82nd Airborne Commanding General Honors Paratroopers

Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Pryor | Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, pins an Army Commendation Medal on the uniform of Capt. Peter Young, the battalion logistical officer for Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, during an awards ceremony Jan. 22  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

01.22.2002

Story by Staff Sgt. Michael Pryor 

82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs Office

By Sgt. Mike Pryor
2nd BCT, 82nd Abn. Div. Public Affairs

BAGHDAD – The 82nd Airborne Division moves so fast and furious that it is sometimes difficult to find time to stop and recognize paratroopers for their achievements.

But finding time to honor troops wasn't a problem for Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, the 82nd's commander, when he visited paratroopers from the 2nd Brigade Combat Team in Baghdad Jan. 22. In fact, it was his number one priority.

Rodriguez presented 28 medals, including a Bronze Star, to paratroopers from the Falcon Brigade during an awards ceremony Jan. 22.

"I think it's great for us to see that. It's a real morale booster for us to know that the commanding general cares about us," said Staff Sgt. Jason Walden of Chattanooga, Tenn., air operations noncommissioned officer for 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment.

Most of the awards went to paratroopers who played key roles in helping the 2nd BCT deploy to Kuwait in January only days after receiving orders. The Falcons moved more than 3,000 troops and 300 containers of equipment halfway across the world in less than a week.

"No one else in the Army can do that," said Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Capel, the 82nd's top NCO, who was traveling with Rodriguez.

It was hard work to meet the deadlines necessary to deploy an entire brigade on such short notice, said Capt. Katherine Pelz of Springfield, Ill., operations officer for the 407th Brigade Support Battalion.

"We were working 20-hour days. People were sleeping in their cars," Pelz said.

But after all the hard work, it was great to be recognized by the division commander himself, Pelz said. The personal attention was especially gratifying, she said, in light of how much responsibility is on Rodriguez' shoulders at the moment: three brigades in combat already and another about to deploy.

"He's a busy man right now," she said.

Rodriguez also presented awards to the cooks from the brigade's dining facility, whose hard work won the facility the prestigious Connelly Award for best DFAC last year.

They were supposed to be recognized for that achievement months ago, but due to the Falcons' operational tempo, there wasn't time.

"We got out the door so fast, we didn't have time to recognize the DFAC," said Col. B. Don Farris, the 2nd BCT's commander.

But Farris made sure the Falcon cooks got the recognition they deserved once the brigade hit the ground in Iraq.

Most of the cooks had no idea they would be receiving an award, let alone a medal presented by the division commander, said Spc. Bernardo Rios, of San Diego, Calif., a cook with Headquarters Company, Brigade Special Troops Battalion.

But Rios said the ceremony was a welcome surprise.

"It feels really good," he said.

• Date Taken: 01.22.2002
• Date Posted: 01.23.2007 09:43
• Story ID: 8887
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ