Courtesy Photo | Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, cut a cake in...... read more read more
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ADANA, Turkey - The dining room erupted with cheers as Maj. Alan Faye, the executive officer of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, approached the podium to introduce the guest speaker for the evening. Immediately following his introduction, Col. Gregory Brady, the commander of the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, walked toward the podium. Not to be outdone by Maj. Faye’s ovation, however, Col. Brady suddenly performed a walking handstand, surprising all in attendance and earning boisterous applause. Once the audience had settled, Col. Brady delivered a spirited speech thanking the battalion and its partners for their work over the last year. Such marked enthusiasm of all the attendees and distinguished guests at the battalion’s farewell dinner on Nov. 22 was a testament to the battalion’s excitement over the approaching end of an 11-month deployment in Turkey.
After several months of watching the skies over Gaziantep, Turkey, the soldiers of 3-2 ADA enjoyed an evening of camaraderie and fellowship at the unit’s “Farewell Dinner,” reflecting on the mission accomplishments and highlights. The event also honored a long-standing artillery tradition known as Saint Barbara’s Day, in which several distinguished members of the battalion were inducted into the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara. The dinner offered soldiers and leaders the opportunity to get away from their usual area of operations, to which they had been confined for several months, and celebrate the end of their deployment in a relaxed setting. Unlike other military dinners, however, it was tailored to take place in a deployed environment with several distinguished guests from 3-2 ADA’s sister NATO units and higher headquarters.
“I think the dinner is important because it brings us together as a unit and facilitates cohesion,” said Spc. Kayla Graham, an automated logistical specialist for the battalion’s Charlie Battery, who was one of the dinner’s 130 attendees. She also noted, “[The dinner] gives us an opportunity to see more of the city rather than being at the barracks all the time.”
In December 2012, the Patriot unit had been called from its home station at Fort Sill, Okla., to deploy along with a German Patriot battery and a Dutch Patriot battery to a NATO request to counter ballistic missile threats from Syria. The nature of the unit’s mission during the deployment had not afforded the Soldiers much opportunity to engage in social events, but 3-2 ADA battalion commander Lt. Col. John Dawber felt that a traditional social gathering was a much needed change of pace for the unit, as well as a valuable opportunity to show thanks to the NATO partners and the 39th Air Base Wing at Incirlik Air Base, which had provided logistical support to the battalion throughout its operation in Gaziantep.
The venue for the farewell dinner was a Turkish officers’ club that served traditional Turkish fare, including chicken and lamb kebabs and pistachio baklava. The sequence of events within the dinner was based on military tradition, but there were a few things that made it special.
“[The farewell dinner] is like traditional dinners because its purpose is to recognize leaders within our formation, not only for their accomplishments here, but also for the accomplishments of the past and their contributions to the Air Defense Artillery branch as a whole,” said 3-2 ADA Battalion Command sergeant major, Command Sgt. Maj. Perry McNeill. “It’s different because not only are we hosting our Turkish allies, but our German and Dutch allies [and] our higher headquarters from FORSCOM as well as EUCOM. It’s rare if not unprecedented that you will have an event represented by such a spectrum of leaders during an active deployment.”
Special guests included Col. Eric Sanchez, the deputy commanding officer from the 32nd AAMDC, Col. Jerome Wizda and Chief Master Sgt. Anthony Johnson of the 39th Air Base Wing of Incirlik Air Base, and the commanders and command sergeants major from the Dutch and German partners of the NATO Operation.
The format for the dinner contained the customary Saint Barbara’s Day events, such as induction of selected members of the unit into the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara, observance of the Fallen Soldiers’ Table, and a “grog” ceremony, which was a highlight of entertainment for the evening. Each command team within the battalion, as well as representatives from the Warrant Officer Corps and Non Commissioned Officer Corps, performed a short skit as they poured specific ingredients into a bowl to concoct a creation known as the grog. Each ingredient represented something from the unit’s history, but alcoholic beverages were not allowed due to the nature of the deployment. Sgt. 1st Class Jessica Wells, who represented the NCO Corps, added blue Gatorade as the last liquid ingredient to the grog in place of blue curacao, to represent “the blue NATO skies that are forever safe under the watchful gaze of Air Defenders.” Once the grog was complete, Col. Brady declared it “fit for consumption,” and each inductee into the Honorable Order of Saint Barbara secured a drink as a final part of their induction ceremony.
According to tradition, the Order of Saint Barbara recognizes individuals who have demonstrated the highest standards of integrity and moral character, displayed an outstanding degree of competence, and served the United States Army and Air Defense Artillery branch with honor. Twelve members of the battalion were selected and inducted into the Order, with one special inductee. Lt. Col. Goksel Toprak, the commander of the Turkish Military Police at the base where 3-2 ADA conducted operations was also awarded a Saint Barbara Medal and inducted into the Order as a significant demonstration of camaraderie and dedication to partnership between the United States and Turkey. Col. Brady remarked that it was an “honor and pleasure” for him to induct Lt. Col. Toprak into the Order of Saint Barbara, and that it was the first time he had inducted someone from another country into the Order.
To the soldiers in attendance, the induction ceremony was also a point of great significance for the evening. Sgt. Zackary Perez, a Patriot Launching Station Enhanced Operator/Maintainer from “B” battery, said, “It is great to see the Turks and Americans getting together. It shows how we are building our bond with our allies.”
The evening was filled with good cheer and merriment as soldiers and leaders alike enjoyed each other’s company, delicious food, and reflection on the events and accomplishments of the deployment. The evening was also filled with humor as some of the events of the dinner included inside jokes that had occurred within the unit over the course of the deployment. Upon the conclusion of the formal portion of the evening, attendees were scattered throughout the dining room, congratulating the new members of the Order of Saint Barbara, taking group photos, and enjoying slices of cake. Without a doubt, 3-2 ADA’s farewell dinner was not only a much needed event to bring cohesion to the unit as they prepared to return to the United States, but also to celebrate their historic mission in Turkey and the vital partnerships that made it possible.
| Date Taken: | 12.02.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 12.02.2013 09:24 |
| Story ID: | 117596 |
| Location: | GAZIANTEP, 1, TR |
| Web Views: | 1,350 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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