A State Representative doing his Missouri National Guard time in Iraq says the moved-up transfer of power date surprised him, probably as much as anyone back in the U.S. Representative Jim Avery of the St. Louis suburb of Crestwood is now an Army specialist clearing roadside bombs in Iraq. He says the transfer of power took place just miles from his base near Baghdad. Avery says he’s seen many more of the improvised explosive devices – the official term for those roadside bombs – as the transfer date neared. But Avery says the amount of the security load the Iraqis themselves have been carrying has increased as well. Now that Iraqis have also officially taken over the government, Avery hopes to be back in the Capitol for another battle, next year’s legislative session.
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