Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Joel Salgado | Major General Charles Costanza, the commander of 3rd Infantry Division, presents the...... read more read more
Subscribe
On a cool Monday morning, Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division kicked off Marne Week with their famous division run, Nov. 15. The run has been a division tradition for many years, although due to the COVID-19 pandemic they had not been able to conduct it last year. The morale-building run celebrates the proud lineage of the Dogface Soldier during the 104th anniversary of the “Rock of the Marne.”
Units from Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield formed-up in front of the division’s headquarters building to participate in a four-mile run. The run was led by the division's commanding general, Maj. Gen. Charles D. Costanza and the command sergeant major, Command Sgt. Maj. Quentin V. Fenderson. Nearly the entire division was on the installation to participate in this Marne Week, excepting one brigade’s headquarters and nearly two companies of personnel currently serving on three other continents.
“I ask that while you celebrate our 104th anniversary this week with the well-deserved downtime to have fun and compete, that you also remember our Division Sustainment Brigade [headquarters] is still deployed ... and you reflect on the service, sacrifice, and incredible bravery of the Dogface Soldiers before us,” Costanza said.
The day brought about the start of many other sporting and competition events.
“Marne Week is about competition and teamwork - that is the Dogface Soldier, carrying on the unit’s proud history, lineage and tradition of winning,” said Costanza. “We train hard all year to be able to answer our nation’s call and win, and you will see that same attitude this week on the courts, tracks, fields and mats. Our Dogface Soldiers are all here to win.“
The first day of Marne Week was closed out by the newest Fight Night event, where soldiers trained up and competed in a boxing match. Each match consisted of three, two-minute rounds, with the winner of each bout announced at the end of every match.
The Twilight Tattoo, held annually during Marne Week and Nov. 16 this year, featured music provided by the 3rd Infantry Division Band. It also included 104 soldiers reenlisting and reaffirming their commitment to the United States Army, as well as six recruits from the Hinesville Army Recruiting Center that recited their oath of enlistment into service. During the ceremony, many volunteers were also recognized for their service to the division.
The Family Day event on Wednesday brought together currently serving Dogface Soldiers, Veterans, Family members and the community to celebrate the division’s legacy. Units within the division provided static displays of the many different tactical vehicles and aircraft currently in use by Dogface Soldiers.
On Thursday, Nov. 18, the division paid tribute and honor to three distinct Dogface Soldiers by renaming three gates at Fort Stewart after them. Gates 1, 3 and 5 were renamed after the Distinguished Service Cross recipient Capt. Jesse Woolridge, Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Maurice Lee “Footsie” Britt and Medal of Honor recipient Cpl. Hiroshi H. “Hershey” Miyamura. The event was attended by Maj. Gen. Costanza, Command Sgt. Maj. Fenderson, the 3rd ID senior enlisted advisor, the Britt Family, and many other Soldiers, Family members, and civilians from throughout the Division.
The closing ceremony on Thursday afternoon concluded the celebrations and recognized the event winners from throughout the week. For the second time in a row, the defending champions were the Spartan Soldiers of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team. The title of “Best Battalion” was taken by the Soldiers of 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 2nd ABCT .
"The Spartan Brigade is grateful for the opportunity to compete with our fellow Dogface Soldiers that are back from deployment and send our wishes to those still deployed in support of our nation," said Col. Terry R. Tillis, commander of the 2nd ABCT. "This was a rare occurrence for Marne Week to include the majority of each of the division's brigades. We are humbled to serve alongside these amazing Soldiers and Families and excited we had the chance to compete once again."
On Friday the Society of the 3rd Infantry Division hosted a military ball for Soldiers, Veterans and Family members at the Jekyll Island Convention Center. The guest of honor was Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Martin S. Celestine Jr., the senior enlisted leader at the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. There were also 12 valorous and influential figures from the division’s storied 104-year history inducted into the Marne Hall of Fame.
“You all are awesome and did great, I hope y'all enjoyed the week,” said Costanza. “It's all about teamwork and camaraderie, thank you all for participating.”
| Date Taken: | 11.18.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 11.18.2021 17:33 |
| Story ID: | 409633 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 120 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Dogface Soldiers Celebrate Marne Week, by SGT Javiera Scott, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
