Photo By Staff Sgt. Miles Elder | TIKRIT, Iraq (June 1, 2006) -- Cutting the cake, Col. Edward D. Mason, celebrates new...... read more read more
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TIKRIT, Iraq (June 1, 2006) " Surrounded by his Soldiers standing in a horseshoe formation, the commander of the 101st Service and Support Battalion was promoted to colonel.
Col. Edward D. Mason was pinned with the eagles worn by an Army colonel by both the commander of the 101st Airborne Division, Maj. Gen. Thomas Turner and the division's top noncommissioned officer, Command Sgt. Maj. Frank Grippe. Soldiers cheered and Mason responded with a smile and a thumb's up when the new rank was pinned on his uniform and cap.
For his part, Mason said there was no better place to get his promotion than Iraq. His battalion provides personnel, finance and postal support to the Screaming Eagle Division.
"It's an honor for me to do this here in a combat zone," Mason said. "There is no better place where we can be right now, serving our country in a combat zone.
"There is no better place that we can be than right here, in a historic time, in a historic place with a historic division. This is our destiny, and you're doing a fantastic job."
Turner administered the oath of office to Mason after his promotion. He echoed Mason's thoughts praising the Soldiers under Mason's supervision as 'the ones who really take care of Soldiers" even while in the midst of an Army-wide transition.
"Over the last two years, you have led the Army in the way personnel business was supposed to be done," Turner said. "You migrated a lot of tasks this battalion used to be responsible for to brigades while we still took care of Soldiers, and Col. Mason has led the way."
Turner also stressed the importance setting a good example for the Iraqi Army when it comes to pay and personnel actions. He said the host-nation-defense forces were often hampered by problems in its personnel system.
"The rest of us should probably go home and just leave you guys here to fix it all and we"d be OK," Turner said jokingly.
Mason said he would remain in his current position until his unit leaves Iraq later this year. He was pleased that he would get to finish the deployment with his Soldiers.
"This is a unique situation," Mason said. "I don't want to leave my battalion.
"I want my battalion to deploy back together."
In his speech to his unit, Mason said promotions came about due to potential, teamwork and family. He stressed each of these aspects in the order of the ceremony.
"None of us can do this by ourselves," Mason said. "This is an accumulation of 20-something years to get to this point, but I didn't do it by myself.
"It wasn't just my potential; it was soldiers just like you who helped me get a little bit further. There has always been an NCO or a Soldier helping me outâ?¦."
Mason closed his remarks by asking which of his Soldiers knew the Soldiers" Creed. Four young enlisted Soldiers quickly moved front and center and recited the words.
Mason entered the Army in 1984 after graduating from the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in economics. He had earlier gained his commission as a distinguished military graduate of the ROTC program at Kemper Military College, Booneville, Mo.
He has served two tours in Germany; Fort Jackson, S.C.; Saudi Arabia; Alexandria, Va.; Military Entrance Processing Station, Richmond, Va.; and most recently as personnel officer, U.S. Army Space and Missile Command, U.S. Army Strategic Command.
Mason's awards and decorations include four awards of the Defense Meritorious Service Medal; three awards of the Army Commendation Medal; two awards of the Army Achievement Medal; Meritorious Unit Commendation Award; two awards of the National Defense Service Medal; Southwest Asia Service Medal with three stars; Army Service Ribbon; two awards of the Overseas Service Medal; and the Kuwait Liberation Medal. He also holds both the Army Parachute and Air Assault badges.
Mason is married to the former Christine Tillman of Alma, Mo. She is a retired Army lieutenant colonel.
| Date Taken: | 06.12.2006 |
| Date Posted: | 06.12.2006 14:46 |
| Story ID: | 6794 |
| Location: | TIKRIT, IQ |
| Web Views: | 186 |
| Downloads: | 20 |
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