Lee Erwin Reporting
lerwin@clarksvillenow.com
Fort Campbell, KY. – The 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), “Rakkasans” of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), held a colors-casing ceremony at Fort Campbell Wednesday, January 14 as around 600 soldiers serve a nine-month deployment in Afghanistan supporting Operation Resolute Support.
The primary mission of the 3rd BCT will be to advise and assist Afghan security forces. Some members of the brigade are already in Afghanistan with the remaining soldiers heading out in the next few weeks. This will be the seventh deployment for the brigade in the War on Terror.
The Brigade Commander, Colonel J.B. Vowell and Brigade Command Sergeant Major, Walter Tagalicud cased the 3rd BCT colors as many of the Rakkasan soldiers and visitors from the communities surrounding Fort Campbell looked on.
The casing of the colors is an Army tradition and it officially recognizes the brigade’s upcoming deployment. The soul of a military unit is symbolized in the colors under which it fights. They record the glories of the past, stand guard over its present destiny and inspire its future.
Colonel Vowell talked about the brigade’s mission to assist the Afghan Army and Police. “We’re not providing a lot of things for them and we certainly aren’t doing offensive operations as a mission statement. We’re trying to help them get better every day,” said Vowell.