Courtesy Photo | Maj. Tom Hanifen prepares to end his evening at Command Post-South on Forward...... read more read more
By Capt. Timothy Nash
DIYALA, Iraq — Maj. Tom Hanifen is continuing the tradition of sons serving in the U.S. Army.
“It was never an expectation [to join the military] but just hearing the stories really made me want to join the ranks,” said Hanifen, the new officer in charge of Command Post South, at Forward Operating Base Warhorse, in Diyala province. “I had an awareness of it…my earliest memories are going out with my dad on the weekend to go check up on the vehicles on the motor pool line in Germany.”
His grandfather started the tradition during World War II when he attended the ROTC Program at the University of Washington in Spokane, Wash.
His grandfather received his commission, became an infantry officer, served and was wounded in WWII. Hanifen’s father followed in his father’s footsteps, graduating from West Point and pursuing a career with the federal government after eleven years in the Army.
Now Hanifen is back in Iraq for his third overseas deployment to a combat zone since graduating from the Virginia Military Institute in 1999. He has been to Afghanistan once and this is his second deployment to Iraq.
As the officer in charge at CP South, Hanifen helps coordinate the weekly schedule of events for Brig. Gen. Patrick Donahue, the deputy commanding general of Maneuver for Task Force Marne. He also works with the CP South team to provide, Donahue with a command perspective of events and security operations, both U.S. and Iraqi, that take place in Diyala province.
As he grew up listening to stories of military life, an interest in military history and a love for war films was instilled in Hanifen. This interest, his family’s military heritage and the nostalgia he felt from his earliest childhood memories helped him make the decision to pursue a career in the military.
“It gave me an early sense of purpose and goal to shoot for,” Hanifen said. “A lot of people are proud of what their parents do and my grandfather and father’s service to their country gave me something to emulate towards.”
After he was promoted to captain in 2002, Hanifen deployed to Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom III as an assistant planner and battle captain for 3rd Battalion, 504th Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division. He then went on to Iraq in 2005 through 2006 as a commander for Company B, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division. His company worked out of Forward Operating Base Prosperity in the Green Zone in Baghdad. During that time Hanifen’s Company manned combined checkpoints with the Iraqi army. His soldiers also worked as a quick reaction force that would respond to insurgent threats within his area of operations.
“It really tested the discipline of our unit, when you’re doing the same thing for a prolonged amount of time it gets pretty tedious for your soldiers,” says Hanifen. “Violence hadn’t escalated to the point that it did during the surge but there were a lot of improvised explosive devices, it was still dangerous in certain parts and the Iraqi army was generally thought of as ill-equipped and undisciplined.”
Hanifen has now returned to Iraq 3.5 years after he left the first time. He was expecting to come back to the Iraq he had left behind; a generally unstable country with an improving military and a very active insurgent force. Recently he went on a convoy where he was able to see the Iraqi army at work first-hand.
“Its night and day,” Hanifen said. “I didn’t realize that the Iraqis had taken so much responsibility. I saw the Iraqi army pulling security at different checkpoints. They looked professional, efficient and prepared to assume responsibility for their country’s security.”
Hanifen hopes that U.S. forces’ recent transition from combat operations to advising and assisting the Iraqi security forces is a new beginning for the people of Iraq.
“Hopefully the momentum of what we’ve started here will carry on,” said Hanifen. “When Iraqis look back on a free, peaceful and sovereign nation they will realize that we helped get them started in the right direction.”
| Date Taken: | 09.03.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 09.05.2010 12:13 |
| Story ID: | 55755 |
| Location: | DIYALA, IQ |
| Web Views: | 165 |
| Downloads: | 7 |
This work, Following in his family's footsteps, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
