Last 101st convoy leaves Iraq, I Corps plants flag
By Pfc. Thomas Day and Sgt. Jeremy Heckler
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 Brig. Gen. Carter F. Ham, commanderl, Task Force Olympia, and Sgt. Maj. Patrick Pacheco, unfurl the colors of 1st Corps during a ceremony held at the palace headquarters in Mosul Feb. 5.
SPC Jesse Artis
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NAVISTAR, Kuwait (Feb. 10, 2004) – The last 101st Airborne Division convoy rolled across the Iraqi border just before 5 a.m. Kuwaiti time this morning, leaving behind a mission that spanned almost a year.
Spc. Misael Santiago of Lawton, Okla., pulling rear convoy security with a .50-caliber machine gun, had the historical honor of being the final 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) “Screaming Eagle” to leave Iraq by vehicle. He was part of a seven-vehicle convoy, with elements of Company D, 3-502nd Infantry Regiment, and Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Division Support Command. “I just feel good to be almost home,” Santiago said, echoing sentiments of every other troop who undertook the three-day movement from Mosul in northern Iraq to Kuwait.
A small contingent of ten 101st soldiers, assigned to Mosul Airfield, are all that remain of the 101st in Iraq. They are projected to fly directly out of the country later this month.
Last week, with hundreds of regional Iraqi leaders and coalition partners looking on, the 101st Airborne Division transferred authority and operational control of Ninewa, Irbil and Dahuk provinces to “Task Force Olympia.” The ceremony Feb. 5 took place at the palace headquarters complex in northern Mosul.
The ceremony marked the culmination of several weeks of transition operations and regional handovers in Tall Afar, Qayyara and Mosul, as many units under the operational control of Task Force Olympia, including 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), worked in conjunction with 101st Airborne Division Soldiers to ensure a seamless transition of authority.
On a bright February day in Mosul, the major subordinate commands of the task force from both the United States and Iraq flanked the road to the headquarters. The colors of the 101st Airborne Division stood at attention in the center of the color guard.
During the ceremony, the Screaming Eagle colors slowly dipped and Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus, 101st commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill furled and cased the colors for their trip home to Fort Campbell, Ky.
“We have shown that there is nothing that can’t be achieved when we all work together,” said Petraeus. He added, “A tribute to the Iraqi security forces is that the Iraqi flag is included in the color guard, and the Iraqi national anthem was played today along with the national anthem of the United States.”
As the Screaming Eagle colors departed, a covered and furled guidon appeared and took its place in the color guard. Brigadier Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander of Task Force Olympia, and Sgt. Maj. Patrick Pacheco uncased and unfurled the Task Force Olympia colors – the colors of I Corps - before the color-bearer raised them to the heavens.
The Task Force Olympia commander said he intends to continue the progress made by the Screaming Eagles.
“We owe you, our nation and the people of Iraq our best effort every day and that is what you shall get,” said Brigadier Gen. Carter F. Ham, commander, Task Force Olympia.
Task Force Olympia is a sub-element of 1st Corps headquarters based at Fort Lewis, Wash. The unit includes representatives from all three components of the U.S. Army (Active, Reserve and National Guard) as well as United States Marine Corps and Australian officers. Task Force Olympia’s subordinate units include the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (SBCT), from Fort Lewis, four Iraqi Civil Defense Corps battalions, three Iraq Border Police battalions and several thousand members of the Iraq Facility Protection Security Forces and will soon include an Iraq Armed Forces battalion.
The ceremony marked the first time that 1st Corps command elements have forward deployed in combat since the end of the Korean War.
Shortly after the ceremony, many Soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division boarded UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for a short ride to Mosul Airfield, where military transport awaited for their trip back to Kuwait and eventually to Fort Campbell.
As they were leaving, the famous insignia of the 101st Airborne Division was lowered from the headquarters building and the 1st Corps unit insignia took it’s place, signifying a new change in command in Mosul.
(Editor’s note: Pfc. Thomas Day is a member of the 40th PAD, attached to the 101st Airborne Division, and Sgt. Jeremy Heckler is a member of Task Force Olympia Public Affairs.)
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Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill of the 101st Airborne Division, greets one of the last "Screaming Eagles" to cross back into Kuwait after rotating out of Iraq.
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Maj. Gen. David H. Petraeus, 101st Airborne Division commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill, furl the colors of the division during the transfer of authority ceremony
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Workers raise the U. S. Army's 1st Corps crest above the entryway of the palace headquarters Feb. 5. The crest replaced the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) unit patch which adorned the building for the past several months.
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