"John H" wrote in message
...
Mainly for Chuck and Jimcomma!

American Forces Press Service



3rd Infantry Division Soldiers Re-Enlist En Masse
American Forces Press Service

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, April 6, 2005 - One hundred seventy-seven right hands
were
raised together April 3 at the airfield here as that many soldiers from
the 3rd
Infantry Division's Aviation Brigade re-enlisted in a mass ceremony.

Division officials said the mass re-enlistment was the largest for the
division
and the largest for an Army unit in the Iraqi theater of operations. The
101st
Airborne Division, which re-enlisted 158 soldiers on July 4, 2003, held
the
previous record.

The 177 soldiers pledged a total of 990 years of additional service to the
Army
and will receive a total of nearly $1.8 million in bonuses. Some 121
re-enlistees received stabilization and education options in their
contracts to
stay with the 3rd ID.

The key to organizing so many soldiers was finding out their needs, wants
and
desires, then working hard to make sure they could be fulfilled, said
Master
Sgt. James R. Jay, the aviation brigade's reserve-component senior career
counselor.

"Most of the soldiers who re-enlisted . didn't do it for money or anything
like
that. They wanted to volunteer to continue serving their country, and it
meant a
lot to them to do it here in the war zone with General McNeill giving the
oath,"
said Barry S. Norris, the brigade's senior active-duty career counselor.
"Many
of them have told me it gives them a great feeling of camaraderie."

During the ceremony, the brigade received the Presidential Unit Citation
for its
service in Operation Iraqi Freedom I, and McNeill and Webster promoted
Chief
Warrant Officer 3 Sezandra Pinckney, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion.
Pinckney's husband, Sgt. Maj. Allen Pinckney, and son, Pfc. Allen Pinckney
Jr.,
accompanied her. All three members of the Pinckney family serve in the 3rd
ID.
--
John H

"All decisions are the result of binary thinking."

Nice story John.

I changed the subject header so it has the word BOATING in it. As our brave
men and women in uniform ride on boats and ships and protect our waters, I
have deemed this not to be OT but boating related. I trust Gene Kearns will
make note of that. ;-)