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Blackanthem Military News
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Last Updated:
May 16, 2012 - 4:45:44 PM |
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Blackanthem Military News
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| Lt. Col Paul Mele, commander of the 1st Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Aviation Regiment, CAB, 1st Inf. Div., runs through a spray of water at the finish of a five kilometer run on Camp Taji, Iraq June 6 (Spc. Roland Hale, CAB, 1st Inf. Div.) |
BAGHDAD, Iraq - June 15 will start a flurry of recreation on Fort Riley, Kans., with the beginning of the 1st Infantry Division's annual tradition, Victory Week. Soldiers and families of the 1st Inf. Div. - more famously known as the Big Red One - will come together on the post for sporting events, concerts and ceremonies with the intent of building unit camaraderie and celebrating the division's heritage. But this year, Fort Riley's Victory Week will be missing something. Several 1st Inf. Div. units, including the division's headquarters, are currently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. One of these units, however, is doing its best to bring the spirit of Victory Week to Iraq.
With temperatures soaring over a hundred degrees, Soldiers with the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Inf. Div. on Camp Taji, Iraq took a break from their daily duties June 6 to celebrate the birthday of the 1st Infantry Division - famously known as the Big Red One - and the 66th anniversary of the D-Day landings on the beaches of Normandy, France.
The Soldiers, belonging to the Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st Inf. Div., took part in a five kilometer foot race and a volleyball tournament. Also in celebration, the brigade re-enlisted 111 Soldiers on Taji Army Airfield. The Soldiers raised their right hands to take the oath of re-enlistment while standing around a several hundred square-foot painting of the 1st Inf. Div.'s insignia - a Big Red One.
"Good vibes, great energy," said Command Sgt. Maj. Jim Thomson, the CAB's senior noncommissioned officer. "About 400 Soldiers turned out this morning to run in the spirit of the 1st Infantry Division, to show their support for those who paved the way for us."
The 1st Infantry Division was activated on June 8, 1917, and has played a key-role in each of the nation's major conflicts since then. During the D-Day invasion, Big Red One Soldiers landed on Utah beach, one of the more famous fronts of the assault.
Today, Thomson said, the good vibes and great energy are also evident in the mass re-enlistment ceremony. The brigade, which recently arrived in Iraq, has already met its annual retention quota.
"The fact that so many participated in the run and in the volleyball tournament, and in the re-enlistment...is an indication that morale in the brigade is high," said Thomson.
In the middle of the day's celebrations, however, the celebrating CAB Soldiers were reminded of their mission when the explosion of a nearby improvised explosive device echoed across Taji.
"In everything we did today we took a moment to remember the division's history - and sure enough, we're still in a dangerous place," said Thomson, speaking about the explosion. "Iraq has come a long way and it's entering a new phase of the operation, but it was a reminder that there are still dangers out here. And we're still warriors."
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS:
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| Capt. Khamoy Sysengchanh and Master Sgt. Angel Amaral, Soldiers with the CAB, 1st Inf. Div., finish a five kilometer run on Camp Taji, Iraq June 6 (Spc. Roland Hale, CAB, 1st Inf. Div.) |
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| A mass formation of CAB, 1st Inf. Div. Soldiers re-enlist on Taji Army Airfield June 6 (Spc. Roland Hale, CAB, 1st Inf. Div.) |
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| CAB, 1st Inf. Div. Soldiers fight for a point during a volleyball tournament on Camp Taji, Iraq June 6 (Spc. Roland Hale, CAB, 1st Inf. Div.) |
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