Photo By Sgt. 1st Class April Davis | U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., (second from left) meets with Command Sgt. Maj. John...... read more read more
BAGHDAD - U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., visited soldiers with the Montana Army National Guard’s 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, based out of Belgrade, Mont., Jan. 19 at Victory Base Complex in Baghdad. The 1st CAB is currently serving under the 224th Sustainment Brigade, 103rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary) in support of Operation New Dawn.
Tester took time out of his schedule, meeting with military and political leaders in Iraq, to thank Montana Soldiers for their service. The senator met with the commander of 1st CAB, 163rd Inf. Regt., Lt. Col. Theodore Hull, a Helena, Mont., native; senior enlisted advisor for the battalion, Command Sgt. Maj. John Wood, a Corvallis, Mont., native; and Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Sgt. Jonathan Simons, a Stevensville, Mont., native, and Spc. Justin Vanbuskirk, a Bozeman, Mont., native. Tester also met Sgt. Robert Gilham, a Billings, Mont., native, serving with the 86th Combat Support Hospital at Victory Base Complex.
“The senator thanked us and said he’s praying for us,” said Hull. “We appreciate that he took the time to visit with us. It was a highlight, especially for these young soldiers to have this opportunity.”
During the meeting Hull explained the unit’s convoy security mission to the senator. Hull said this meeting was the second time Tester had personally thanked him for the battalion’s service in support of Operation New Dawn. Tester called Hull and expressed support for the battalion in November as the unit was departing Camp Shelby, Miss., on its way to Iraq.
“I was getting ready to put 600 soldiers on a plane to go down-range and I get a call on my cell phone,” said Hull. “The voice on the other end was Sen. Tester wishing us well on our deployment.”
Hull said little things like the senator’s phone call, his recent visit in Baghdad, and all the care packages and letters from Montana citizens make his soldiers feel appreciated.
Tester echoed the support of Montana citizens in a Jan. 19 press release after visiting the Montana soldiers.
“Folks in every corner of our state know that we’ve got good reason to be proud of the Montanans who serve our country,” he said. “Visiting with these folks reinforces, for me, that the Montana tradition of service to country is alive and well and that Montanans have an awful lot to be proud of.”
| Date Taken: | 01.19.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.13.2011 14:00 |
| Story ID: | 65361 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 163 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Montana senator visits troops in Baghdad, by SFC April Davis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
