A Re-enlistment To Remember

A Re-enlistment To Remember

Last Friday we had a special visitor come to our area. It was the Vice President. He went to Fort Stewart to thank our military. While he was there he help to re-enlist a soldier. But this wasn't just any soldier. This was a purple heart veteran and amputee.�I can't even begin to imagine what�it was like to be there to witness this take place. And sadly I don't think most of America even knows it took place. I can't find it on any national news sites. I think it's a shame this took place and nobody noticed. Maybe that's what's wrong in this world..we concentrate too much on the negative and take the positive for granted. My Army friends told me it was unbearably hot and they stood in the sun for hours waiting for the VP's arrival. But after seeing that soldier sworn in, they said they'd do it all again. I have copied the story and put it below. I found it to be very inspiring.�

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FORT STEWART - A 3rd Infantry Division soldier who lost his left leg last year to a roadside bomb in Iraq re-enlisted Friday with Vice President Dick Cheney administering the oath.

During a rally for more than 8,000 of his fellow soldiers, Cpl. Jerrod Fields raised his right hand before Cheney and pledged to serve another four years.

More than a year after he chose to have part of his leg amputated so he could continue serving, the Bradley gunner said he was "amazed" to have Cheney conduct his re-enlistment.

"He told me job well done ... and to keep fighting, keep pushing," said Fields, whose combat tour was cut short when a roadside bomb struck his Bradley armored vehicle on Feb. 21, 2005.

Fields, 24, said he hopes his decision to remain in the Army inspires other war amputees.

"I hope it gives them motivation," he said. "I have a lot of friends in the same position at Walter Reed (Army Medical Center) that want to stay in."

Yesterday's Army was likely to pat Fields on the back, quietly hand him a medical discharge and replace him in the ranks.

Friday's re-enlistment is a sign that today's Army is willing to give war amputees a chance to remain in combat positions.

Fields worked hard to achieve it, said Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, the 3rd ID's commander. He passed his physical test, in part, by running two miles in 14 minutes, 9 seconds on his prosthetic leg.

"He's gone through eight legs because he's so difficult and demanding on that artificial leg," Lynch said. "I've got to tell you, I'm inspired by him as an individual and I'm inspired by him as a soldier."

At the Army post's parade grounds, bottled water was distributed to the soldiers and family members who waited for three hours in the July heat prior to Cheney's appearance.

When Cheney took the stage, he removed his suit jacket. That prompted a collective "Hoo-ah" from the soldiers.

"Mercy," Cheney said about the heat.

He went on to thank the soldiers for their service.

"Everyday you went about your job with focus and skill, regardless of the conditions," he said. "I know the desert out there can make the Georgia summer seem pretty mild."

Cheney said the United States will stay the course in Iraq, and slammed congressional critics who he said are advocating "a policy of retreat and defeatism."

"Terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of strength; they are invited by the perception of weakness," he said.

Troop levels in Iraq, he said, will be based on the advice of military commanders and "not according to artificial timelines set by politicians in Washington, D.C."

He also urged Americans to fight a "temptation to let up" five years after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Cheney's visit comes six months after the 19,000 soldiers of the 3rd ID finished their second combat tour. About 4,500 citizen-soldiers with the 48th Brigade returned in May after a year in Iraq. It was the largest deployment of Georgia guardsmen since World War II.

"I want to thank the city of Hinesville and Savannah and this entire region for standing behind our military veterans," Cheney said.