Saturday, December 22, 2007

Army Chief Of Staff Visits FOB Hammer

Ten Soldiers from 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division stand at parade rest awaiting the arrival of Army Chief of Staff Gen. George W. Casey, Jr., before receiving Army Chief of Staff coins at Forward Operating Base Hammer Dec. 19.

After handing the Soldiers coins, Casey spoke to 3rd HBCT Soldiers and leaders who gathered around the podium on the parade field in front of brigade headquarters. “You are taking Iraq off the front page and that’s a good thing,” Casey told the audience.

“What’s at stake here is nothing less than the ideals this country is based on and our way of life. We have to defeat the insurgency here so we don’t have to fight them in the United States. What you are doing now is allowing our country, which was formed with the Declaration of Independence, to continue on in the 21st Century.” (Photo by Sgt. Natalie Rostek)