For Virginia and Country!

"Look! There is Jackson standing like a stone wall! Let us determine to die
here today and we will conquer. Rally 'round the Virginians!" - Bernard Bee,
Brigadier General, CSA

Virginia has a rich history and has always been an integral part of our Nation. One of the first enduring colonies established on our shores was at Jamestown. During the Revolutionary War, the crowning victory over Lord Cornwallis and his British army was at Yorktown. Most of the major battles of the Civil War were waged on Virginia soil. The National D-Day Memorial is in Virginia because of the sacrifice of life and limb endured at Omaha Beach by the 116th Infantry Regiment - a Virginia Army National Guard unit. Our Battalion is based out of Fort Lee, VA, which is situated adjacent to the Petersburg National Battlefield. I can walk from my office at Fort Lee to the Petersburg trenches in less than five minutes at a leisurely pace. When we mobilized for our current deployment, our Family Readiness Group presented us with the Flag of the Commonwealth. It was not only a gift from the FRG, but also from the citizens of Virginia. We promised that we would proudly raise the flag over our headquarters in Iraq. That promise now stands fulfilled.

It wasn't as easy as it sounds though. When we first departed Fort Lee we didn't travel straight to Iraq. Instead we went to training at Fort Bliss, TX. Because of that, we left the flag with our unit Rear Detachment back at Fort Lee to be mailed to us once we reached Iraq. Upon arriving at COB Speicher, we discovered that there was no flagpole at the HQ. Therefore, we set about the task of erecting a sturdy pole on top of hescos. We even arranged for lights to shine on the pole in the evening. This all took longer than we anticipated but, finally, on June 1, 2011 we raised the flags - exactly 55 days after arriving in country. CSM Legra and I held a small ceremony and proudly hoisted the American Flag and our Virginia Flag. There they will remain until our mission is complete. Although we aren't all from Virginia, we will all do our part to make the citizens of Virginia and the United States proud. Our HQ is now complete.