Actor Joshua Bitton thanks 3rd ID soldiers

Photo By Sgt. Amanda Rengifo | Lt. Col. Nathan Swartz, right, and Command Sgt. Maj. Michael Mosier, left, the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, command team, present actor and guest speaker, Joshua Bitton, a flag, Jan. 17, 2014, in Savannah, Ga., The flag was flown over the battalion’s headquarters on Forward Operating Base Shank, Afghanistan, during the Maintain Battalion’s recent combat tour. Bitton met with soldiers and thanked them for their service during the battalion’s ball. (U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Amanda Rengifo, 4th IBCT, 3rd ID, Public Affairs)  

SAVANNAH, GA, UNITED STATES

01.17.2014

Story by Sgt. Sarah Bailey 

4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, held a ball, Jan. 17, in Savannah, to celebrate their success during their most recent deployment to Afghanistan.

The guest speaker for the event was actor, Joshua Bitton, from the HBO series “The Pacific” and the ABC series “Castle.”

Prior to the production “The Pacific,” Bitton had a very limited understanding of the demands service members face until he and his cast mates traveled to Australia for an intense military boot camp in the Australian rain forest. The actors spent their days running through the forest, learning how to operate weapon systems, move tactically, and most importantly, the importance of building unity with one another.

Those weeks of grueling physical training were enough to open Bitton's eyes to the demands of being a soldier in today's military. Going into the training exercise, he expected the training to be physically challenging but he was unprepared for the mental demands of the process. On the first day of training, Bitton had to watch his entire platoon do pushups for his mistake and that experience forever opened his eyes to the selflessness and loyalty service members in today’s military have for one another. “Men and women in the military do what they do for each other – it’s like a giant team sport with real stakes,” Bitton said.

The experience sparked something inside the actor and he began giving back in every way he could by volunteering his time to numerous Wounded Warrior events and took it upon himself personally to thank those who have served. Therefore, when Bitton was asked through a family friend to speak at the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion ball, he immediately agreed to be a part of the unit’s event.

During his speech, Bitton discussed his experiences during the production of “The Pacific” but mostly he used the opportunity to thank the soldiers for their sacrifices and dedication to serve the United States of America.

Sgt. Kayla Conrad, a motor transport operator with Company A, 703rd BSB, and Greeley, Colo., native, attended the event and found Bitton’s speech to be very relatable to the experiences Soldiers face. Bitton shared stories of living out of a tent, waking up before the sun to run five miles before long days of intense training, and how those experiences brought the actors together and built a team dynamic unlike any other Bitton had ever experience while shooting a film.

“When you meet someone who is proud of what the military does and is willing to give up his time to fly across the country to thank us it’s amazing.” Conrad said.

“This is the most humbling thing and probably the biggest honor anyone has ever asked me to do,” said Bitton, who currently is performing in theater and recently landed a role in the upcoming season in the CBS drama, “CSI.”

• Date Taken: 01.17.2014
• Date Posted: 01.30.2014 12:17
• Story ID: 119852
• Location: SAVANNAH, GA, US
• Hometown: GREELEY, CO, US