Scott Fontaine covers Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, the Washington National Guard and the veteran community. Fontaine has worked at The News Tribune since 2006. E-mail along story suggestions and tips to scott.fontaine@thenewstribune.com
Or, if you prefer, you can send mail to The News Tribune, PO Box 11000, Tacoma 98411.
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Matt Misterek is the communities and military team leader at The News Tribune and has supervised local military coverage since 2003.
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UR, Iraq – I’ll admit it: I just wanted to use that dateline.
Check back tomorrow for more on the trip to the site of one of the oldest cities on Earth.

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – I noticed on my flight from Joint Base Balad to COB Adder that the man sitting two seats away was one of the Catholic chaplains on base. I didn’t strike up a conversation; I could barely hear myself think in a C-130, much less speak to someone else. But I hadn’t given it much thought.
I checked my e-mail this morning and read a Fort Lewis-based engineer was killed in action. He was serving with the 14th Engineer Battalion at COB Adder.
The priest, it turns out, was flying down for the memorial service, which will be held here tomorrow.

