Long Knife troops receive Combat Patches

Photo By Creighton Holub | Pfc. Jessica Robinson, a signal intelligence analyst assigned to Company A, 4th Special Troops Battalion, receives her combat patch from another Soldier in her company during the Spartan Battalion's combat patch ceremony before her company held a promotion ceremony to promote her to the rank of specialist, Aug. 13, 2008. Soldiers assigned to the 4th STB, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, received their former wartime service shoulder sleeve insignias, also called "combat patches," during the ceremony at the Base Defense Operating Center at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Tallil, Iraq.  

TALLIL AIR BASE, IRAQ

08.13.2008

Story by Spc. Creighton Holub 

4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs

By Spc. Creighton Holub
4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq – Most generations in American history experienced a major war; one which produced combat veterans. Operation Iraqi Freedom is producing the next generation and some of the best combat veterans America has ever seen.

The 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Long Knife Brigade, deployed in support of OIF a little over two months ago, and their brigade's 4th Special Troop Battalion, Spartan, officially received their combat patches during a ceremony at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Aug. 13, 2008.

"Becoming a combat veteran feels very good," said Pfc. Roy Bankhead, a shadow tactical unmanned aerial vehicle operator from Detroit.

Bankhead's job is to inform our infantry troops of what lies around that proverbial corner his brothers can't see. "I make sure our troops on the ground have what they need - information and imagery-wise."

The first-term Soldiers like Bankhead assigned to the Long Knife STB are proud to wear their first combat patch.

"It's awesome to be a 1st Cav. combat veteran," explained Spc. Jessica Robinson, whose company held a special promotion ceremony after the combat patch ceremony for the former-private first class. The signal intelligence analyst assigned to STB's Company A is from the small Illinois town of Table Grove with a population of 400 people.

The unit took a moment during the ceremony to recognize those sacrifices the Soldiers of the Spartan Battalion and Long Knife Brigade continue to make.

"This is a very significant day for our Soldiers, especially the ones who haven't been [deployed]before," said Command Sgt. Maj. Dennis Eger, the battalion's senior enlisted leader and a Lilly, Penn., native. "It's not just slapping the patch onto the right shoulder and moving on."

The Long Knife Brigade leaders took time to ensure this ceremony was meaningful, and the Soldiers understood their accomplishments.

"This time, with the Long Knife Brigade, it felt kind of special," said Spc. Vanessa Fricke of the ceremony in comparison to her first deployment in 2006. "I was working in a [holding area] last time, and my squad leader slapped the combat patch on my shoulder. He said that I was in a combat zone and that I had earned it," explained the Alexandria, Ind. native and a military police Soldier in the battalion headquarters.

"But, this ceremony made me stand proud on the inside. I'm standing prouder than I am tall," the 5-foot-3 military police Soldier joked.

• Date Taken: 08.13.2008
• Date Posted: 08.18.2008 10:43
• Story ID: 22621
• Location: TALLIL AIR BASE, IQ