1-15 Inf. Regt. Soldier re-enlists after stop-loss

Photo By Sgt. Natalie Loucks | Lt. Col. Jack Marr, from Minneapolis, commander of the1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, and Sgt. Adam Hedrick, from Corona, Calif., a Soldier in the 1-15th Inf. Regt., proudly display Hedrick's re-enlistment certificate during a ceremony, Nov. 15, at Combat Outpost Cleary, Iraq.  

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, IRAQ

11.20.2007

Story by Sgt. Natalie Loucks 

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division

By Sgt. Natalie Rostek
3rd Brigade Combat Team

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, Iraq – A 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Soldier re-enlisted Nov. 15 at Combat Outpost Cleary, after being deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom V on stop-loss status.

Sgt. Adam Hedrick, from Corona, Calif., a Soldier in 1-15th Inf. Regt., was scheduled to end his three-year term of military service in March. As part of the surge, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, deployed to Iraq three months early. Instead of getting out of the Army, Hedrick was put on stop-loss status, keeping him in the unit through the deployment.

"I didn't have a solid plan for getting out so the stop-loss didn't bother me as much as some may think," Hedrick said. "I had options, but I hadn't decided on anything."

Hedrick, who re-enlisted for three more years, said re-enlisting had always been an option for him. He just wanted to make certain it was the best to achieve his goals later in life.

"I want to use the time I re-enlisted to go to school," he said. "This way, when my contract runs out again, I'll have a better foundation for a future as a civilian."

Lt. Col. Jack Marr, Minneapolis, commander of the 1-15th Inf. Regt., said he had been trying to talk Hedrick into re-enlisting. He realized Hedrick's talent as a Soldier was something the Army couldn't afford to lose.

"He is a great young man," Marr said. "The Army needs him to stay for his experience and his ability to lead and train Soldiers."

Hedrick was previously deployed in support of OIF III, serving with Company A, 1-15th Inf. Regt. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant, Nov. 1.

The 1-15th Inf. Regt. has had great success in re-enlistment, according to Sgt. 1st Class Thomas Olsen, Goldendale, Wash., non-commissioned officer in charge of re-enlistment for the 3rd BCT. The unit had the highest number of Soldiers re-enlist out of the entire brigade for fiscal year 2007.

Sgt. 1st Class David Shannon, from Columbia, S.C., attributes this success to the leadership in the battalion.

"The morale in 1-15th Inf. Regt. is among the highest of any unit I have ever served in, in the 17 years I've been in the Army," Shannon said. "Command climate has everything to do with the reason Soldiers re-enlist."

Shannon said he doesn't look at success in terms of numbers.

"It's not about the numbers," he said. "It's about the individual Soldier. What is the best plan of action for each individual Soldier?"

The 1-15th Inf. Regt. is assigned to the 3rd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom V since March.

• Date Taken: 11.20.2007
• Date Posted: 11.20.2007 13:42
• Story ID: 14074
• Location: FORWARD OPERATING BASE HAMMER, IQ