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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 2016)
6C COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL November 9, 2016 Looking back: Oregon troops return home Reprinted from the Dec. 15, 2004 Sentinel STORY AND PHOTOS BY STAFF SGT. REBEKAH MAE N. BRUNS 39th Brigade Combat Public Affairs T he fi nal round of Oregon Guard soldiers who have reached their 24-month service cap for high opera- tion tempo are returning home from Iraq. A law enacted by congress shortly after 9-11 limits a Guard or Reserve soldier’s active duty obligation to 24 months within a fi ve-year time span. The law was established to help avoid the abuse of reserve forces. The Second Battalion, 162nd Infan- try sent home a total of 60 Soldiers of the 95 who qualifi ed to return to the states. Thirty chose to stay in Iraq while another fi ve were sent back for rehabilitation due to battle injuries. Bat. Cmdr. Daniel Hendrickson spoke to soldiers during a recent awards cer- emony and explained that he respected their decisions to leave Iraq. “You guys have paid your dues on the deployment and on previous de- ployments — that has earned you the right to go home,” Hendrickson said. “You all have families and guys and families come fi rst because they will be here after this career is over.” Soldiers from Oregon who quali- fi ed to return home served on the Sinai Penninsula as part of a multinational observers force that was established in a peace agreement brokered by for- “We’ve lost good men — they’ve been wounded and they’ve been killed, but none of you quit. You did the right thing. I will savor every moment I have shared with you, both bitter and sweet.” — Lt. Col. Hendrickson mer President Jimmy Carter between Egypt and Israel in 1979. The soldiers returned to their civilian lives after completing their deployment in Egypt but were mobilized again eight months later for duty in Iraq to fi ll out the Sec- ond Battalion, 162nd Infantry, head- quartered in Cottage Grove. Hendrickson said he wished sol- diers would stay because he didn’t like breaking up a good team but he under- stood their choices. “This Team is known as one of the top-two battalions in the First Calvary Division,” Hendrickson said. “That’s coming from Maj. Gen. Peter Chiarelli and Ass. Div. Cmdr. Of Supply Brig. Gen. Hammond.” The Soldiers returning home have served and fought in some of Iraq’s most tumultuous areas, including East- Lt. Col Daniel Hendrickson, left, gives one of his soldiers a fi nal salute for his service in Iraq. Soldiers who reached their 24-month service cap were given 'end of tour' awards for their time spent in Opera- tion Iraqi Freedom. ern Baghdad’s Sadr City, Adhamiya and Taji, a city located just 20 miles north of Iraq’s capital. Other elements of the battalion have fought in Najaf and aided in Fallujah with the First Calvary Divisions, Second Battalion, Seventh Calvary Regiment. The bat- talion as a whole has lost nine soldiers and seen 51 wounded in action. “We’ve lost good men — they’ve been wounded and they’ve been killed, but none of you quit. You did the right thing,” said Hendrickson speaking to soldiers. “I will savor every moment I have shared with you, both bitter and sweet.” The 30 Oregon soldiers who chose to stay will be paid an extra $1,000 a month as incentive from the Depart- ment of Defense for each month that extends past their 24-month obliga- tion. Soldiers returning home were ex- pected to arrive in Fort Hood, Texas, last week where they were to spend fi ve days in a series of debriefi ngs before returning to their families in Oregon. The rest of the battalion will remain in Iraq to complete its scheduled one- year “boots on the ground” rotation. Offi cials anticipate the rotation will culminate sometime in March. We Salute our Veterans! Douglas G. Maddess, DMD LANDSCAPE AND BUILDING MATERIALS Brightening Lives One Smile at a Time Open 7 days a week! 79149 N. River Road 942-4664 douglasgmaddessdmd.com We Salute Th ose Who Served Integrity Custom Builders Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS 350 E. Washington Ave 541-942-7934 76031 Hebron Rd 541-510-7620 Farmers Insurance – Ryan Hoff stot Th e UPS Store 1498 E. Main St #103 541-767-0888 65 W. Oregon Ave Creswell 541-895-4515 Coast Fork Nursing Center Magnolia Gardens 515 Grant Ave 541-942-5528 1425 Daugherty Ave 541-942-0054 Home Instead Senior Care Cottage Grove Police Department 149 w. 12th Ave., STE 110 Eugene 541-485-2273 400 E. Main Street 541-942-9145 Creswell Christian School & Child Care 635 Holbrook Ln Creswell 541-895-4622 Beco Enterprises 553 So. River Rd 541-942-2106 O n Veterans Day, we salute the American veterans and active-duty military whose courage and dedication have protected our freedom Mr. K Lock & Key Th omas Chiropractic 500 E. Whiteaker Ave and our way of life for generations. We recognize their service and 1443 E. Madison Ave 541-767-0159 541-942-5024 their sacrifi ce, their selfl essness and bravery, their hard work and their faith. Please join us in celebrating the men and women of our military, past and present, this Veterans Day. Proudly fl y your fl ag, thank a veteran and show your support for those who continue to serve today. Th anks, Veterans!
