All hands on deck for admiral's visit to Mosul

Photo By Bradley Clark | Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, answers questions from Soldiers of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Oct. 4, at Forward Operating Base Marez, Iraq. Mullen made the journey to Mosul to find out what are the major concerns dealing with deployed Soldiers.  

MOSUL, IRAQ

10.09.2007

Courtesy Story

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

By Spc. Bradley J. Clark and Staff Sgt. Paula Taylor
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

MOSUL, Iraq— The top uniformed member of the United States military journeyed to Forward Operating Base Marez, Iraq, Oct. 4, to visit with the troops stationed in Ninevah province.

Admiral Mike Mullen, newly-appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is currently touring the country and made a stop in Mosul to get input from those who are on the ground and to thank the service members for their commitment to the military.

Prior to meeting with the troops, he met with the leadership of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, who briefed him about their mission and the security situation throughout Ninevah province.

"I've sat for the better part of the last hour or so and looked at your mission and I've looked at what's happened," said Mullen. "I was talking to the brigade commander (Col. Stephen Twitty, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division) and told him I would love to bottle what you've done and spread this around the country. The ability to train the Iraqi leaders here, and the ability to train them so they could come in and take responsibility, is extraordinary. I want to congratulate you for all you have done."

Mullen said that although the Long Knife Brigade's efforts in the province have been successful, he still thinks about all the changes the world is experiencing and how that impacts the current military mission.

"When people ask me what keeps me awake at night and what I worry about, I'm very concerned about the Middle East and getting that right," said Mullen. "Secondly, I am concerned about where we are at with our ground forces, particularly the Army, and have been for some time. I remember (from Vietnam) one-year deployments. You can do them once, you can do them twice, you can do them three times, and back then in a force that was a draft force, it starts to come unwound. In that regard, we are a different force in that we are a volunteer force, but at the same time, at some point in time, you reach your limits. It's been a huge concern of mine, from a leadership position, to make sure that we are able to sustain this ground force in a world that is pretty dangerous. It isn't going to get any less dangerous in the near future. The ground forces are our center of gravity for our United States military right now, so that is a huge concern."

During his visit with the troops, Mullen also expressed the need for the service members to continue to take care of one another.

"The re-enlistment rates here over the last year have been pretty extraordinary," said Mullen. "Morale seems to be sky high over the last several years. We need to focus very heavily on making sure we get it right for our people and for our families and that we have challenging jobs, good advancement systems, that you're able to take a break, you're able to raise a family, that you get some free time, that you have great support systems...I believe there is leadership potential for everyone. We need to allow people to grow and mentor them. I ask that you think about that in your day-to-day activities and how you make a difference in somebody else's life. Take care of yourselves and each other. Keep doing what you're doing. You've done great things, you really have."

Before taking questions from the group of nearly 300 troops, Mullen extended his gratitude and acknowledged the sacrifices they have made.

"We are a country that has been in existence for over 230 years; our country has always placed the burden of war on our young people, and you are it," said Mullen. "I don't take for granted for a second the fact that you've raised your right hand and you've sworn to support and defend the Constitution of our great nation, and there isn't a day that I go to work that I'm not thinking about what's going on here and in other places around the world where you're serving. Your service really makes a difference so I'm very grateful for that."

• Date Taken: 10.09.2007
• Date Posted: 10.09.2007 09:46
• Story ID: 12786
• Location: MOSUL, IQ