FORT HOOD, Texas - Every three months or so, the commander of the 4th Sustainment Brigade, Col. Ronald Kirklin, gathers all of his Soldiers together for what he calls Wrangler Day.
"We use Wrangler Day to put out important information to the troops," said Kirklin. "It's also a great way to build unit camaraderie."
That team-building concept increased in scale May 21 with the third installment of Wrangler Day. It was the first time in nearly three years that the majority of the brigade and all of its battalions were home together at Fort Hood.
The unit recently redeployed both the 180th Transportation Battalion from Kuwait and the 49th Movement Control Battalion from Iraq. Those two units joined the 553rd Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, the 4th Brigade Troops Battalion, and more than 20 company-size units to complete the Wrangler Team.
"We have returned a large number of Soldiers and leaders home safely during the last six months," he said. "And I'm so glad to have them back."
The 4th Sust. Bde. falls under the 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), and it's one of the largest brigades on Fort Hood with more than 3,300 Soldiers. To kick off Wrangler Day, all of those Soldiers formed up behind the Kieschnick Physical Fitness Center to begin a brigade-size run which eventually filled Battalion Avenue with Wrangler Pride.
Both Kirklin and his top noncommissioned officer, Command Sgt. Maj. Erik R.R. Frey, led the brigade formation. The Wrangler Day run was so large that even Maj. Gen. William F. Grimsley, Fort Hood's acting senior commander, joined the morning the jog.
Following the run, Wrangler Brigade Soldiers filled the gym at the Abrams Physical Fitness Center to watch Grimsley administer the oath of reenlistment to eleven troops who recommitted their service to the U.S. Army.
Wrangler Day also included an awards ceremony where six Soldiers received Army decorations, and 28 certificates of achievement were presented to both service members and civilians. The brigade commander even honored Colt Boehringer with the President's Volunteer Service Award.
The entire brigade wrapped up the morning listening to various guest speakers including a sexual assault survivor, Texas state troopers, and the Wrangler commanding officer himself.
"You guys have a great reputation on Fort Hood, and you all have accomplished so many great things," said Kirklin. "So please keep it up."
After the event, Kirklin gave his troops the rest of the day off for all of their hard work.
(Pfc. Amy M. Lane from the 4th Sustainment Brigade contributed to this article)
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