Courtesy Photo | Lt. Col. John Cross (second from left), commander of 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry...... read more read more
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By: Spc. William K. Ermatinger
CAMP TAJI, Iraq — Soldiers with 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment “Vanguards,” 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, United States Division – Center were authorized to wear the “Big Red One” shoulder sleeve insignia – former wartime service, better known as a “combat patch” Dec. 21 during a ceremony at Camp Taji, Iraq. The unit also recognized 13 soldiers who were part of a convoy struck by two roadside bombs.
Twelve infantrymen received the Combat Infantryman Badge. The 13th soldier, a medic, received the Combat Medical Badge.
First platoon, Company A, 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt., 2nd AAB, was conducting a joint patrol with the Iraqi Army Dec. 5 in northern Baghdad when the patrol was struck by multiple improvised explosive devices.
“We had just finished our mission and were getting ready to return to base,” said Pfc. Maxwell Hrics, an infantryman with Company A, 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt., 2nd AAB and a Washington, D.C., native. “Just as we had just turned around to head home, I heard the first explosion. Then the second explosion went off, but it was much closer.”
Pfc. Michael Canales, the platoon medic and a Corpus Christi, Texas, native— nicknamed “Doc” by the platoon—was with the patrol that night.
“I heard an explosion and looked to my right,” Canales said. “Just then, a second explosion hit the vehicle I was riding in. I wanted to make sure everyone was alright. We just instinctively pulled the gunner in to have a look at him. He was OK, and we let everyone know over the radio that everybody was unharmed.”
“That night was a learning experience for all of us who have never seen any action,” said Pfc. Jeff Childress, an infantryman with Company A, 1st Bn., 18th Inf. Regt., 2nd AAB and a Richmond, Va., native. “The reality of what could happen, and the cost we could pay, makes me proud to have the standards that we do. It makes me strive to be my best.”
The Combat Infantryman Badge was created by the War Department on Oct. 27, 1943, and was once popularly called the “Fighter Badge.” The Combat Medical Badge was created in January 1945, and is awarded to medics supporting infantry units during active ground combat. To date, more than 41,000 Combat Infantryman Badges and 12,000 Combat Medical Badges have been awarded during Operations Iraqi Freedom and New Dawn.
Following the combat badge presentations, nearly 400 Soldiers assigned and attached to the Vanguard Battalion at Camp Taji, Iraq were awarded shoulder sleeve insignia – former wartime service by their chains of command. Wearing the insignia signifies that the soldier has served in a combat zone.
| Date Taken: | 12.21.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.02.2011 09:44 |
| Story ID: | 62892 |
| Location: | CAMP TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 67 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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