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CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait—The Sergeant Major of the Army, Sgt. Maj. Kenneth O. Preston and an entourage of entertainers visited with service members at Camp Buehring Thursday during the Sergeant Major of the Army Hope and Freedom Tour of 2010.
After arriving at the Udairi Airfield at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Preston led a meet and greet with the 1/201st command staff and various other Sergeant's Major and First Sergeant's. The visit included two other meet and greets at two separate locations where the entertainers and Preston signed autographs and posed for pictures.
Master Sgt. Keith Bibb from Oak Hill, West Virginia was excited for Preston’s visit.
“Sgt. Maj. Preston is a legend and it was an amazing opportunity to meet someone of his status in the Army,” explained Bibb. “His face is posted on every Army National Guard armory wall and it was enlightening to meet the man behind that glass frame.”
Soldiers of all services rushed to shake Preston’s hand. Many recalled meeting him on previous tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan while others were ecstatic to meet him for the first time.
“As a non-commissioned officer, I was very honored to shake hands with Sgt. Major Preston,” admitted Staff Sgt. Angela Kyle, the contracting officer representative for the 201st from Fairmont, W.V.
“I appreciated the time and sacrifice of all the entertainers that comprised the Hope and Freedom Tour,” continued Kyle. “I especially enjoyed speaking to Emily West and Chonda Pierce; they were quite talkative and were very interested in hearing my perspective on the military as a female.”
Spc. Jeremiah Morgan, an intelligence analyst for the 201st from Neola, W.V. spoke shortly with Keni Thomas and Buddy Jewell, receiving autographed pictures before leaving early to begin his shift at the Camp Buehring Command Cell. Morgan enjoyed the short visit with the artists and joyfully shook Buddy Jewell’s hand and expressing his gratitude for the visit.
“During the holiday season, soldiers recollect on past Christmas’s spent with families,” explained Morgan, “and too often soldiers feel depressed and often alone during this time of the year. Seeing the entertainers’ smiles reminded me that home is just a smile away and everything will be alright.”
For at least a day, the Hope and Freedom Tour broke the monotony of daily life for soldiers permanently stationed at Camp Buehring, Kuwait and the hundreds of transient soldiers present. The autographs and photos may fade over time but the memories made over the course of this day will be ingrained in the service members’ minds forever.
| Date Taken: | 12.16.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.20.2010 05:47 |
| Story ID: | 62310 |
| Location: | CAMP BUEHRING, KW |
| Web Views: | 219 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Camp Buehring Soldiers Welcome the Hope and Freedom Tour, by SFC Debra Richardson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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