Photo By Staff Sgt. Jesse Anderla | The El Paso Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Andrea Hutchins presents Brig....... read more read more
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EL PASO, Texas - The 1st Armored Division joined the El Paso Chamber of Commerce for its State of the Military event for the first time since 2019 at the Paso del Norte Hotel Aug. 4.
The chamber invited Brig. Gen. Michael Simmering, deputy commanding general of operations, 1st Armored Division, to speak at the event.
"By my count, it's been a while since we've been able to do anything like this," Simmering said. "It almost feels normal."
The city of El Paso and Fort Bliss have had a long-standing relationship. However, the COVID-19 pandemic limited the community events that organizations could hold and the opportunity for community members to connect with leaders and Soldiers serving at Fort Bliss for the past few years. This event highlighted a renewed emphasis and commitment to reconnect the community with its military.
"I'm not sure if my standing here is a sign of a return to normalcy or not. A more apt description is that it is probably a sign of progress," Simmering said.
During the event, the chamber's Chief Executive Officer Andrea Hutchins discussed the importance of the connection between the City of El Paso and Fort Bliss, which was emphasized by Simmering throughout his remarks.
He provided the community leaders in attendance an overview of what the division and Fort Bliss accomplished over the last year, including supporting operations abroad with more than 7,000 Soldiers deployed to Korea, and Operation Allies Welcome. He then turned it to current operations highlighting rotations to the National Training Center and the Combat Aviation Brigade's deployment to Europe in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which demonstrates the U.S.'s commitment to NATO and enhancing bonds between ally and partner militaries.
Simmering highlighted the Army's recruiting challenges and how important it is for the community to continue to support young men and women who are considering military service.
"That's why you will see the leadership of the Army and leaders at Fort Bliss pushing harder to get back out into the community to reinvigorate the enduring friendships we have had with the El Paso community," he stated.
He closed out his remarks with the modernization efforts taking Fort Bliss into the future. In the next year, Fort Bliss expects to receive three additional engineer companies and a short range air defense artillery battalion, resulting in a growth of about 1,000 soldiers. More modernization efforts may include elements of the 1st Armored Division receiving additional electronic warfare capabilities and the addition of an extended range artillery battalion.
"Your efforts, our partnership, have made our part in this transformation possible. Without community leaders, without our partnership, Fort Bliss cannot hope to lead this change for our Army," Simmering emphasized.
Hutchins, who is also a spouse of a Fort Bliss Soldier, thanked Simmering for speaking to the group and closed out the event by recognizing him with a certificate.
| Date Taken: | 08.05.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.08.2022 17:11 |
| Story ID: | 426812 |
| Location: | EL PASO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 161 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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