Photo By Staff Sgt. Lyndsey Prax | Cpl. Jason Young (left), of Temple, Texas, who serves as an Apache maintenance...... read more read more
By Pfc. Lyndsey Dransfield
Multi-National Division – Baghdad
CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Soldiers and leaders of the 4th Infantry Division and Multi-National Division – Baghdad gathered at the Media Operations Center on Camp Liberty for the monthly 4th Inf. Div. Town Hall meeting, Nov. 26.
Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, a Hattiesburg, Miss., native, commanding general of 4th Inf. Div. and MND-B, along with co-hosts Col. Butch Kievenaar, commander of 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Inf. Div.; Lt. Col. Dave Hill, commander of 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div.; and Command Sgt. Maj. Archie Davis, senior enlisted leader of 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Inf. Div., talked to Soldiers and families at Fort Hood, Texas, and Fort Carson, Colo., through a live broadcast themed around the Thanksgiving holiday.
"This month, the month of Thanksgiving, as we think about family and those we care about, let's not forget what we are doing here," Hammond stated in his opening comments. "We are moving along quite well and succeeding, but it has come at a cost – the lives of 88 men, one [woman], and over 600 wounded [Soldiers]."
"But each day is one step forward, and we are fighting this fight with fire in our belly. I couldn't be more proud of this group. This is the best it gets in terms of people and quality, right here in the 4th Inf. Div."
Along with Hammond, all who spoke expressed their thanks to the Soldiers who choose to serve and what it means to serve with support of family back home.
"The thing I am most thankful for are the families; they are the true heroes of this war." Kievenaar explained to the viewers. "You are the ones that share all the burdens and make all the sacrifices. We can never repay you for the sacrifices you make but we can thank you every chance we get."
The first group of guest speakers during the Town Hall Meeting included a father and son team, along with two married couples, all currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Jason Young, a native of Plymouth, Ind., who serves as the non-commissioned officer in charge of entry control point expansion with Company B, 4th Support Battalion, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., spoke about the ongoing support of his Family.
"[My wife] was put on this Earth to be a military spouse and has been the backbone of my career. She has spent countless hours at the kids' sporting events, band concerts and ROTC functions without my presence. She's always said to me that I should bleed Ivy green," he said with a smile.
Young's son, Cpl. Jason Young, of Temple, Texas, who serves as an Apache maintenance NCO with Co. B, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Bn., 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Inf. Div., explained how he followed his father's footsteps to pursue a life-long fascination with Apache helicopters and has performed his job over the course of two deployments to Iraq.
The next guests who spoke were Staff Sgt. Robert Dominguez, a Tucson, Ariz., native, who serves as an aviation troop medical clinic shift leader with Headquarters Support Co., 404th Air Support Bn., 4th CAB, and his wife Sgt. Jamiell Dominguez, of Seattle, who serves as medical section NCOIC with Headquarters Co., 2nd General Support Bn., 4th CAB. Both are also serving their second tour in Iraq.
"We are spending our first year of marriage in Iraq. We consider it to be a very long honeymoon," Jamiell said. "We realize how lucky we are to be together during the holidays, and we count our blessings each day that we have each other."
"Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what we are grateful for in our lives," added Robert. "We are grateful for the freedoms we're granted as citizens of the United States of America, and we're grateful to work with our nation's finest Soldiers. As a family, we're committed to serving side-by-side to take care of our United States Army's Soldiers and their families."
The last couple to speak was Sgt. 1st Class Julie Burgin, a native of Almelund, Minn., who serves as maintenance supervisor with HSC, Division Special Troops Battalion, 4th Inf. Div., and her husband, Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Burgin, of Atlanta, Texas, who serves as NCOIC of the administrative section, division operations section, 4th Inf. Div.
"We feel very fortunate to be here together. Due to the prior assignments – both as drill sergeants and recruiters – it is nice to be able to actually spend time together, almost like getting to know each other all over again," said Julie.
Although they have faced some challenges, they said that everything has fallen into place and seems to be working out so far.
"Being here together has made us stronger as a couple," said Kevin. "We know that we are fortunate to be here together compared to most Soldiers that are separated from their loved ones, which makes all of the things that we have to deal with here, and back home, a very small price to pay."
Following their words, Sgt. 1st Class Mack Julien, a New Orleans native, who serves as an enlisted advisor to Hammond, and Al Abdelazim, of Fort Hood, Texas, who serves as Hammond's cultural advisor, walked the viewers through a traditional Iraqi feast of thanks, presenting them with original Iraqi dishes and the history behind Iraq's holiday similar to Thanksgiving, known as the Great Feast.
"When the families get together, they have amazing cuisines that are prepared for 30-40 people," explained Al.
After learning the Arabic names for salad, turkey, pita bread and several other dishes, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Sharon McCray, of Fort Worth, Texas, who serves as the food advisor with 4th Inf. Div. and MND-B, reassured the Soldier's families that while their loved ones may be far from home, they won't be far from abundant amounts of food.
"We required roughly fifty 40-foot semi trailers to deliver Thanksgiving Day decorations and food items from Kuwait," McCray said. "I have to break it down to give you an idea of the amount of food items that have been shipped to Iraq to ensure your spouse receives the best Thanksgiving meal available."
The last guest speaker was Cpt. Charlsey Mahle, who serves as company commander for HSC, DSTB, 4th Inf. Div. She spoke to the viewers about the opening of the new section in the Ironhorse Oasis dining facility that will be able to seat more than 300 more Soldiers. The expansion will provide additional space as well as two specialty rooms that can be reserved for events.
"The final room is what we've named our "Steadfast and Loyal Remembrance Room," Mahle said. "This room will be dedicated tomorrow [Nov. 26], to three of our fallen Soldiers and will serve as a constant reminder to us of the sacrifices they made for our freedoms."
After all the speakers finished, the floor was opened to questions from the Soldiers and families back in the States.
Many topics of discussion were presented, such as the move to Fort Carson, Colo., post deployment concerns, the progress of security in Baghdad, and the response Iraq has had with the U.S. presidential elections.
Hammond concluded the meeting by expressing his gratitude to the families and his pride in their strength along with the strength and unity of the Ironhorse Soldiers.
"It's hard being at war. It's harder being a family with a Soldier at war, and it's harder being a family with a Soldier at war during times like Thanksgiving," he said. "I would love to be in Mississippi with my family right now, but to be honest, this year I think we would rather be here with each other, shoulder to shoulder, back to back."
As the success of the meeting settled in the minds of all who tuned in, the 4th Inf. Div. Band played the Division March and the participants sang along with pride.
| Date Taken: | 11.26.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 11.26.2008 14:03 |
| Story ID: | 26843 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 172 |
| Downloads: | 59 |
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