Courtesy Photo | Artillerymen receive their 'combat patches' during a ceremony at Balad, Iraq, July 18,...... read more read more
By 2nd Lt. Paul Durand
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division
BALAD, Iraq – The artillerymen assigned to 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Long Knife Brigade, started wearing the 1st Cav. Div.'s combat patch in a ceremony, July 18, 2008.
"Being able to say I have deployed is very special to me," said Sgt. Michael Clarke, an artilleryman from Midland, Texas. "Being in the Army is about deploying, and when I was able to wear the combat patch, it was both a very special and unique experience."
For the Long Knife Soldiers who currently wear a 4th Infantry Div. combat patch, this is at least their second deployment to Iraq. The 4th BCT, 1st Cav. Div. Long Knives recently re-flagged from the Ivy Division in March.
Staff Sgt. Richard Asher, an artilleryman from Reno, Nev., is on his fifth overseas deployment. Asher earned his first combat patch in 1991 while serving in Desert Storm. He recalled feeling a great sense of pride and accomplishment after he returned home from Kuwait.
"When I got back to my unit, and I saw the Soldiers that had not yet deployed, I felt that I had accomplished a lot," Asher explained. "It made me very proud to have deployed."
As the ceremony came to an end, Lt. Col. Timothy Daugherty, the 5th Bn. commander, stressed to his Soldiers the importance of the ceremony.
"Receiving your first combat patch is a very special thing," Daugherty said. "It shows you have what it takes to go through tough times. I'm very proud of each of you."
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 08.11.2008 07:57 |
| Story ID: | 22349 |
| Location: | BALAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 104 |
| Downloads: | 71 |
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