OAKWOOD — Last week, after six months in a war zone, Oakwood City Manager Stan Brown was trying to reorient himself to a construction zone.

"We had a meeting ... to discuss some things over on our Thurmon Tanner Parkway project and I had to say, ‘Now, what did we do on that?’" he said, with a slight chuckle.

"Even though it was only seven or eight months ago, there are some (details) that are a little fuzzy. You have to kind of get yourself back into the game."

Brown is readjusting to life and work in the U.S. after spending the first half of this year as an Air Force reservist in Iraq with the 628th Civil Engineer squadron at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta.

"It’ll take a couple of weeks to get completely up to speed on where we are on everything, but I feel much better this time than I did when I came back from Kuwait in (2005)," said Brown in an interview last week at City Hall.

"I pretty much had to unplug then. But ... if you think about it, from then to now, the use of the Internet ... and e-mail, is much more prevalent than it was then," he said. "With communications and technology, I feel like I stayed in tune."

But Brown, 49, sure had his work cut out for him in the thick heat of the Iraqi desert.

The lieutenant colonel, who took command of 1,500 U.S. troops as the senior U.S. official in Basra, served as the master planner in that area of Iraq, overseeing an engineering team conducting key construction projects.

He was responsible for providing base support for all U.S. forces deployed at different locations, from major bases to small outposts.

"You may have only 150 troops somewhere, but you still have the need for a place to sleep, power, quality of life, dining facilities, showers, that sort of thing," Brown said.

The work also meant ensuring troops "had adequate facilities there to protect from attacks or whatever."

His work at Basra involved making room for U.S. troops while British troops were still there.

"We had to take on the task of putting 10 gallons into a five-gallon bucket," Brown said. "It was a challenge, having enough bed space for one thing and enough parking space, but we also had to make sure we had enough security, that we were able to protect forces that were there."

The attacks continued while Brown was there, but they weren’t nearly as frequent as when the British first set up camp there. The British responded by putting up eight, 30,000-square-foot buildings that served as bomb shelters — structures that have now been transferred to U.S. use.

"When there are incoming rockets, it’s kind of like a tornado coming," Brown said. "The sirens go off and you take cover. ... It’s a stark reminder there is a war going on."

During a surprise ceremony in his honor last Monday at City Hall, he told the crowd that gathered — mainly family, city employees and council members and the media — that he coveted prayers from home while he was abroad.

"The thing that has given me strength more than anything else ... is my relationship with the Lord," Brown said. "I know that no matter what happens, God is there with you."

In looking ahead, he said he expects to return his focus to Oakwood 2030, a plan to retool much of the city’s older downtown area.

"(With the) economy, it’s not the best of times to start a development-type project," he said. "For us, timing wise, it’s been a good thing. It’s given us a time to plan and get prepared for things as the economy starts to turn."

He also expects to "take a good, hard look at the (city’s) budget, that we’re comfortable with all that," Brown said. "We’re not in a situation where we have to furlough anybody — we’re able to maintain operations — but at the same time, things that are capital-type projects, we may have to look at schedules on those."

At this point, Brown said it looks as if he has served his last deployment.

"I’m at a point in my career where, if I’m fortunate enough to be promoted to colonel this fall, then I’ll be able to serve until 2012. ... If I am not promoted, I’ll be forced to retire next June after 28 years," Brown said.

"Either way, it looks like my recent tour here will be my last."

Aside from a possible promotion, Brown also can look forward to receiving the Bronze Star Medal during a ceremony at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in Marietta, possibly in August.

The U.S. Army medal honors a soldier’s heroic or meritorious achievement or service while serving in or with the Army.

Coming out of high school, Brown had his choice of two appointments — the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., or the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

"I thought the Air Force would be the better way to go than the Army," he said. "It’s ironic — two of my three longer deployments have been working for the Army."

He has some mixed feelings about leaving the military behind.

"To be at a point where you have to retire at age 50, it seems like you’re going out too early. I feel like I have enough years in me left and enough experience that I can contribute."

At the same time, he said it’s good to see it as a milestone, "that I’m finishing up that part of (my) life."