Photo By Sgt. John Ortiz | (Left to right) Lt. Col. Matthew Ingram pins on the combat infantryman’s badge on...... read more read more
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, Afghanistan - Checking equipment and performing inspections happen right before a unit goes on mission as leaders walk their soldiers through rehearsals and talk through their actions in case they come upon an unexpected variable in the equation of war.
For more than 15 soldiers assigned to the Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, deployed from Fort Bliss, Texas, a ceremony was held to recognize them for engaging with the enemy and coming out on top.
Beginning with a recitation of a George Orwell quote, Lt. Col. Matthew Ingram, the battalion commander for the unit addressed the Headquarters and Headquarters Company before the start of the ceremony. He spoke of recent political events involving the Taliban starting talks with the Afghanistan government and how the unit as part of the bigger International Security Assistance Force has started to affect the insurgency.
Speaking on awarding combat badges Ingram said, “The way we recognize those who have faced the enemy with honor are for those of us who aren’t infantry is with the Combat Action Badge. For those who are infantry get the Combat Infantry Badge, and the medics receive the Combat Medic Badge.”
He added, “We are making a difference and I hope you all see that, I am proud of every one of you and what you are doing.”
Ingram then stepped to each awardee, pinned on their combat badge, shook their hand, and personally congratulated them.
And for the person whose charge is to take care of the soldiers under his leadership, seeing them earn, in his own words “the holy grail of badges” makes for an amazing feeling.
“It makes me feel really good. These guys have earned it and my guys have been in a lot of contact in the last five months,” said Staff Sgt. Isaac Campos, the brigade personal security detachment platoon sergeant. “This is the first deployment for most of them and I’m very proud of them, especially how they handled themselves in combat under pressure and stress.”
“One of my soldiers was wounded also earned his CIB, and we wish he was in this formation with us, but unfortunately he couldn’t be,” said Campos, who earned his Combat Infantryman’s Badge in 2003 with the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan.
“Having these guys get their badge makes me feel really good. I have great NCOs, great squad leaders, and team leaders,” he said. “They have made great decisions and have also done some hard work to get their soldiers established in this [area of operations] and I couldn’t be more proud of them earning their CIBs.”
Receiving a combat badge for some is merely recognition.
“It feels good finally getting recognized for the job that I do,” said Spc. Graham Woody, a Houston native and infantryman assigned to the brigade PSD. “I experienced combat on my first patrol, my fourth day I was here in September.”
“Combat, I guess it’s just the infantry mindset. I kind of enjoyed it,” he said. “I was able to do my job and do some work instead of sitting back on the FOB.”
| Date Taken: | 02.19.2012 |
| Date Posted: | 02.21.2012 05:23 |
| Story ID: | 84100 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE SHANK, AF |
| Web Views: | 684 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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