FORT BENNING, Ga. - Eight names were added to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division's Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial during a ceremony at Kelley Hill, Nov. 10.
The brigade has etched 73 names on the monument, which is now located next to the brigade's headquarters building, since its first deployment to Iraq in 2003.
Friends and Family of the fallen Soldiers sat with 3rd Infantry Division commander, Maj. Gen. Tony Cucolo, and Maj. Gen. Robert Brown, the Fort Benning post commander, as Col. Peter Jones, the commander of the 3rd HBCT, spoke about the importance of remembering the brigade's fallen heroes and honoring their memory.
"This memorial honors the lives of those Sledgehammer Soldiers who have sacrificed their lives throughout numerous deployments," said Col. Jones. "It is positioned here, where all our Soldiers can see, as a living monument. We circle around it at PT (physical training), at promotions and at close out formations to remind us daily to never take anything for granted and that freedom isn't free."
Following Col. Jones' speech, the Soldiers of the 3rd HBCT rendered honors as a 21-gun salute sounded out and taps was played.
After the ceremony, Soldiers and Family went up and took rubbings of names, posed for pictures and read aloud the 73 names of the Brigade's fallen Soldiers.
"Throughout our history, men and women in uniform have fought and died," said Col. Jones. "Their sacrifices serve as a reminder of the freedoms we hold dear."
Social Sharing