“This month, the month of Thanksgiving, as we think about family and those we care about, let’s not forget what we are doing here,” Hammond stated in his opening comments. “We are moving along quite well and succeeding, but it has come at a cost — the lives of 88 men, one [woman], and over 600 wounded [soldiers].”
“But each day is one step forward, and we are fighting this fight with fire in our belly. I couldn’t be more proud of this group. This is the best it gets in terms of people and quality, right here in the 4th Inf. Div.”
Along with Hammond, all who spoke expressed their thanks to the Soldiers who choose to serve and what it means to serve with support of family back home.
“The thing I am most thankful for are the families; they are the true heroes of this war.” Kievenaar explained to the viewers. “You are the ones that share all the burdens and make all the sacrifices. We can never repay you for the sacrifices you make but we can thank you every chance we get.”
The first group of guest speakers during the town hall meeting included a father and son team, along with two married couples, all currently deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Staff Sgt. Jason Young, a native of Plymouth, who serves as the non-commissioned officer in charge of entry control point expansion with Company B, 4th Support Battalion, 1st BCT, 4th Inf. Div., spoke about the ongoing support of his family.
“[My wife] was put on this Earth to be a military spouse and has been the backbone of my career. She has spent countless hours at the kids’ sporting events, band concerts and ROTC functions without my presence. She’s always said to me that I should bleed Ivy green,” he said with a smile.
Young’s son, Cpl. Jason Young, of Temple, Texas, who serves as an Apache maintenance NCO with Co. B, 1st Attack Reconnaissance Bn., 4th Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Inf. Div., explained how he followed his father’s footsteps to pursue a life-long fascination with Apache helicopters and has performed his job over the course of two deployments to Iraq.
Before the town hall meeting was over, Sgt. 1st Class Mack Julien, a New Orleans native, walked the viewers through a traditional Iraqi feast of thanks, presenting them with original Iraqi dishes and the history behind Iraq’s holiday similar to Thanks-giving, known as the Great Feast.
“When the families get together, they have amazing cuisines that are prepared for 30 to 40 people,” explained Al.
After learning the Arabic names for salad, turkey, pita bread and several other dishes, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Sharon McCray, of Fort Worth, Texas, who serves as the food advisor with 4th Inf. Div. and MND-B, reassured the Soldier’s families that while their loved ones may be far from home, they won’t be far from abundant amounts of food.
“We required roughly fifty 40-foot semi trailers to deliver Thanksgiving Day decorations and food items from Kuwait,” McCray said. “I have to break it down to give you an idea of the amount of food items that have been shipped to Iraq to ensure your spouse receives the best Thanksgiving meal available.”
After all the speakers finished, the floor was opened to questions from the Soldiers and families back in the States.
Many topics of discussion were presented, such as the move to Fort Carson, Colo., post deployment concerns, the progress of security in Baghdad, and the response Iraq has had with the U.S. presidential elections.
Hammond concluded the meeting by expressing his gratitude to the families and his pride in their strength along with the strength and unity of the Ironhorse Soldiers.
“It’s hard being at war. It’s harder being a family with a Soldier at war, and it’s harder being a family with a Soldier at war during times like Thanksgiving,” he said. “I would love to be in Mississippi with my family right now, but to be honest, this year I think we would rather be here with each other, shoulder to shoulder, back to back.”
As the success of the meeting settled in the minds of all who tuned in, the 4th Inf. Div. Band played the Division March and the participants sang along with pride.