|
Gingrich Brothers Answer Call To Serve
(July 1, 2011) | 
|
|
|
U.S. Army Capt. Garrett H. Gingrich, commander of Company C, 1st
Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, Task Force Ironman, 2nd Infantry
Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls,
from Waterloo, Iowa, discusses the plans for an upcoming mission
with a couple of his Afghan National Army counterparts on Forward
Operating Base Kalagush on June 17, 2011.
U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Taylor A. Gingrich, a platoon leader with Company A, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, Task Force Ironman, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Task Force Red Bulls, from Cedar Falls, Iowa, returns to his Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle after he and his soldiers cleared the site of a previously detonated improvised explosive device while on a mounted convoy to Mehtar
Lam on June 14, 2011. |
|
BAGRAM, Afghanistan (6/25/2011) – Once again the Gingrich boys
answered the call to serve their country in combat.
The pair,
Capt. Garrett H. Gingrich, commander of Company C, 1st Battalion,
133rd Infantry Regiment, from Waterloo, Iowa, and 2nd Lt. Taylor A.
Gingrich, a platoon leader with Company A, 1st Battalion, 133rd
Infantry Regiment from Cedar Falls, Iowa, both part of Task Force
Ironman, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division,
Task Force Red Bulls, previously served alongside one another in
Iraq for 22 months – the National Guard's longest deployment since
World War II.
At the time, Garrett was a second lieutenant
with the same company he now commands; Taylor, served as a combat
medic for Company B, 1st Bn. 133rd Inf. Regt.
Separated by
roughly 15 miles, the brothers now serve in two of the most
demanding provinces in northeastern Afghanistan. Garrett is based
out of Forward Operating Base Kalagush in Nuristan Province, which
borders Pakistan and operates near the Alingar Valley. Taylor is
based out of Combat Outpost Najil in Laghman Province, which borders
Nuristan to the southwest. Taylor mainly operates in the Alishang
Valley.
It's a long way from the small town of Dysart, Iowa,
where the brothers were raised.
“My family and I grew up in
Dysart, Iowa. Where we are from, it's all small-town farming
communities,” said Taylor.
“If anyone needed any help with
manual labor, they would always come and ask for the Gingrich boys.”
Both brothers credit their parents for setting the standard and
passing along a strong work ethic. Deb, their mother, is the
director for an emergency room back in Iowa and their father, Craig,
serves in the same hospital as a paramedic. |
|
“Mom is the epitome of a leader,” said Taylor. “It takes a strong-willed
woman to run an E.R.”
As for his father, Taylor said, “Dad is now
60 and works harder than both me and Garrett.”
Garrett added,
“Among the values our parents passed along were do the right thing and
get to know people.”
For Taylor, doing the right thing means not
cutting corners. “You can never cut corners; as leaders we must do the
right thing every time to ensure the safety of our Soldiers and the
citizens here in our area of operations,” said Taylor.
On a
recent mounted convoy to Mehtar Lam, Taylor dismounted elements of his
platoon to clear several danger zones of improvised explosive devices.
Though no IEDs were found, he admitted it must be done every time. “You
cannot let the enemy dictate your next move. I will dismount every time,
because the one time you don't is the one time you may end up losing a
Soldier due to complacency.”
Those same values are what Garrett
said served him well in a recent conflict in the village of Do Ab, which
is located approximately 15 miles north of FOB Kalagush. Over the course
of about seven hours, Garrett and approximately 40 U.S. service members
and 20 of their Afghan counterparts thwarted an ambush and killed more
than 200 insurgent fighters. It was the largest conflict for the Iowa
National Guard's “Red Bulls”, since World War II.
Garrett said
his unit could not have done what they did that day in Do Ab if they had
not gotten to know their Afghan counterparts and trusted one another to
do the right thing.
“It is part of our mission to develop strong
relationships with the Afghan National Army, the Afghan National Police
and others here in order to support them establish security,” said
Garrett.
“As for my own leaders,” Garrett continued, “I trust
them to make the right decision, because I know them, understand how
they think and see them do it every day.”
Both brothers call and
keep up with one another as much as possible - sometimes seeking advice,
others times just to make sure the other is all right.
“When
Garrett was up in Do Ab, I monitored the situation here at COP Najil;
needless to say, I was worried,” said Taylor.
“I'm always
concerned. Both valleys are not completely safe. My concern is for my
Soldiers and my brother,” said Garrett. “Both companies have been
through a lot. I will be relieved when my Soldiers are able to return
home and Taylor leaves here as well.”
Garrett knows the dangers
of combat all too well. During his previous deployment to Iraq, one of
his Soldiers was killed.
“When we were in Iraq, Garrett lost one
of his squad leaders to small-arms fire. Garrett still wears a bracelet
with the Soldier's name on it. We still pray for that Soldier and his
family every Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Taylor. “I saw how it
changed Garrett, and I hope I don't have to go through the same thing.”
Garrett has passed a lot of what he has learned on to his younger
brother, Taylor.
“Garrett has been a mentor for me. If I have
questions, I call him,” said Taylor. “He is why I became an infantry
officer; I'm his biggest fan.”
But, just as much as Garrett has
been a mentor for Taylor, so too has Taylor been one for Garrett.
“I am proud of Taylor. He has truly established himself as an
outstanding leader in his platoon,” said Garrett. “As we've grown older,
we've gotten a lot closer. He is as much of a role model for me.”
Both Garrett and Taylor say serving together in combat has made
things easier.
“It's easier doing a lot of the things I do here,
because I know my brother is here with me sucking it up too,” said
Taylor.
“Being deployed together has changed us; we've gone
through the same things and have grown a lot closer,” said Garrett. | |
Article and photo by Army Capt. Jason Beck
Combined Joint Task Force 1 - Afghanistan
Copyright 2011
Provided
through DVIDS
Comment on this article |
|
