209 3rd AAB Soldiers reenlist in three-location ceremony

Photo By Pvt. Deangelo Wells | Brig. Gen. Ricky Gibbs, deputy commanding general-maneuver, United States Division-South, congratulates soldiers from Task Force Eagle, 1st Bn. 8th Inf. Reg., 3rd AAB, 4th Inf. Div, after administering the re-enlistment oath to the formation of 61 soldiers, Oct. 9. A total of 209 Iron Brigade soldiers took part in the mass ceremony at five locations across southern Iraq and Kuwait.  

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IRAQ

10.09.2010

Story by Maj. Alan Brown 

3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq - At the halfway point of their current deployment, 209 soldiers from 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, simultaneously raised their right hands and reaffirmed the enlistment oath, Oct. 9 during a mass re-enlistment ceremony at five locations across southern Iraq and Kuwait.

Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, commanding general, United States Division-South, Brig. Gen. Randal Dragon, deputy commanding general--support, USD-S, and Brig. Gen. Ricky Gibbs, deputy commanding general--maneuver, USD-S, each administered the oath of enlistment to “Iron” Brigade soldiers at Camps Basra, Adder and Garry Owen, respectively.

Soldiers came together from 12 different bases across southern Iraq and Kuwait to take part in the concurrent ceremonies. Eighty-one soldiers took the oath Camp Basra, 64 at Camp Adder, and 61 at Camp Garry Owen. In addition, one soldier took the oath at Camp Cropper, and two re-enlisted in Kuwait.

“You have expressed an extension to your commitment to your service to our nation and not everyone does that in our nation. Really one percent of our fellow citizens. One percent,” said Brooks. “That’s how small of a group you’re in when you say ‘yes I will support and defend. Yes, I’ll do it again.’”

Brooks credited the soldiers’ chain of command, saying that soldiers will only want to stay in the Army if they have strong leadership and feel they are part of a great organization.

The number 209 is noteworthy, as it represents nearly half of the anticipated re-enlistment goal for the upcoming fiscal year. To put this into context, during FY 2010 the Iron Brigade’s re-enlistment goal was 472 for the entire year. That goal is anticipated to stay about the same this year.

To have 209 soldiers reenlist this early in the fiscal year is a tremendous accomplishment for the brigade, said Sgt. 1st Class Gregory Zielsdorf, of Conroe, Texas, brigade re-enlistment non-commissioned officer, 3rd AAB, 4th Inf. Div. He also noted that the 209 soldiers volunteered for a cumulative total of 961 years of service.

“It shows how effective and hard the battalion career counselors work to get their soldiers’ needs, wants, and desires met. Not just for the soldiers, but for their families as well,” said Zielsdorf.

Command Sgt. Maj. Miles Wilson, 3rd AAB senior enlisted advisor, said that the high number of re-enlistments is a direct reflection of the outstanding quality and dedication of this generation’s soldiers.

“The average soldier re-enlisting today is a specialist on his third deployment. They are combat veterans three times over, and they still want to serve their country and remain in an organization that provides for them and for their families,” he said.

For Sgt. Reginel Tagalicod, of Waipahu, Hawaii, a petroleum supply specialist, assigned to Company B, 64th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd AAB, this ceremony marks his fourth re-enlistment over an 11-year career. He said his motivation to stay Army is attributed to the soldiers he serves with every day.

“It’s the brotherhood,” he said. “It’s the people to my left and to my right that keep me going.”

Spc. Jonathan McMullen, of Lindale, Texas, cannon crew member assigned to the personal security detail at Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 3rd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd AAB, took the re-enlistment oath for the first time and said he plans to stay in until he can complete his college degree.

“Since the fourth grade, I’ve always wanted to join the military,” said McMullen. “I never had a doubt about re-enlisting.”

Soldiers who re-enlist while assigned to 3rd AAB, whether deployed or not, receive a four-day pass, a 30-day exemption from staff duty after redeployment and the opportunity to take a semester of college classes once back at Fort Carson, said Zielsdorf.

• Date Taken: 10.09.2010
• Date Posted: 10.10.2010 15:51
• Story ID: 57857
• Location: CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ