Written by Spc. Kandi Huggins, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force
Tuesday, December 28, 2010 COS WARRIOR — Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks, commanding general, 1st Infantry Division, and Command Sgt. Maj. James Champagne, division command sergeant major, wished “Devil” Brigade Soldiers of the 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Inf. Div., from Fort Riley, Kan., a Merry Christmas during an awards ceremony here, Dec. 25.
Brooks and Champagne, who also serve as the command team for U.S. Division-South, visited Soldiers of the “Big Red One,” deployed throughout Iraq in support of Operation New Dawn.
Although the combat role for American forces in Iraq officially ended with the onset of Operation New Dawn, Soldiers still face danger in Iraq, acknowledged Brooks.
“I want you to stay focused on your mission,” he said to the Soldiers following the awards ceremony.
“I want you to take care of each other. I want you to grow while you’re here, and it’s possible to grow,” said Brooks.
The 1st Inf. Div. command team started with the “Durable” 1st Sustainment Brigade serving in Kuwait, Christmas Eve, and traveled to U.S. Division-North to visit Soldiers of Devil Brigade, 1st AATF, 1st Inf. Div., Christmas day.
During their visit, Brooks and Champagne presided over an awards ceremony recognizing a Purple Heart recipient and five Soldiers who earned Combat Action Badges.
Brooks presented Pfc. Kenya Jeter a Purple Heart for wounds received Dec. 19 when a rocket fired by an insurgent struck near her at COS Warrior.
Jeter, a native of Spartanburg, S.C., assigned to Company A, 101st Support Battalion, 1st AATF, 1st Inf. Div., said she is honored to receive her medal from the commanding general on Christmas day.
“It was the Sunday afternoon before Christmas when we had a series of incoming rockets,” said Jeter. “I heard the second one and went running for the bunker near my room, and when the rocket exploded I got hit in my left calf muscle. A lot was going on at the time, and I didn’t realize it until I was back in my room, when I saw I was bleeding.”
Jeter also praised the Soldiers who provided her immediate medical attention.
“Being here is something to be happy about, and I appreciate our general coming here and presenting me with my award,” Jeter said. “Although I’m away from my Family for the holidays, I feel special and honored for the care and support I’ve received here and that makes me feel I’m at home.”
Brooks also presented five Combat Action Badges, awarded for performance while being engaged or engaging the enemy during active ground combat, to Soldiers of 1st Special Troops Battalion, 1st AATF, 1st Inf. Div., U.S. Division-North. The Soldiers were Spc. Elijah Banks, from Deland, Fla., Pfc. Kirk Battle, from Peru, Ind., Pfc. John Dorff, from Tampa, Fla. Warrant Officer Jonathan Dove, from Springfield, Mo., and Pfc. Justin Runion, from Winston-Salem, N.C.
After the ceremony concluded, Brooks lauded the Devil Soldier for the performance of their mission in Kirkuk.
“You are doing a superb job here in Kirkuk carrying forward the reputation of the ‘Big Red One,” he said. “Even though we are in command of U.S. Forces in the south of Iraq, we hear every day about the good things that you are doing here in the northern province of Kirkuk.”
With the Soldiers being away from home for the holidays, some for the first time, Brooks said he and Champagne wanted to bring Christmas cheer to their Family, the Soldiers of “Big Red One.”
“We often think about being away from home for the holidays, since many of us grew up with the custom of Family comes together during Christmas time, but I think it’s important to recognize that you’re in the world of a Warrior and being deployed for the holidays is also like being with Family.
“This is the Family, and the gift you give is the gift of service given to people of Iraq and the people of the United States.”
“Thank you for what you’re doing and remember ‘No mission too difficult, No sacrifice too great. Duty first,’” concluded Brooks, citing the 1st Inf. Div. motto.
After the ceremony Brooks and Champagne took pictures with the ‘Devil’ Soldiers and served a Christmas meal in the dining facility before leaving to visit the ‘Six Shooter’ troops of the 1st Battalion, 6th Cavalry Regiment from Fort Riley, Kan.
Maj. Gen. Vincent Brooks (right), commanding general of 1st Infantry Division and U.S. Division - South, presented a Purple Heart medal to Pfc. Kenya Jeter, assigned to Company A, 101st Support Battalion, 1st Advise and Assist Task Force, 1st Infantry Division, from Fort Riley, Kan., during a special Christmas day awards ceremony at Contingency Operating Site Warrior, Dec. 25. Also pictured is Col. Eric Welsh, commander of 1st AATF, 1st Inf. Div. USA photo/Spc. K. Huggins.
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