JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – Maj. Gen. Terry Ferrell, 7th Infantry Division commanding general, spoke to more than 150 Soldiers during a division newcomer’s brief, Feb. 18, at The French Theater on Joint Base Lewis-McChord. The purpose of the brief was to welcome new Soldiers while clarifying the mission, vision, priorities, standards, and expectations of the Bayonet Division.
“We’re going to get back to basics; the next place we may be sent may not have the buildups set that we had in Iraq, Afghanistan,” said Ferrell. “So we have to train in austere conditions, live in tents we set up ourselves. That’s the U.S. Army, who we are and what we do.”
Almost all of the soldiers in the theater had never been to JBLM, or were coming here for a first duty assignment. Most Soldiers had questions about the state of the Army, while cavalry scouts and armor crew members had questions about adapting their roles to the Stryker vehicles.
“We’re focused on being a globally responsive force; our priority following that will be as a regionally-aligned force,” Ferrell said on the U.S. Army’s role in the Pacific.
He closed with thoughts on accountability, leadership development, and pride in choosing to serve in the profession of arms.
“The only thing I ask is that you embrace being a soldier every day,” Ferrell said. “You walk a different path: you have to be straight and true, trust in yourself, and be a professional.”