Spanish Army reform to allow transgendered soldiers

Here's a story that will gladden the heart of every Gibraltarian... and which gives me a chance to show this picture (left) of some lovely sexy Spanish army girls.

In future... and in light of the following report, we may find it more difficult to make a distinction... as I do here. You may no longer be so sure of the actual gender of a Spanish soldier. I'm not even sure transgendered is the right way to describe this as the definition itself is still "in a state of flux"!

You see, according to my esteemed colleague Sancho, who this morning posted an interesting story over at Tilting at Windmills, a new reform in the Spanish Army may change its 'fighting' reputation forever... if indeed it ever had one... well apart from La Legion that is, whose motto is 'Los Novios de la Muerte' or 'The Grooms of Death'!

Apparently, the Spanish Government has just approved a reform that allows transsexuals or men without a penis to join the armed forces!

A Spanish government ministerial order overturns a medical restriction that has been in place for the past 20 years.

Sancho, in his post, wonders how Franco would have handled this? Well... with tweezers and rubber gloves, like any sensible man would, I should think! Moving on...

Understandably, Sancho reports that the associations of gays and transsexuals have welcomed the decision because they say, "no doubt correctly", that "the law was an indignity and violated the rights of the individual".

It appears that the situation reached a head (it's unclear whether this pun was intended) some months ago when a young transsexual of 29 years denounced the Armed Forces because it refused to allow him to enlist because he lacked the necessary male equipment.

When I pointed out this 'possible pun' in his story, Sancho replied:

"all puns are intended even if I didn't know it was a pun at the time!"

I'm happy to accept this... wise man our Sancho. I hope my readers show the same empathy towards my word splodgings!

Getting back to the story... in the Spanish army, transsexuals who in the past have kept their penis and testicles were able to enlist, whilst those who didn’t, couldn’t.

Sancho adds:

"Of course in days of old all they were interested in was that you could aim and shoot and nobody worried whether you were packing a piece or not.

However I must admit that if a kilted force – the famous ladies or in this case the lads from hell - who traditionally wear nothing under their skirts, attacked then raised their hems to reveal nothing underneath, it might, just might, have the enemy running off faster than you’d imagine."

ha ha! Yes, I remember the scene in 'Carry on up the Khyber' I think it was! If you've never seen this very funny film, to my mind one of THE best of the Carry on series of films, let me describe it:

It's 1895. The British colonisation of India continues despite the threat posed by the Khasi of Kalabar and his loyal army of Burpers. Rebellion seems imminent when it is discovered that the feared 3rd Foot in Mouth Regiment (The Devils in Skirts) actually wear underwear under their kilts. When the Khasi receives proof of this he starts an uprising among Bungdit Din's Burpers against the British forces under Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond. However Captain Keene leads a small group of men deep into India in an attempt to stop the approaching massacre.... as for the rest, you just have to see the film!

As for the Spanish Army... and soldiers lacking the 'right equipment'... well, the mind boggles... hardly bears thinking about. I'll tell you this... I'll never be able to look at a Spanish Legionnaire in the same way again! Not that I've ever been brave enough to look 'em straight in the eye before... these guys DID or DO have a reputation for violence!

Anyhow... I did think the article was interesting and well observed... and I told Sancho as much in a comment on his blog post, which I'd like to share with you here:

While most armies around the world (certainly in European countries) have long ago accepted women in their ranks... and quite rightly so... women are still not part of 'frontline' troops. In other words, those who do the actual fighting, again probably for good reason. One would assume this is possibly because 'they don't have what it takes'.

I say this cautiously as I don't want my comment to appear chauvinistic or macho. It's not intended to be.

But the thought strikes me... will these soldiers have 'what it takes' to fight, to be aggressive, violent, do the 'getting down and dirty'. Will they really have what it takes to 'stick it in them' when it comes to hand to hand combat? hmmm

(no I'm not smirking as I write... I'm actually falling about laughing!)

I said to Sancho, that I liked his (perhaps unintended) pun when he talked of "the young transsexual who denounced the Armed Forces because it refused to allow him to enlist because he lacked the necessary male equipment". So I asked him, when he said "the situation reached a head"... surely, it can't have been his own huh?

As you read above, Sancho did reply to my question, as to whether he had intended the pun... and clarified it admirably! I suspect he'll have more difficulty with the second question I posed!

Anyway... as an afterthought... this is of course all good news for Gibraltar I think... if ever things 'come to a head' in this particular dispute! ;)

Oh and yes... before anyone says it... I know this post is a touch puerile... but... you gotta have a larf eh!

Sorry Felix! ;)

Princess Royal says her farewells to Gibraltar

The Princess Royal’s three-day visit to Gibraltar ended today with warm farewells and a Guard of Honour 'March Past' at RAF Gibraltar, all in bright sunshine, in contrast to the two previous days of her official visit.

Her Royal Highness Princess Anne spent her last hours in Gibraltar touring the Government of Gibraltar’s new development of low-cost housing before calling in at a school for children with special needs.

Gibraltarians Applaud their Warm Greetings for Princess Anne

Reporting on yesterday's activities, Alice Mascarenhas, in the Gibraltar Chronicle, spoke of the "warm and cheerful welcome" the Princess Royal received, as she arrived at the hub of the Rock’s social life.

Dark clouds and a slight drizzle had threatened to spoil her arrival but as if on cue, when greeted by Chief Minister Peter Caruana in the Market Place, the sun appeared from behind the clouds and brightened up her arrival.

Suddenly, what seconds before had appeared to be a rather quiet Grand Casemates, a burst of cheer and applause brought people running as hundreds of Gibraltarians and visitors gathered to see Princess Anne 'up close and personal' walking through Grand Casemates Gates into the old city.

With no cordon to hold the crowds back everyone wanted a picture of her. There were cameras everywhere, and it wasn’t just the press photographers!

In the middle of great anticipation and thrill, she moved out of Grand Casemates into Main Street with her husband Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, and Mr and Mrs Caruana. Her entourage and her security followed as the crowds walked on with her. It was almost a wave-like mass of people, some holding Union Jacks and Gibraltar flags, all gathering momentum as the throng reached the heart of our community, at the Piazza and Parliament House (the old House of Assembly).

Princess Anne Delighted

Mr Caruana was in no doubt the Princess Royal had been delighted by the reception and that she was keen to meet as many people as possible en route.

Smiling broadly, Mr Caruana excitedly said:

"This is the way of Gibraltarians... not just welcoming an important Royal visitor but under-scoring the fact that we are part of Her Majesty’s Realm, that this is British Sovereign territory and one of the ways in which this is reinforced!"

As the Royal Party slowly walked up Main Street stopping every few seconds, Mr Caruana, pointed out the architecture, the commerce, the variety of commercial offerings, the number of people in Gibraltar from so many different countries, and the cosmopolitan make-up of local society.

The Chief Minister, commenting later, said he felt "she had been touched by the warmth of her welcome and had been impressed at how vibrant Main Street appeared".

Commenting on the calls for Her Majesty The Queen to visit Gibraltar, Mr Caruana said:

"A visit from Her Majesty The Queen would be very welcomed but I understand, like many Gibraltarians, much as we would like her to visit, such a visit would be fraught in political terms.

It is not her Majesty who decides. Constitutionally she is unable to visit outside the UK unless she is advised by the Foreign Office. It is all deep in politics."

The walk through Main Street was to upset the programme timings for the rest of the day as the Princess Royal went out of her way to talk to those who had lined the street on both sides of Main Street.

She received flowers from well wishers along the way which she carried in her hand through the continuation of the walk on arrival at The Convent. She briefly stopped with mothers and their babies.

Bethany Chichon (aged two) dressed up like a Princess herself was greeted by her.

An elderly gentleman sitting with his dog on one of the benches at the bottom end of Main Street was asked about his dog.

Young Faith Purser presented Princess Anne with a carnation.

Cheering Crowds

People from offices hung from windows and balconies, shouting their 'welcomes' to her with heartening applause and cheers.

Shopping was stopped temporarily in every shop as shop assistants and shoppers made their way on to the street to catch a glimpse of the Royal Party.

Many commented with delight and amazement, how the Princess was "talking to everyone" and how "she is taking the time to stop and chat"... as were the calls for Her Majesty The Queen to visit The Rock amidst shouts of "God Bless British Gibraltar"!

To the girls outside Jyske Bank and Barclays, Princess Anne asked, "are you actually getting any customers?".

There were day visitors from Liverpool and a group participating in a Netball Tournament in Gibraltar, who could not believe their luck!

King’s Bastion Leisure Centre

A short stop at The Convent and it was on to the King’s Bastion Leisure Centre. On the red carpet once again escorted by the Chief Minister, she met school children from local schools, representatives from the Guides and Scouts Movement.

Princess Anne was keen to know if they used the leisure centre and if they had a favourite game telling some of the children who had insisted on enjoying bowling that she was a bit of a bowler herself.

The Chief Minister then proudly showed her the King’s Bastion project pointing out how much had been achieved, in terms of the heritage value of the building.

Joining the party was Heritage Minister Edwin Reyes, and Carl Viagas, the Government’s Conservation Officer.

Over-looking the Bastion she looked out towards the designated area for the Midtown Development Project.

Soon it was back inside for a reception with a good cross section of Gibraltar life represented.



This excellent video shows some of the scenes in Main Street 'walkabout' described above.

Farewell Royal Princess

This morning, on her departure, a Tri-Service guard of honour formed up at RAF Gibraltar as she and Vice Admiral Laurence said their farewells to His Excellency the Governor, Lt Gen Sir Robert Fulton, the Chief Minister Peter Caruana and other VIPs.

The tarmac at RAF Gibraltar was colourfully adorned with waving Union Jacks as the Guard of Honour marched past. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment Band then played the National Anthem prior to the Princess Royal party's embarkation on their aircraft.

As Princess Anne climbed the steps of the Bae 146 of No 32 (The Royal) Squadron, in advance of her flight back to UK, she turned and waved to the gathered troops, dignitaries and crowds at the terminal, in a fond farewell to her highly successful three day visit to Gibraltar.

Media Credit

I am indebted to the following for the media included here:

Princess Anne's Main Street 'Walkabout' - Pictures and Video courtesy of ToRoMedia Gibraltar

RAF Gibraltar Pictures courtesy of Lt Col (Ret'd) Stuart Green, Media Ops Officer and Cpl Ralph Merry, Command Photographer, Media Operations - HQ British Forces Gibraltar.

Thank you all!

Photographs of Princess Anne's Arrival for official visit to Gibraltar

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal accompanied by her husband, Vice Admiral Timothy Laurence, were welcomed by His Excellency The Governor and Lady Fulton, on her arrival in Gibraltar this afternoon.


The Princess was then introduced to the Commander British Forces Gibraltar Commodore Adrian Bell and the RAF Gibraltar Station Commander Wing Commander Simon Dowling and their wives.

After the National Anthem, played by the Band of the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, The Princess inspected a Tri-Service Guard of Honour commanded by Flt Lt Ade Lutman before leaving for the Governor's Residence at The Convent, where she will be staying during her 3 day official visit.

Despite very high winds, her aircraft, a Bae146 of No 32 (The Royal) Squadron landed at exactly 4.30pm.

Wearing a surprising new 'look', in more ways than one, and looking very winsome too, in her bright 'snazzy' yellow and royal blue outfit, she gave the gathered dignitaries, troops and press a lovely smile as she did her best to hold down her hat on the windswept tarmac.

You can read a full report of Princess Anne's visit to Gibraltar here.

You can view more photos of Princess Anne's arrival in Gibraltar here.

Images Credit

Pictures courtesy of Lt Col (Ret'd) Stuart Green, Media Ops Officer and Cpl Ralph Merry, Command Photographer, Media Operations - HQ British Forces Gibraltar.

Royal Marines Excercise their Freedom of the City of Gibraltar in Weekend of Commemorative Events

Last Saturday, in torrential rain, the Royal Marines exercised their 'Freedom of the City of Gibraltar in a weekend of events commemorating their long history and association with the Rock.


On the 24th of July 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession with France and Spain, a combined fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir George Rooke, assisted by Field Marshal Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt, captured the Rock of Gibraltar. English ships bombarded the city while a force, comprising of 1,900 English and 400 Dutch marines, in an amphibious assault, stormed the defences, captured the Town and prevented Spanish reinforcements reaching the fortress.

Later, in the months following the capture of the Town, the English force of marines withheld a prolonged siege from October 1704 to April 1705, thereby achieving 'immortal glory' according to commentators at the time.

(Note: The Acts of Union, which joined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland into a single United Kingdom of Great Britain... making the English marines and Gibraltar British, was not until 3 years later in 1707)

'Gibraltar' became the only one of many battle honours that the Royal Marines include in their 'Globe and Laurel' insignia (left) when, in 1827, George IV, faced with having to choose battle honours from an extensive list, decided that Royal Marines’ 'Colours' would in future bear the symbol of the ‘Great Globe itself’ and that thereafter the only battle honour on Royal Marines’ Colours would be that of Gibraltar. So he ordered them to wear it with pride... and they do!

In 1996, the Corps was granted the 'Freedom of the City of Gibraltar'. On Saturday 28 February, 78 Marines from Taunton-based Alpha Company of 40 Commando accompanied by the Band of Royal Marines Scotland returned to the scene of their most famous and historic battles and conducted a ceremonial parade exercising their right, marching through the streets with 'fixed bayonets', the only time that a service force can do so in peacetime.

A large contingent of veterans, members of the Royal Marines Association, many of whom had travelled to Gibraltar from far and wide, also participated, marching proudly with the younger marines in the parade.

The parade, under the command of Major Sean Brady, the Commanding Officer of Alpha Company, assembled at Casemates Square, then marched off along Main Street.

Despite the torrential rain the Marines were applauded along the way by hundreds of proud locals and many visitors, who lined the route.

As they marched past the Piazza, the Marines saluted a gathered throng of dignitaries outside the the Assembly House (Gibraltar's Parliament), including Mayor Mommy Levy who was surrounded by Royal Marines 'Top Brass' including the Commandant General Royal Marines, Major General Garry Robison, Brigadier Noble, the Deputy Commandant General of the Royal Marines and Lieutenant Colonel Paul James, the Commanding Officer of 40 Commando.

Here's a video of the Royal Marines and Band marching through Main Street:



To finish the day off in style, a public reception was then held on their behalf by the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Robert Fulton KBE, himself a Royal Marine.

Royal Marines Memorial Unveiled

In 2006 the Gibraltar Heritage Trust suggested that a monument be erected to mark the long historical association between the Royal Marine Corps and the Rock of Gibraltar.

On Sunday, in a ceremony at Europort, Chief Minister Peter Caruana (seen here in the middle) unveiled the monument which commemorates the Royal Marines history and long association with Gibraltar. It is sited near the point where the Marines first came ashore in 1704. Commandant General Royal Marines, Major General Garry Robison, dedicated the monument. More on this story here.

This ceremony had to be hastily-rescheduled as it was originally planned for Saturday. Unfortunately, the torrential rain on Saturday made it impossible for the ceremony to go ahead as planned and so was able to be postponed to Sunday lunchtime.

You can read more on the Unveiling of the Royal Marines Memorial here.

Royal Marines Band Concert at St Michael's Cave

The weekend’s events of celebration for the Royal Marines culminated on Sunday evening with a concert given by the Band of Royal Marines Scotland at St Michael’s Cave.

St Michael’s Cave was packed and the audience were able to enjoy an evening of inspirational music from a Band that only a few days ago was playing at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

The concert ended with a standing ovation for both the musicians and the conductor, Principal Director of Music, Lt Col Chris Davis.

The concert was marked by another significant moment. This was Lt Col Davis' very last appearance as conductor, in a military music career that began when he joined the Royal Marines as a musician in 1975.

Brigadier Noble, the Deputy Commandant General of the Royal Marines thanked Lt Col Davis for his immense contribution to Marines' music. The retiring conductor was clearly moved by the significance of the occasion.

In addition to thanking the conductor, Brigadier Noble also asked the audience to reflect on the fact that many Marines are currently serving in Helmand Province, in Afghanistan.

Related Posts

You can see more posts on these events by clicking on the links in 'Related Links' box on the right margin.

Images Credit

I am indebted to HQBF for many of the images of the events shown here which are courtesy of Lt Col (Ret'd) Stuart Green, Media Ops Officer and Cpl Ralph Merry, Command Photographer, Media Operations - HQ British Forces Gibraltar.



Search for more Royal Marines Bands Music.

Royal Marines Gibraltar Memorial Unveiled... a day late

On Saturday, Royal Marines from 40 Commando returned to the scene of one of their most famous and historic battles and conducted a ceremonial parade exercising their 'Freedom of the City of Gibraltar'.

Unfortunatly, they also returned to a very rain-swept Gibraltar!

In my post leading up to the event, I said I hoped for 'a nice sunny day and no Levanter'. Clearly... I forgot about the rain... (and probably put the kibosh on things!) which deluged and delayed the unveiling of their wonderful new monument until today!

The weekend’s events for the Royal Marines culminated tonight, with a band concert at St Michael’s Cave. (I hope to publish some pictures of this tomorrow).

The weekend's events, commemorate the capture of the Rock of Gibraltar, in an amphibious assault, on the 24th of July 1704 by Engligh and Dutch Marines, who after capturing the Town, withheld a prolonged siege from October 1704 to April 1705, thereby achieving 'immortal glory' according to commentators at the time.

'Gibraltar' became the only one of many battle honours that the Royal Marines include in their 'Globe and Laurel' insignia (image on the right) when, in 1827, George IV ordered them to wear it with pride. I explain the Royal Marines long association with Gibraltar more fully in my post on Friday.

This is the first time the Royal Marines have marched through the streets of Gibraltar, exercising their 'Freedom of the City of Gibraltar', since it was awarded in 1996.

Despite the rain, their parade along Main Street was lined with hundreds of people and dignitaries. A public reception was then held on their behalf by the Governor, Lieutenant General Sir Robert Fulton KBE, himself a Royal Marine.

In a hastily-rescheduled Sunday lunchtime ceremony at Europort, Chief Minister Peter Caruana (seen here in the middle) unveiled the monument, near the point where the Marines first came ashore in 1704. Commandant General Royal Marines, Major General Garry Robison, then dedicated the monument.

Lieutenant Colonel Paul James, the Commanding Officer of 40 Commando, said:

"It is an immense privilege to be able to represent the Royal Marines at such a Parade and provide a Guard of Honour.

Gibraltar holds a hugely important position in our history and every Royal Marine is acutely aware of the events of the early eighteenth century and the traditions they helped engender."

40 Commando’s Alpha Company and attached ranks have been practicing arms drill and marching for weeks in preparation for the parade. On the transit from the United Kingdom, on the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Mounts Bay, the Company was even practicing on the flight deck of the ship.

Marine Andy Tipping, who is 22 and from Durham said, "we are very conscious of Marines of the past and their exceptional achievements, which continue to inspire us all today".

"We were all proud to be a part of this parade. All Royal Marines learn about the taking and holding of Gibraltar during our training and it’s a great honour to follow in the footsteps of our forebears."

The Commandos are in Gibraltar as their first port of call on the Royal Navy’s Taurus 09 deployment, the largest in over a decade. They move next to Cyprus to undertake amphibious exercises as the Royal Navy demonstrates its ability to project a landing force from ship to shore using helicopters and landing craft, all based from the Amphibious Task Group.

Major Sean Brady, the Officer Commanding Alpha Company and also the Guard Commander for the Parade, said:

"The Marines of Alpha Company have worked exceptionally hard preparing for this weekend but representing the Corps on such an occasion is a perfect opportunity to pay our respects to Royal Marines of the past and their exceptional achievements, which continue to inspire us all."

The commemorations and weekend's events have also been enjoyed by a large contingent of veterans, members of the Royal Marines Association, many of whom have travelled to Gibraltar from far and wide and proudly paid their respects to this wonderful memorial to the Royal Marines in Gibraltar.

Note: I am indebted to HQBF for the images of the memorial which are shown here courtesy of Cpl Ralph Merry, Command Photographer, Media Operations - HQ British Forces Gibraltar. Cpl Merry must have been challenged 'beyond the call of duty' by the torrential rain on Saturday, as unfortunately, no pics of the actual parade were able to be provided. Hopefully, nothing will get in the way of pics of the band concert at St Michael's Cave tonight... stalactites and stalagmites notwithstanding! ;)

Update: This post has been updated to include more images and a video. You can see the updated post here.

Royal Marines to unveil monument and exercise their 'Freedom of the City of Gibraltar' tomorrow

The Royal Marines have a long history and association with Gibraltar.

In 1704, during the War of the Spanish Succession with France and Spain, a combined fleet, commanded by Admiral Sir George Rooke, assisted by Field Marshal Prince George of Hesse-Darmstadt, captured Gibraltar. The force, comprising of 1,900 English (The Act of Union was not until 3 years later in 1707) and 400 Dutch marines prevented Spanish reinforcements reaching the fortress. Later, English ships bombarded the city while marines and seamen stormed the defences. The force later withstood nine months of siege.

Today the Royal Marines display only the battle honour 'Gibraltar' and their close relationship with the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps continues. It is for this reason that the date of 24th July 1704 is one of the Corps’ ten most memorable dates.

In 1827, King George IV, faced with having to choose battle honours from an extensive list, decided that Royal Marines’ Colours would in future bear the symbol of the ‘Great Globe itself’ and that thereafter the only battle honour on Royal Marines’ Colours would be that of Gibraltar.

In 1996, the Corps was granted the Freedom of the City of Gibraltar. In 2006, the Gibraltar Heritage Trust suggested that a monument be erected to mark the long historical association between the Corps and the Rock.

Tomorrow, Saturday 28 February, it has been decided that the Royal Marines will exercise their Freedom of the City of Gibraltar and will unveil a monument which celebrates their long association with Gibraltar.

Monument

The Chief Minister Peter Caruana and Commandant General Royal Marines, Major General Garry Robison, will unveil and dedicate a monument at Ocean Village.

Freedom of the City

The unveiling of the monument will be followed by a parade in Casemates. The Royal Marines will then exercise their 'Freedom of of the City of Gibraltar' by marching through the city.

These events will involve 78 Marines from 40 Cdo RM, plus the Band of Royal Marines Scotland and members of the Royal Marines Association.

Band Concert


The weekend will end with a concert in St Michael’s Cave by the Band of Royal Marines Scotland on Sunday evening.

Tickets for the concert are available from the Gibraltar Bookshop, Sacarello’s Coffee Shop and from the Royal Gibraltar Regiment Recruiting Office and Casemates.

Timings for Sat 28 Feb

1050 hrs: Parade leaves Waterport Coach Park
1100 hrs: Parade forms up at Ocean Village
1115 hrs: Unveiling and Dedication Service
About 1145 hrs: CGRM inspects parade in Casemates Square
About 1200 hrs Parade steps off to march up Main St, paying its compliments to the Mayor outside Parliament House
About 1230 hrs: Parade ends at the Convent

All I can add is... I wish I was there!

I shall try and do an update on these celebrations, including some pics, as soon as possible, following the events. Let's hope for a nice sunny day and no Levanter!

Update: This post has been updated to include images and a video. You can see the updated post of the weekend's commemorative events here.

The heartwarming story of Chief Master Sgt John Gebhardt

In my Inbox today... the story of Chief Master Sgt John Gebhardt, superintendent of the 22nd Wing Medical Group normally based at the US's McConnell Air Force base, Kansas, who gained worldwide attention for a photo of him holding an injured Iraqi child.

This is the story of this photo, originally taken around October 2006, when Chief Gebhardt was deployed at Balad Air Base in Iraq. It has been published on many websites worldwide and has been circulating via emails during the last two and a half years. Today, it arrived in my Inbox!

The story is a heartwarming one... and in complete contrast to the stories, that unfortunately we are accustomed to, that we still see daily coming out of our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The young infant in Chief Gebhardt's arms, had received extensive gunshot injuries to her head (ghastly and clearly seen when zooming in on the image) when insurgents attacked her family killing both of her parents and many of her siblings.

Apparently, the 'chief' had a knack for comforting her and they often would catch a cat nap together in a chair.

The photograph generated a lot of attention when it first began circulating back in 2006. It is perhaps an indication of the photograph's simple but powerful symbolism that it continues to circulate more than two years later.

Chief Gebhardt is now back at home in Wichita, Kansas, with his wife, Mindy. They have a warm, hospitable home five minutes away from McConnell Air Force Base. His son Ryan, 25, and daughter Amber, 23, have long since outgrown being cradled and he said he thought about them constantly while he held the Iraqi child.

"I got as much enjoyment out of it as the baby did," he said.

"I reflected on my own family and life and thought about how lucky I have been."

His affection for children is no secret to his wife, Mindy. While dating John in high school, she watched how he bonded with the child of a coach of one of his athletic teams. That softer side of him is one of the reasons she married him.

"People see him as this tough guy," she said, "but I always see that other side of him that is full of compassion."

The chief, who grew up in Jordan, New York, is not at home in the spotlight. When asked to talk about himself, he always tries to switch the focus to the other military people who served with him at Balad.

While deployed to Iraq, the chief tried to help out any way he could. He figured holding a baby that needed comforting that would free up one more set of arms that could be providing care to more critical patients.

"If I have an opportunity to help out, I look for that opportunity," he said. "They had more than enough to do."

The chief was not alone in volunteering at the hospital. There were more than 800 different volunteers at the hospital during the time he was deployed to Iraq, he said. Some of them volunteered so much that he mistakenly thought they were assigned to the hospital.

When Mindy describes the best qualities of her husband, the first word out of her mouth is integrity. She said the photo of her husband and the Iraqi child truly represents him. She believes he has been so successful because he is such a straight-shooter and puts others' welfare ahead of his own.

"He never leads anyone astray," she said. "He will never do something for himself that would have a negative effect on someone else. He always tells it like it is."

But, the chief attributes his success to his family.

"Without their support I don't know where I would be," he said. "I definitely wouldn't be in the position I am."

And it is the chief's hope that families in Iraq will receive the same kind of support in the future. They are just like American families, Chief Gebhardt said.

"I pray for the best for the Iraqi children," he said.

"I can't tell the difference between their kids and our kids. The Iraqi parents have the same care and compassion for their children as any American."

Life is calmer for Chief Gebhardt now that he is back home, and even though his recent 'fame' has highlighted an eventful 27-year career, he said he wouldn't change a thing.

"If I had to do it over again, I would sign up and give it another ride," he said.