Welcome home Iron Brigade: 2nd ABCT, 1 AD elements return over July 4 holiday

Photo By David Poe | A loved one joins a 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division Soldier at the Silas L. Copeland Arrival/Departure Airfield Control Group facility at Fort Bliss, Texas, July 5. “Iron Brigade” Soldiers are returning to Bliss from Kuwait following an almost yearlong deployment to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Spartan Shield.  

FORT BLISS, TX, UNITED STATES

07.05.2018

Story by David Poe  

Fort Bliss Public Affairs Office

A lot of things have happened since 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division deployed to Kuwait in support of Operation Spartan Shield last fall.

The Golden State Warriors are NBA champs – again. The Washington Capitals are champs too. Hurricane Maria battered Puerto Rico and the Caribbean in ways that may take years to recover from. There was no shortage of headlines in late 2017 and into the new year.

Yet, with everything that’s happened, time stood still for one Army spouse and her daughter as they counted the days until their Soldier returned home. The day reached “0” for Alicia Hamilton and her daughter Azari when elements of 2nd ABCT returned July 5.

The return of Main Body 8 was one of the many returning flights happening for 2nd ABCT as approximately 3,500 troops are starting their reintegration back into home station life.

“It’s been rough being here alone with her,” Alicia said quietly as she tended to a milling Azari in Fort Bliss’ Arrival/Departure Airfield Control Group facility and awaited her husband of almost eight years to return from his first deployment. “There were days when she would call for her dad, but, we made it through. It’s been an experience.”

Only hundreds of yards away on the tarmac, Spc. Antonio Hamilton, an Army all-wheel mechanic, and fellow 2nd ABCT Soldiers were going through a mass in-processing in a nearby hangar. Demobilization specialists were on hand to help troops with common redeployment tasks.

While troops off-loaded, cleared and turned in gear, leaders conducted final personnel accountability checks following the approximately 22-hour flight from Kuwait and put out final instructions before reuniting with family and friends.

The deployment was the unit’s first since 2011. Previously, the Iron Brigade served as a part of what was called the Army Experimental Task Force, and tested U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and U.S. Army Join Modernization Command systems, offering critical feedback for future battlefield programs.

While the troops disembarked, Iron Brigade families mingled, and kids played. Unit FRGs worked together to provide refreshments and entertainment for waiting families. Then, after a bit of a traditional buildup, Iron Brigade Soldiers entered the terminal and were formally dismissed in quick fashion as awaiting families and friends cheered.

A lot can happen in less than a year. A man named Francois Gabart set a world record last year when he sailed around the world solo in 42 days. Saddam Hussein was captured after eight months on the run, and Facebook first went online in less than a week. Iron Brigade Soldiers joined partners in support vital U.S. and coalition interests in Southwest Asia, such as supporting the free flow of resources, deterring regional aggression and reacting to threats as a part of Operation Spartan Shield.

During that time, Azari Hamilton has turned from a growing toddler of 18 months to a child now age 2, and she was reunited with her dad July 5.

“He literally does everything he can for us and his country,” Alicia said as he watched Antonio dote on their growing daughter with appreciation that Day 0 had arrived. “He wanted to join the military and give us this life that we have. I’m so proud of him.”

• Date Taken: 07.05.2018
• Date Posted: 07.26.2018 22:32
• Story ID: 285937
• Location: FORT BLISS, TX, US