BART HOWELL Cherokee County Chief Magistrate Bart Howell returned to his day job this week at the Cherokee County Law Enforcement Center following a year-long deployment to Iraq.

Howell, a lieutenant colonel and 22-yearveteran of the U.S. Army Reserves, normally serves under the 108th Training Command in Charlotte, N.C., but was deployed to Iraq in April 2008 to serve under the 3rd Sustainment Command Expeditionary overseas.

In Iraq, Howell served as an Inspector General, who is an independent fact finder for the commanding general. Some of Howell's duties included the inspection of an Iraqi detention facility, run by the Iraqi government, where he came face to face with people arrested for insurgency.

While an Inspector General is neither judge nor jury, Howell said his experience as a magistrate served him well in the role.

His tour of duty primarily centered on the Mosul area, but his job took him to practically every corner of Iraq at one point or another. Howell said he saw much progress during his time there, though some areas like Mosul still need a lot of attention.

"You always hear folks say we live in the greatest country in the world," he said. While he never took that fact for granted, such a belief was reinforced every day of his deployment, especially while stationed in areas still struggling to provide basic human needs. "We really do live in the greatest country in the world," he said.

Howell took time off to be with his family upon his return two weeks ago before returning to his court duties.

Check out the May 12 edition of The Weekly Ledger for more about Howell's tour of duty, what he saw there, and what he did when he first came home.