Employed as a Department of Defense (DOD) Logistician for 26 years. Maurice Stewart now specializes in RFID, working in the DOD's Logistics Automatic Identification Office. When the jet flew into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, I felt violated. At the time, I worked at Fort Belvoir, south of Washington, D.C., as a logistician. But I had worked in the Pentagon building for several years. That’s why when the senior leaders at the Logistics Operations Center asked for volunteers to go to Iraq, I immediately said I’d go. DoD has given me an education and opportunities to see the world. If the department says, “Hey, we need you to go,” I say OK.I wasn’t sure what to expect, but you can watch CNN and know what you’re in for. On July 14, while I was in Balad, Iraq, we got mortared four times. One time I was using the bathroom at midnight, and a mortar went off so close that the whole trailer shook. RELATED LINKS See more “What It’s Like To…” storiesIt’s routinely in the hundreds here. It cools down to 99 at night. You put towels in your boots at night to keep the camel spiders, mice and lizards out. Then there are the tactical landings when you come in fast and hard. I was flying into Balad on a C-130, a huge cargo jet. I went there to train soldiers on RFID tagging, making sure they’re writing the tags with the right level of detail to get visibility of the assets as they move along the supply routes. The week before I arrived, a young man had been shot getting out of a 130. As you’re landing, they tell you to put your flak jacket and helmet on. After landing, the back drops down, and you run as fast as you can. Maurice Stewart in Iraq, with some of the assets he’s getting to the troops. The violence doesn’t affect me too much. I grew up in Youngstown, Ohio. There were guns and drugs. Most of the classmates I grew up with are probably dead or in prison. My mother left me with an elderly couple when I was six months old. I knew my father, but he wasn’t a part of my life.I get my motivation from my wife, Johnnie, and my 12-year-old daughter, Marissa. It was hard to say good-bye to them, but I told my daughter, “We have troops in Iraq, and we have folks over in Afghanistan. They’re fighting this war on terrorism, and they’re protecting us. At times, they have problems getting their food, getting their spare parts, getting bullets to protect them. So, Dad’s going over to help them get this stuff.” She said, “Dad, that’s a good thing. Go do that.”My wife didn’t want me to go, but she said, “If that’s what you need to do, that’s what you should do.” So with that kind of support, you can’t do anything but come over here and do well. —As told to Allan Holmes Related content how-to How to create an effective business continuity plan A business continuity plan outlines procedures and instructions an organization must follow in the face of disaster, whether fire, flood, or cyberattack. Here’s how to create a plan that gives your business the best chance of surviving such an By Mary K. Pratt, Ed Tittel, Kim Lindros Dec 07, 2023 11 mins Small and Medium Business Small and Medium Business Small and Medium Business interview WestRock CIDO Amir Kazmi on building resiliency Multidimensional resiliency is vital to setting yourself, your teams, and your organization up for success. Kazmi sets the tone at WestRock by recognizing the pace of change, instilling a learning and growth mindset, and being transparent with his te By Dan Roberts Dec 07, 2023 8 mins IT Strategy Staff Management IT Leadership brandpost Sponsored by FPT Software Time for New Partnership Paradigms to Be Future-fit By Veronica Lew Dec 06, 2023 5 mins Vendors and Providers brandpost Sponsored by BMC Why CIOs should prioritize AIOps in 2024 AIOps empowers IT to manage services by incorporating AI/ML into operations. By Jeff Miller Dec 06, 2023 3 mins IT Leadership Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe