Photo By Spc. Jason Dangel | U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey Jr. speaks with Staff Sgt. Christina...... read more read more
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By Sgt. Jason Dangel
4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the Army's Chief of Staff, made an official visit to the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, to take part in a mass reenlistment and awards ceremony at one of the "Iron Eagle" brigade's maintenance hangars at Camp Taji Dec. 22.
During his stopover at the 4th CAB, Casey took time to address hundreds of leaders and Soldiers who gathered inside the maintenance bay to greet the 36th Chief of Staff of the Army.
Before the general took to the podium, Col. Patrick Tierney, commander, 4th CAB, introduced the five awardees and 50 reenlistmees to the 38-year veteran leader, describing them as a living testament of the Army Values.
"The actions of the Soldiers before you exemplify the highest standards of selfless service," he said to the mass of "Iron Eagle" Soldiers gathered to hear from the general. "...to properly recognize their achievements, it is my pleasure to introduce the 36th Chief of Staff of the Army, Gen. Casey."
Quickly thereafter, and over the sound of thunderous applause, Casey approached the microphone and immediately wished everyone a Merry Christmas and expressed how grateful he was to be with the Soldiers of the 4th CAB.
"I'm basically wrapping up an around-the-world trip today," Casey explained. "I've been to Korea, Japan, Afghanistan, Kuwait and now here in Iraq."
"I will tell you that it is absolutely striking to me the difference that the men and women of our Army can make no matter where you put them in the world," he continued. "America is a beacon of hope for the world, and that light is able to shine because of the men and women of our Army and all our Armed Forces – and I saw that every place I went."
After thanking the "Iron Eagle" Soldiers for their dedication to duty and contribution to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Casey addressed prominent issues facing the state of the Army.
During his discussion with the troops, the general noted that significant improvements have been made to allow Soldiers to live more balanced lives and also mentioned that dwell time, or the time Soldiers have at home between deployments, will steadily increase as the size of the Army increases.
"There is no question that we are deploying at a rate we cannot sustain, and we are deploying at a rate that doesn't allow us to have enough time at home to prepare to do other things," he said.
"We have been growing the Army since 2007. The President told us to increase the size of the Army by 75,000, and what that means, obviously, the more folks we have, the less you have to deploy."
Casey explained that the goal set forth to meet the growth objective was originally estimated to be complete by 2012, but due to the success of new enlistments and retention efforts the goal is estimated to be completed sometime next year.
Currently there are more than 545,000 Soldiers on active duty status. Once the growth objective is complete the Army will be more than 600,000 strong with 48 fully functional brigade combat teams ready to protect and serve the nation.
"This year the time at home between deployments is about 12 months. Next year it will be almost 18 months. The year after that it will be 18 months. And the year after that almost 24 months," he said.
"We will see gradual improvement in the amount of time spent at home between deployments. That will allow us to get better settled and also allow us to train for future missions. That is the direction we're headed."
After Casey concluded his speech to the Soldiers amassed inside the hangar, he presented awards to five members of the "Iron Eagle" brigade.
Casey presented the Air Medal with Valor to Chief Warrant Officer 2 Matthew Nall, an aeromedical pilot from Lubbock, Texas, Staff Sgt. Christina Martinez, a flight medic from Alamogordo, N.M., and Spc. Lakwan Bonsu, a crew chief from Bronx, N.Y., all members of Company C, 2nd Battalion, 4th CAB.
Nall, Martinez and Bonsu were presented the awards because of their contribution to the rescue of four Iraqi national police officers from the top of a burning building in eastern Baghdad last July.
The other award recipients were Chief Warrant Officer 4 Kevin Smith and Chief Warrant Officer 2 David Kuschel, from Hayward, Wis., both Apache attack helicopter pilots from Co. A, 4th Bn., 4th CAB.
Smith and Kuschel both received and Air Medals for their actions during the rescue as part of the Air Weapons Team responsible for ensuring the safety of the aviation medical evacuation crew while they lifted the police officers off the roof.
After the awards presentation, Casey administered the oath of reenlistment to 50 "Iron Eagle" Soldiers, who chose to stay Army Strong. Afterward, he posed for photographs and congratulated the Soldiers for their continuation of service to the United States.
| Date Taken: | 12.24.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 12.24.2008 11:25 |
| Story ID: | 28105 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 280 |
| Downloads: | 161 |
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