FORT HOOD, Texas- Being in the military is often described by many Soldiers as being part of a family. And, a military unit often serves as a Soldier's second home. So, what happens when a unit deactivates? Many Soldiers find it to be a bittersweet experience.
This was the case for Capt. William Fuller, the commander of Delta Company, 52nd Infantry Regiment (Long Range Surveillance), who spoke during the LRS unit's deactivation ceremony Jan. 10, 2017 in the III Corps headquarters building here.
"Today is a bittersweet event, but we've known it was coming for quite some time, so I'm not overly emotional right now," said Fuller, who has been in command since May 2016. "When I took command of the unit, we knew that the unit would be deactivating."
Fuller continued, "This is a very unique organization because of the level of talent within the company and the level of autonomy we were granted by our higher commanders. We were able to accomplish an immense amount of successful missions with a limited amount of Soldiers, which I think is a testament to the people that comprise the organization."
Sgt. 1st Class Jory Mathis, the communications platoon sergeant, also said the deactivation ceremony was a bittersweet event.
"It was a wonderful ceremony; I'm glad so many Soldiers past and present showed up for this event. The ceremony displayed a true testament to the professionalism of each and every Soldier who was a part of the unit," said Mathis.
Family was a common word used to describe the camaraderie amongst members of the unit.
"I will definitely miss being a part of this unit because I had the best leadership, Soldiers and training. Out of my three years here, we became close; everyone was a valued member of the team. We became like family" said Staff Sgt. Octavio Fuentes, a team leader with LRS.
Even the senior leadership echoed the same sentiments as the Soldiers.
"We were a very tight-knit group...a family. It was both a fantastic place to work and learn because we were constantly pushed by other members within the unit to do our best," said Fuller. "The Soldiers in this unit are super talented, and they made the unit super fun."
Although the LRS company was a III Corps operational asset, they were administratively task organized under 4th Squadron "Longknife," 3rd Cavalry Regt.
This was the ending of one chapter in many Soldiers lives, however, this also became the start of new beginnings. Many of the unit's Soldiers have been reassigned to other companies within 3rd Cav. Regt., while others are moving on to other unit's across the Army.
"I think everyone is excited to go on and do their next assignment and continue to contribute to the Army. Most of the people in the organization will look back on this unit with very fond memories," Fuller said.
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