He says the constantly changing technology can pose challenges for some troops.

"Working with various types of systems we wouldn't normally use on a daily basis, then trying to get our soldiers trained. Some soldiers are quicker to pick up skills than others. The majority of our time is spent trying to find that medium."

And Brewster says they always find it, usually faster than anyone had thought going in.

"After a day of training you would go back to this particular soldier and you would never know that everything they learned about that equipment they learned in a matter of hours."

A sort of "Clark Howard in Iraq," Lieutenant Brewster also helps troops in his unit make smart money decisions.

"Typically our younger soldiers haven't seen this much money at one time. Their initial thought is 'Wow, I've got all this money, why don't I go spend it on some DVDs or a new X-Box?' They're not looking into the future about what they're going to do when they get back. What we try to push to all of our soldiers is how to manage their money so that, yes, they can have a bit of fun spending money while they're here, but they're also putting enough in the bank so when they get back state-side, they've got money for food, housing, maybe a new car, and not living beyond their means."

Brewster's father was a Marine helicopter pilot in Vietnam. He remembers feeling a pride about that.

"As a young kid, he'd be all decked out in his uniform. I always thought that was really cool. My senior year in high school I said 'Hey, dad, I think this is for me.'"

He says he would not change his life path for anything, but does think of home often.

"I miss weekends sitting on my back porch watching my neighbor's horses hop over the back fence and eat my grass. I miss Reese's Pieces. I miss the small things."

• Hear Brewster Send Greetings to Friends and Family!