Photo By Aiyana Paschal | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii (Oct. 06, 2016)- Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Division...... read more read more
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SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii- 6 Oct 2016- The 25th Infantry Division (ID) celebrated its 75th anniversary during the annual event, “Tropic Lightning Week” from Oct. 3-8. The bulk of the celebrations happened on Oct. 6, and were held to build unit cohesion and showcase pride, history and the future of the 25th ID to soldiers, families, veterans and supporters.
United By Sacrifice
The celebration kicked off with an unveiling of a new addition to the 25th ID memorial statue on Schofield Barracks, home to the 25th ID, entitled, “United by Sacrifice Memorial.” The fifth and final figure unveiled was of a woman Soldier, modeled after a Soldier who served in Iraq and Afghanistan .
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, of Hawaii’s 2nd District, U.S. House of Representatives, and a major in the Hawaii National Guard who deployed in Iraq, spoke before the unveiling of the fifth figure.
“I think of about all of the people who will walk by this memorial, both our service members, their families, their kids and future generations, who I hope will one day look at it and see it as this is the norm, but for us today, we get to recognize the incredible impact that she represents,” said Gabbard.
For many attending, it was the first time they saw a woman featured in a memorial statue, including Sgt. Jocelyn Cuevas.
“When I saw it, I was like, ‘What?! That’s a girl!’” said Cuevas. “I’m leaving soon, so it’s really cool I got to see them unveil it. I’m glad to be part of this; it’s going to be here forever now. It’s going to represent us.”
Cuevas is attending Green Platoon training later this month, a special operations training that recently opened up its doors to women and said seeing the statue unveiled motivated her even more to start her training next month.
Pass-in-Review
Soldiers, veterans, families and supporters gathered around Weyand Field to witness Tropic Lighting Division’s pass-in review. The pass in-review is a long-standing military tradition that began as a way for newly assigned commanders to inspect their troops. Visiting officers and guest speakers are also invited to review troops. For the celebration, the guest inspecting the 25th ID was the Commander of U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Harry Harris.
“I’m truly honored to be a part of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of America’s Pacific Division, the 25th ID,” said Harris. “This division’s history is representative of America’s commitments around the globe since the day World War II was brought to our doorstep in December of 1941, just two short months after the 25th ID was formed.”
The divisional band marched, the national anthem was sung and veterans attending were asked to stand to be recognized for their service and dedication to the 25th ID. Harris closed with speaking about his confidence in the unit.
“There’s one prediction I can make with complete confidence,” said Harris. “The 25th ID will continue to be an important part of America’s security well into the future.”
Warfighting Demonstration
As the celebrations continued, a capability exercise was put on at Wheeler Army Airfield for onlookers. The exercise demonstrated the skills of the Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team. Audience members watched in awe as the Soldiers maneuvered on the grounds with a backdrop of the Hawaiian mountains, showing exactly how they bring the fight to the enemy.
“It’s a great to be a part of this training event, that showcases 25th Infantry Division’s ability to take the fight to the enemy,” said Staff Sgt. Miguel Sevilla. “We’re sharing that with the community leaders and the veterans here. It’s nice kind of getting to dive back into the history and with the help of the rest of the community, being able to write a little part of history of our own.”
Progress Pride and Capability
The Tropic Lightning Week celebration ended with a long standing tradition of cavalry Soldiers: Polo. The audience witnessed a short polo game of teams that were made up of both Soldier and civilian polo players.
After the celebrations wrapped up, Soldiers readied for the long weekend ahead of them. The unveiling of the addition of the female figure to 25 ID’s infantry memorial showed the progress of the division and how they are continuing to lead the way. The pass in-review helped demonstrate the pride that the division takes in their military bearing and was able to showcase that to their commander and all of their families, supporters, community members and past veterans. The capabilities exercise demonstrated the skills of Soldiers in 3rd Brigade Combat Team, and the last event, the polo game, was a way to keep the traditions of cavalry Soldiers alive, and for members of the unit to build camaraderie and have fun. To learn more about the 25th Infantry Division, “Tropic Lighting,” you can visit their website at https://www.25idl.army.mil/.
| Date Taken: | 10.06.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 10.12.2016 21:34 |
| Story ID: | 211853 |
| Location: | SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HAWAII, US |
| Web Views: | 282 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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