Mass Re-Enlistment Ceremony in Iraq
American Forces Press Service
By Meghan Vittrup
July 04, 2007
WASHINGTON – More than 600 troops are expected to re-enlist today, and more than 100 others will become U.S. citizens in an Independence Day ceremony at Camp Victory, Iraq.Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, made the announcement yesterday during an interview on Bill Bennett’s nationally syndicated radio program.
Petraeus and his senior enlisted leader, Army Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill, decided to hold this year’s ceremony after the success of a previous ceremony in 2003 for the 101st Airborne Division.
“On the Fourth of July back in 2003, we had a re-enlistment ceremony. The idea was we would try to get 101, given the unit designation, to raise their right hand. And I think we had something like 150 that did,” Petraeus said. “I think it’s going to be somewhere close to 600 Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines who are going to raise their right hand on the Fourth of July here and sign up for another tour in the armed forces.”
Many non-citizen servicemembers in Iraq also will become citizens during the event.
“There is going to be a citizenship ceremony, as well, which will be exciting. A lot of great young men and women in uniform who I can’t say are Americans yet, but they are serving and they have the American flag on their right shoulder. They have served our country, and now they will truly become citizens of our country as well,” Petraeus said.
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,141196,00.html?wh=news
To all of the troops who re-affirmed their dedication to the country, the cause of freedom, and selfless service:
HOOAH!! And keep up the good fight!
Yeah, I went to the website in your response, and found it to be the usual anti-American/pro al Qaeda bullshit, by someone claiming to be a “dentist” in Baghdad.
How about these websites to wrap your liberal brain around:
http://billroggio.com/
and
http://www.michaelyon-online.com/
These blogs are maintained by boots-on-the-ground Soldiers and jounalists who know more than arm-chair critics who have their noses so far into leftist rags like the New York Times, they wouldn’t recognize the truth if it walked up and kicked them in the crotch.
By the way sweetpea, I AM an Iraq War veteran, and it never ceased to amaze me how different the MSM portrayed the war, as opposed to what I saw firsthand. Feel free to comment again….after you’ve learned all the facts, dear.
SFC MAC (The Foxhole)