Re-enlistment Ceremony Marks 102 Years for Army Reserve
(April 28, 2010) |
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WASHINGTON, April 23, 2010 – To mark the 102nd anniversary
of the U.S. Army Reserve, a hand-picked group of 60
reservists representing units in every U.S. state and
territory re-enlisted together at a ceremony held today on
Capitol Hill. |
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| U.S. Army Reserve soldiers
stand in formation in the Kennedy Caucus Room of
the Russell Senate Building, Washington, D.C.,
during the fifth annual U.S. Army Reserve
National Capitol Re-enlistment Ceremony, April
23, 2010. Sixty U.S. Army Reserve soldiers from
across the United States took part in the event
marking the U.S. Army Reserves 102nd
anniversary. |
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Due to the disruption of air traffic from Iceland's volcanic
ash cloud, one soldier who was selected for the honor, Army
Staff Sgt. Pratik D. Ram, participated via live video link
from Germany. Ram's father flew from India to Germany to sit
behind his son while he took the reenlistment oath.
Chief of the Army Reserve Lt. Gen. Jack C. Stultz
administered the pledge. He said the historic Senate caucus
room was a fitting setting for citizen soldiers who he
called, “national treasures.”
Most of today's more than 207,000 Army Reservists, Stultz
said, enlisted after Sept. 11, 2001, knowing that extended
conflicts meant the likelihood they would be mobilized and
face danger.
“What you have are soldiers who are employees, who are moms
and dads, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters - who are
willing to voluntarily raise their hand and say, ‘I want to
serve my nation,'” Stultz said.
Army Master Sgt. John T. Martin from the Army Reserve Career
Division helped pick the representative re-enlistees from
candidates submitted by retention officers.
From privates to staff sergeants, individuals were singled
out for their achievements. Most are combat veterans, and
the group included a Silver Star recipient.
Army Sgt. Kyle F. Tuner was awarded the Silver Star medal in
2004 for heroic actions during a firefight while serving in
Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today, he is an active-duty drill
sergeant at Fort Sill, Okla.
Tuner said the honor meant a lot to him, but the ceremony
was especially poignant for his father who came to
Washington to watch his son re-enlist.
Staff Sgt. Aaron Butler from the 4225th U.S. Army Hospital
in Helena, Mont., was also honored to take his reenlistment
oath from a three-star general. He said that's not the norm.
Butler exemplifies the wide range of walks of life covered
by citizen-soldiers in the reserves. He's a medical
logistics sergeant in the Army, but a cattle rancher by
trade.
“A lot of the skills and work ethics that I gained while
growing up working on a cattle ranch has definitely crossed
over and helped me in my military career,” he said. Butler
has been deployed to Qatar and served in missions in Iraq,
Afghanistan and Africa.
During the ceremony, guest speaker Alaska Sen. Mark Begich
noted the long history of contributions made by Army
reservists. But today's reserve is especially vital to U.S.
interests, he said.
“There is no doubt that without the Army Reserve we could
not achieve our objectives,” Begich said. “The Army reserve
is no longer a strategic reserve, but an operational force
in the world's-greatest Army.”
This was the fifth annual National Capitol Reenlistment
Ceremony held on Capitol Hill. |
Article and photo by Judith Snyderman
Emerging Media, Defense Media Activity
American Forces Press Service
Copyright 2010 |
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