703rd BSB dons 3rd Inf. Div. combat patch

Photo By Cpl. Peter Miller | Bangladeshis surround the landing zone as a CH-53 Sea Stallion transport helicopter lands in Patuakhali, Bangladesh. The amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit are providing humanitarian aid to the victims of Cyclone Sidr, which tore through Bangladesh, Nov. 15.  

ISKANDARIYAH, IRAQ

12.04.2007

Story by Capt. Constance Quinlan 

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

Capt. Constance Quinlan
4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office

FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq- Soldiers of the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion joined the honored ranks of Dog Face Soldiers, Dec.2. The ceremony was held one day after the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, assumed control of the Vanguard area of operation.

As a light drizzle heralded the onset of the rainy season, four companies of maintainers gathered outside the Kalsu Aid Station to hold separate combat patch ceremonies. The ceremonies were presided over by Lt. Col John Chadbourne, commander, 703rd BSB, and Cmd. Sgt. Maj. Harry Jeffries, command sergeant major of the 703rd BSB.

Chadbourne expressed his pride for the battalion, assuring the Army's newest veterans that the occasion was well-deserved.

"[This] may not feel like combat, but you are under a constant threat, and you should never diminish what you are doing," Chadbourne said. "Everything you do impacts the mission of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, the 3rd Infantry Division and the United States Army."

Chadbourne added that each Soldier should take pride in joining the small group of American warriors throughout history who have stepped up and answer their nation's call in a time of need.

After the ceremony, all the Soldiers will wear the 3rd Infantry Division shoulder sleeve insignia as combat patches while deployed. Jeffries explained that this gesture symbolizes Soldiers' pride in the unit with which they are currently serving in combat.

The 703rd BSB traces its combat roots to 1942, when the then 703rd Ordnance Maintenance Company supported the 3rd Infantry Division in World War II. Its most recent tour was in 2005, supporting the Vanguard Brigade in Operation Iraqi Freedom III.

• Date Taken: 12.04.2007
• Date Posted: 12.04.2007 13:08
• Story ID: 14411
• Location: ISKANDARIYAH, IQ