BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Joint Visitors Bureau (JVB) for the Combined Joint Forces Land Component - Operation Inherent Resolve is responsible for coordinating VIP visits to Baghdad.
One half of the two-person team that handles the visitors is a Nebraska National Guard member, Spc. Michael Chelewski. U.S. Army Master Sgt. Stephanie Rhoads is the JVB noncommissioned officer in charge. The two Soldiers organize the process for distinguished visitors to see what the coalition is doing in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.
The JVB is responsible for organizing travel, lodging, visitor access, meetings, office calls, troop engagements, facility tours and whatever else is needed during the VIP visits.
For the JBV team, flexibility is very important. They can have anywhere from a couple months to a four day notice for visits.
Before deploying to Iraq, neither Rhoads nor Chelewski had ever worked in any JVB capacities.
"It was difficult at first because I didn't know I was transferring in until a couple days before it happened," Rhoads said. "I had never done it before. I didn't have any clue as to how you were supposed to execute something like that."
Before transferring to JVB in December, Rhoads was the Analysis and Control Element NCOIC supervising the intelligence section for CJFLCC.
Chelewski came to JVB when he joined the Main Command Post - Operational Detachment, a Nebraska National Guard unit, which stood up to augment the 1st Infantry Division for its deployment to Iraq. Chelewski's previous job was working as a supply specialist.
"I didn't even know what JVB was when they told me I'd be working here," Chelewski said. "I was anxious because I had never done anything like it before."
Since the 1st Infantry Division got to Iraq, JVB has been responsible for coordinating over 85 VIP visits, to include former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, U.S. Sgt. Maj. of the Army, Daniel Dailey and Swedish Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Adm. Jan Thornqvist, just to name a few.
From learning how to set up a briefing to coordinating a dinner, there were a lot of things for the duo to learn about what goes in to a VIP visit. Through research and asking questions, they learned about the protocol involved.
Rhoads said that from this she learned a very valuable lesson: Be able to ask for help.
"I learned to be able to turn to anyone no matter who they are and what they do and ask questions," she said. "And, not be embarrassed to not know what to do because nobody has all the answers."
As a team that has come together from such diverse jobs of the Army, the two motivate each other to keep going and push each other to be better, said Rhoads.
"It is two people from two completely different areas who bring a different mindset together," said Chelewski. "This strengthens our teamwork. We have a very good working relationship. We can laugh. We can joke, and we can get things done."
Not only have they learned together about their job at JVB, they have been able to learn from each other about some of their different experiences within the Army.
"He's educated me on another aspect of the Army, because I don't know a lot about the National Guard," Rhoads said. "He asks me a lot about active duty and I ask him about the National Guard."
While both Rhoads and Chelewski agreed the process to coordinate visits is time consuming and sometimes frustrating because there are so many moving pieces that could go wrong, the completed visit can make the hard work worth it.
"You have a (distinguished visitor) come in and you get to personally meet them, and you get to see their expressions throughout the visit," Chelewski said. "It's pretty rewarding to know that they are happy with how the visit turned out and that they got to see everything that they wanted to."