Photo By Sgt. Amanda Rengifo | Brig. Gen. Jack Haley, a former commander of the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th...... read more read more
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FORT STEWART, Ga. - Maintain soldiers of the 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, received a special surprise Feb. 24, 2014, when Brig. Gen. Jack Haley, the U.S. Army Ordnance School commandant, joined them for physical readiness training at their battalion headquarters in Fort Stewart.
This isn’t the first time the chief of ordnance has visited the 703rd BSB. In 2003, he served as the battalion commander as they deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During his three-year tenure, he successfully converted the battalion into the Army's first modular brigade support battalion.
During his visit, Haley spoke about the future of the battalion and the challenges the soldiers will face as the Army continues to downsize.
“We are going to be challenged,” said Haley. “We will still be able to train and still be able to develop our leaders and still be able to maintain the equipment. We will get smaller and leaner and more … expeditionary and we are going to deploy around the world.”
Capt. Alan Sawyer, the Company A, 703rd BSB, commander, said it was nice to see and talk to a prior 703rd battalion commander.
Sawyer, a Columbus, Ga., native, mentioned that even though Haley is a high-ranking officer, he was very approachable in his demeanor.
“Gen. Haley is a really nice, laid back guy, and if I was a general, I would want to have his type of personality,” he said. “I felt comfortable the whole time and I didn’t feel like he was judging my company. He was just here as another soldier, just jogging along with the company. It was nice to see someone of that rank blend himself in that well and still allow me to feel like I am the commander of my company.”
As a junior enlisted soldier, it’s easy to be intimidated by a higher ranking officer, but for Cpl. Justin Corley, he found that speaking and relating with Haley were easy.
“It motivates me because this is something that he wasn’t obligated to do - to come back here to 703rd Alpha Company and run with us; we’re not even an ordnance company," Corley said. “We have maybe six or seven ordnance guys, he could have run with Bravo Company, but he chose to run with us instead and that meant a lot.”
Corley, one of the few ordnance soldiers in the battalion, took Haley’s message just a little more personally.
“He was telling me how he was here back in 2003 and came all the way back. He didn’t forget where he came from and even though he is the chief of ordnance, he still believes in soldiers and doesn’t think he is above the level to interact with soldiers,” added the Swainsboro, Ga., native.
After the run, Haley closed out the morning’s sessions with a few words of wise advice and praise for the soldiers standing before him.
“This battalion earned its reputation, not because I commanded it, but because of you, because of the soldiers that have gone and been in the ranks and in this formation throughout the years. 703rd has a tremendous, tremendous reputation for getting the job done - wherever it is. I know that you all have done it recently in the last deployment, and I know you will do it whenever again the Army calls you.”
| Date Taken: | 02.24.2014 |
| Date Posted: | 02.27.2014 15:24 |
| Story ID: | 121269 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | COLUMBUS, GEORGIA, US |
| Hometown: | SWAINSBORO, GEORGIA, US |
| Web Views: | 238 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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