Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Angiene Hamilton | Sgt. 1st Class Oran Spradley, the movement fusion noncommissioned officer in charge...... read more read more
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – The mothers of Contingency Operating Base Adder were given special treatment in a two-part celebration that included a Mother’s Day tea party and a Mother’s Day barbeque.
The event was coordinated by soldiers of the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Special Troops Battalion, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, who are currently deployed to Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn.
The Mother’s Day celebration was sponsored by Capt. Tracet Bradley, the commander of the HHC, and hosted by Sgt. Suzanne Samson, an administrative assistant for the directorate of logistics and a Brooklyn, N.Y., native, both with the 4th STB.
“Although I am not a mother myself, I have seen the faces of mothers who have been separated from their little ones during this time and it is a heart-wrenching experience,” Bradley said.
“So when the opportunity came to celebrate the mothers of COB Adder, I asked how could I help and ensured my support without reservation.”
For the first part of the celebration, mothers gathered into the Mayor Cell conference room where they were treated to musical selections by COB Adder’s men’s choir. Male soldiers, who volunteered their time to make the day special, served refreshments and handed out gift bags.
“We know you are far from home, but we recognize that it’s Mother’s Day, and we appreciate you as moms, and we wanted you to come out in fellowship with us,” said Samson.
Staff Sgt. Shemeka Gulley, the logistical noncommissioned officer in charge with the 4th Sustainment Brigade, and a Jacksonville, N.C., native, said she appreciated the thought that went into putting the event together.
“It’s a good morale builder,” said Gulley, who is a mother of two. “Who would have thought that when we deployed to Iraq, there would be something special like this for mothers who had to leave their children to do their jobs?”
Later in the evening, the celebration continued at Memorial Hall where both male and female service members came out to listen to music, play games, win prizes and eat food hot off the grill in celebration of all the mothers on COB Adder.
“I’m deployed with a lot of soldiers that are females,” said Sgt. Dathan Toson, a garrison billeting sergeant with the 4th Sustainment Brigade, and an Albany, Ga., native. “I want to make sure that on their day they can maybe let the day-to-day stressors of this deployment go for a second and enjoy their day as a mother. I’m going to give the mothers all the support I can on their day.”
As the celebration came to an end, there were smiles on the faces of all the mothers of COB Adder that attended the event.
“I saw joy and happiness in the faces of our mothers as they celebrated their day with their extended Army family,” said Bradley. “This day was truly a day I will remember forever.”
With Father’s Day approaching, the fathers on COB Adder can expect the same special treatment from the mothers of COB Adder.
“I am working with the team to honor fathers next month,” Bradley said. “Many of the fathers came out to the Mother's Day event to serve the mothers of COB Adder and show their appreciation. I feel it is our obligation to show them the same love.”
| Date Taken: | 05.08.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 05.22.2011 02:45 |
| Story ID: | 70839 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 4th Sustainment Brigade helps mothers celebrate special day, by SFC Angiene Hamilton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT