Photo By Staff Sgt. Nathaniel Smith | Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, commander of Multi-national Division-Baghdad, congratulates Maj....... read more read more
By Spc. Nathaniel Smith
4th IBCT, 1st Inf. Div. Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Soldiers with a wealth of experience gained through deployment are one of the most valuable resources to the Army, and keeping these troops around is one of the primary ways to keep the "Army Strong."
Career counselors in the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division have embraced that strategy, earning the Multi-national Division-Baghdad Commanding General's Retention Award for having the most reenlistments of any brigade in the division.
Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil Jr., the commanding general of Multi-National Division-Baghdad, honored the unit by presenting the award to Col. Ricky Gibbs, commander of the 4th IBCT from Harker Heights, Texas, in a ceremony at the brigade's headquarters on Forward Operating Base Falcon, Nov. 20.
The 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 4th IBCT received the honor at the battalion-level, having reenlisted 79 Soldiers, 64 more than their initial goal of 15.
Sgt. 1st Class Tito Reed, the senior career counselor of the 4th IBCT, attributed the unit's success to the command climate within the brigade.
"The commanders and first sergeants are involved in their Soldiers' decisions to continue their careers in the Army," the Long Island, N.Y., native said. "Command influence has always been a good thing here in the brigade. We always have all the support all the way down to the troop and company level."
Sgt. 1st Class Juan Cruz, the career counselor for 1-4 Cav. from Arecibo, P.R., said the success also reflects the way retention noncommissioned officers go about their business.
"We don't go out there trying to force them to do something they don't want to do," he said. "We actually let them tell us what they want us to do for them and we go out of our way to get it for them."
In the 2007 fiscal year, career counselors throughout the 4th IBCT got the 432 Soldiers who reenlisted almost five million dollars in bonuses.
For Reed, taking care of Soldiers by getting them bonuses, schools or choice duty stations is what it's all about.
"We're doing great things here; we continue to do those things and help these Soldiers. That's our main goal: to help the Soldiers in their careers," he said. "We don't do it for the recognition. It's great we get it, but we do it to make sure we're building a better foundation for our future Soldiers and leaders."
Cruz credited all the sections in his unit for helping him help the troops.
"I cannot take the full responsibility for the awards because it was not only me. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time with the right atmosphere," Cruz said. "At 1-4 Cav., the whole unit was part of this. It goes from the personnel section helping me out with whatever administrative paperwork we needed to our communications section making sure I was always up and running to our supply making sure I had the equipment I needed to do my job. I wish they had been here, too, because they were a part of this also."
| Date Taken: | 11.26.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 11.27.2007 14:08 |
| Story ID: | 14218 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 73 |
| Downloads: | 62 |
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