In the Army everyone walks around with something like their resume on their chest and their sleeves.

You’ve got your name tape, your rank, various awards and past assignments, all right there at a glance.

On their left shoulder they wear their unit’s patch, identifying the company they work for, so to speak. And on their right shoulder, they wear the patch of the unit they’ve been to combat with.

Used to be that you didn’t see a combat patch every day, but obviously that has changed.

Anyway, there are patches and then there are patches.

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The exercise is taking place in Camp Sendai, a former U.S. Army post that today is the headquarters of Japan’s Northeastern Army. The camp looks to be about twice the size of the University of Washington’s Tacoma campus, right in the middle of the city of 1 million.

YS has taken over the camp’s baseball field and running track, covering it with a warren of tents that each houses a different section of the command. The whole lot is surrounded by wire and you have to show a pass to get in and out at the one access

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Plenty of National Guard and reservists over here for Yama Sakura, which stands to reason as I Corps is comprised of I forget how many reserve component units, but a lot, scattered all over the United States.

Not least of those here for the exercise is Sgt. Maj. Bob Parr of the Washington National Guard, who reminds everyone he sees that Thursday marks the Guard’s 371st anniversary.

The Army has a ball to celebrate its birthday, and the Marine Corps has practically turned its birthday into a national holiday.

Parr said he’ll settle for a sneaky

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… in Japan, where the I Corps headquarters from Fort Lewis is working the annual Yama Sakura command post exercise with their counterparts from the Japan Defense Force.

In case you’re scoring at home, that’s 10 hours by air on United Air Lines, across the international dateline en route, and then another three hours by train from Nariita International Airport via Tokyo.

Everything’s very quiet here — even the little automated voices that tell you to be careful (at least that’s what I think they’re saying) on the moving sidewalk at the airport. Back home those

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En route to Yama Sakura at Camp Sendai, north of Tokyo, for I Corps’ annual command post exercise with the Japanese army. The scenario: ground defense of the island nation.

Here’s hoping it goes a little better than this:

But seriously folks. Watch for posts and stories this week.

Got this via the Letters to the Editor. I’m no real estate or finance whiz but figure maybe there’s somebody out there in the vast reading audience who might have a helpful suggestion.

A Fort Lewis soldier, SGT E-5 type, just back from Iraq writes to say that while he was gone, the adjustable rate mortgage on his North End home in Tacoma went from $850 to $1,350. He’s also got a home equity line of credit that he used to renovate the house, with a payment of $650.

Through his hard work he has doubled the value

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The Bangor News has a story today about the Maine soldier killed Friday in Baqouba.

Emery

Fort Lewis officials said Emery was posthumously promoted to sergeant.

The post also issued a clarification: He did not deploy to Iraq in July – that was the headquarters detachment of the 504th Military Police Battalion. Emery went to Iraq in November with his 571st Military Police Company and set up in Baqouba. That would have had him in one of the toughest places in Iraq before, during and after the worst of it

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Wednesday’s memorial ceremony at Fort Lewis for Pfc. Marius L. Ferrero, Cpl. Jason T. Lee and Cpl. Christopher J. Nelson will be held at 11 a.m. instead of 1:30 p.m. as previously announced.

The ceremony will be held in the Evergreen Chapel.

Persons without Department of Defense identification can get on post for the service by going to the visitor center at the main gate. Present driver’s license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance to get a visitor pass.