Friends and Family of the Washington Artillery,

Operation Iraqi Freedom ended on September 1, 2010, ushering in Operation New Dawn. Your Soldiers have done a fine job and continue to perform magnificently as they adapt to our non-standard mission. Most of our Soldiers joined the Washington Artillery thinking they would be sending rounds down range in order to destroy the enemy. Instead they find themselves serving on Personnel Security Detachments (PSDs) or Quick Reaction Forces (QRFs). Some of them are working with the United Nations or convoy escort missions while others are manning a Joint Operations Center with Australians, British, Danish and Iraqi Army Soldiers. This is not an easy mission however they are up to the task much the same way our forefathers joined the Washington Artillery in the early 1900’s. They thought they were signing up be artillerymen but instead found themselves serving as infantryman as they assisted in routing Pancho Villa and his bandits in Mexico in 1916.

Then as now, the Soldiers of the Washington Artillery answered the call of their country and ensured the peace and security of our great nation. As I write this post, I am reminded of the events of nine years ago when we were forever changed as a nation when we came under attack by ruthless murders who wanted to destroy our way of life. I take comfort knowing that our service abroad may be preventing another attack. When I see our Soldiers working side-by-side with the Iraqi Army, I know we did the right thing. When you see the happy faces of the children and receive well wishes and gratitude from the average Iraqi on the street, you know we did the right thing. Freedom is the most precious gift that we have and often take for granted. The Iraqis do not have that problem; they embrace it every day. There are still some bad people over here but they are the exception. Your Soldiers are doing magnificent things over here. We are assisting a nation’s fledgling democracy while simultaneously being reminded of how precious our own democracy is.

Your Soldiers speak often about home and how much they miss their families. The Soldiers of the Washington Artillery always eat together in the Dining Facility. We have a gigantic facility to eat in however we seem to always bunch up together and talk. Lately, most of our conversations deal with two subjects; family and the Saints. I am sure that when your Soldier returns home, you will find them to be more mature and appreciative of the great life that we have in the United States. They are really excited knowing that in less than 100 days they will be home. They are really excited about being home for the Christmas Holidays.

Again, I would like to thank the friends and families of the Washington Artillery for their unwavering support. We are touched by the successes of the Family Days and most recently the “Iraq-n-Bowl” event. We are comforted knowing that you have each other to lean upon in much the same way as we depend on each other in Iraq. In closing, I would like to ask all of you to take a moment of your time on September 11th and remember how you felt on that day nine years ago. We Americans have an unbreakable spirit and with the efforts of your Soldiers coupled with the support from you we will persevere as a nation in our war on terrorism. May God Bless you and your families.

Try Us!
LTC Champagne
1-141 Field Artillery Battalion
Commanding