Posted on 12/27/2003 6:34:22 AM PST by Ragtime Cowgirl
Acting Secretary of the Army visits 101st troops
MOSUL, Iraq – Acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee spent Christmas with soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city and home to the division’s headquarters.
A company commander in the 101st during the Vietnam War, Brownlee dropped in at three sites in Mosul to wish troops a Merry Christmas.
Beginning at the Division Main compound, Brownlee held an award ceremony, decorating select troops with the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medal. Afterwards, he gave a speech to the troops in the palace.
“What you have done here in Iraq is beyond words,” Brownlee said to the soldiers. “You have established a mark of service so high, I don’t know if it will ever be surpassed by anyone.”
This service, he said, is all the more demanding at the holiday season, as soldiers celebrate Christmas without the comfort and luxuries of home.
“There are a lot of Christmases where you forget where you were and what you did,” he said. “This may not be the best of Christmases, but I can tell you one thing: you will never forget this one.”
After visiting troops at the palace, Brownlee, along with 101st commander Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus, ate lunch and chatted with soldiers in the D-Main dining facility.
“This is a season for giving, so don’t forget that you’ve given the greatest gifts of all – yourself and your service,” he said to troops in the dining facility.
After the lunch, Brownlee visited troops at two more sites in Mosul – the dining facilities at the Area Glory and Division Rear compounds. With each visit, soldiers grabbed their cameras and huddled around Brownlee and Petraeus to get their own snapshots.
In his last visit with troops, at the D-Rear dining facility, Brownlee gave his final message to the soldiers – “Thank you,” he said. “Thank you for your unwavering willingness to serve your country in uniform under very difficult circumstances.”
Brownlee held an award ceremony, decorating select troops with the Purple Heart and Bronze Star medal.
“What you have done here in Iraq is beyond words,” Brownlee said to the soldiers. “You have established a mark of service so high, I don’t know if it will ever be surpassed by anyone.”
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101st Airborne Division, honored by their Army 'boss' on Christmas Day. 
And with what they've done, it's possible that no one will have to try. They've scared the bejeebers out of Qaddafi, and got some other terrorist sympathizers to re-think whether they'd like to risk seeing US military anywhere near them.
They're awesome, all right.
The man at the top salutes the pointy end.
Respect for those who changed history.
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