spinal injuries, PTSDand other health issuesas well as difficulties reintegrating into society, homelessness, suicide and addictions to drugs and alcohol. And they'll be in the veterans care system for many decades.

Programs for homeless veterans are located at each of the homes, but Zimmerman said an effort is underway to boost the number of beds for homeless female veterans at King. He has launched a strategic plan to identify the future needs of veterans.

Zimmerman joined the Army shortly after graduating from New Berlin West High School in 1983, choosingcombat engineers because of the short two-year enlistment. After his Army stint, he went to the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse andearned a geography degree. He joined ROTC where he was encouraged to return to active duty and pickedmilitary intelligence.

He deployed to Honduras in 1987, the Gulf War in 1990-'91, Bosnia in the mid-'90s and Kosovo, 2000-'01. During the first Gulf War Zimmermanwas an assistant brigade intelligence officer in the 3rd Armored Division, moving through Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iraq. He volunteered to return to Iraq in 2006-'07 and was the chief of staff for a 1,000-member team training Iraqi police.

"I really honestly hoped I didn't have to go back there," Zimmerman said of returning to a country he left 15 years earlier. "But you do what you have to do."

Afterretiringfrom the Army in 2008, Zimmerman, who lives in Ripon, worked as a training consultant for the U.S. National Guard Bureau and a threat planner at Wisconsin Emergency Management. He was hired in the early 2000s to directthe ROTC programs at Marian University and Ripon College by Tony Blando, then commander of the Fox Valley Army ROTC Battalion.

Blando, who is now chief of staff forU.S. Sen.Ron Johnson, praised Zimmerman for his moral character and intelligence.

"Dan is one of the smartest people I've ever met in my entire life," said Blando. "He's going to do the right thing. He's tough. He has the ability to look at a complex problem, and he can focus in on the root cause and solve the problem."

Read or Share this story: https://jsonl.in/2n0QFaG

See the original post:
New state veterans secretary is Iraq War vet - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel