FORT CARSON, Colo. – The 4th Infantry Division headquarters officially concluded its deployment in support of the U.S. European Command’s Operation Assure, Deter and Reinforce during a homecoming and uncasing ceremony, Sept. 13, 2023, at Fort Carson.
The Ivy Division command team, Maj. Gen. David Doyle and Command. Sgt. Maj. Alex Kupratty, performed the honors by unfurling the division colors, a symbolic gesture marking the return of the unit to its home station.
“In February, we took almost 800 folks from the headquarters, and then we took another group from our sustainment brigade and our division artillery [unit],” said Doyle. “We fell in on a group of Soldiers in Europe and continued that mission all the way up until just this week, returning from Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.”
The 4th Infantry Division Band added a special touch to the event, entertaining friends and loved ones of the Ivy Division with a variety of contemporary musical selections as they awaited the opportunity reunite with their Soldiers after the seven-month deployment.
Doyle expressed pride in the work the division did while deployed, especially with regards to ensuring its Soldiers’ well-being.
“We did a wonderful job of taking care of our Soldiers,” said Doyle. “We were still doing difficult and dangerous things over there, but we brought everybody home and that is a great feeling.”
During its deployment to Poland and the Baltic Region, the division’s mission was to engage in multinational training and enhance interoperability, deter further aggression, and set the theater for future U.S. Army and NATO forces in Eastern Europe.
“We were there to help our allies to prepare for anything that may be a contingency in Europe,” said Doyle. “And the most important thing we did was we built great relationships with our allies in NATO.
Last week, the Ivy Division transferred authority of the mission in the Baltic Region to 3rd Infantry Division.
The Ivy Division commander underscored an important lesson learned from the mission.
“We learned that trust is fundamental to interoperability,” said Doyle. “We must remember that interoperability is rooted in the relationships we foster. After all, warfighting is a human endeavor.”
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