Secretary, Troops Surprise Each Other

American Forces Press Service ^ | Feb. 22, 2004 | By John D. Banusiewicz

[Calpernia]

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and his traveling party weren't the only Americans to refuel here in today's wee hours.

Two companies of soldiers from the 120th Engineer Battalion, 90th Troop Command, Oklahoma National Guard, were getting ready to reboard their aircraft. Their civilian aircraft pilot saw the secretary and introduced himself as a former Air Force pilot. He told Rumsfeld more than 200 soldiers were right through the doors the secretary's party was about to enter.

The defense secretary needed no introduction. The soldiers gave him a spontaneous, tumultuous welcome, and quickly surrounded the beaming Rumsfeld. The secretary shook some hands, exchanged some greetings and posed for countless pictures with the soldiers for about 10 minutes. Then he stood on a chair and offered them words of thanks and encouragement, punctuated by the soldiers' hearty shouts of "Hooah!"

The Guardsmen of the 120th have been mobilized and in training for their deployment since mid-December. Spc. Rebecca Patterson of Wagner, Okla., said she and her comrades had no idea they'd meet the secretary of defense. She pointed out that the small amount of time they spent together had a big effect on her level of motivation.

"Every word he said inspired me," she said. "He has a real presence, and this was a great surprise."

[PhilDragoo]

Rummybump.

[Valin]

RummyBump!

[Alamo-Girl]

Bump!

[windchime]

Bump!

[VOA]

I was proud to see the Thunderbird insignia of the 45th Brigade on the sleeve of one
of the soldiers talking to Rummy.

Beats the previous insignia by a mile!
(the reverse/Native-American swastika...had to explain to a "Yankee" friend in
Stillwater that the "swastika" in the brickwork of an old house was NOT a
bit of skin-head Nazi artwork!)

[Billthedrill]

Wait till Reuters and AP get a hold of this story...

Hmm...OK, here, let me try:

"Elements of the 120th Engineer Battalion, 90th Troop Command, Oklahoma National Guard, who only joined that organization so they could avoid combat, were found AWOL in Ireland yesterday..."

Something like that?

[OKSooner]

The 45th once had the Indian (backwards) swastika as an insignia? I never knew that, I thought they had always been the Thunderbirds.

[VOA]

Sorry I'm in a rush...but here's a link on the topic at the new and improved website
for the 45th Infantry Division Museum --
http://www.45thdivisionmuseum.com/History/SwastikaToThunderbird.html

[VOA]

The 45th once had the Indian (backwards) swastika as an insignia? I never knew that,
I thought they had always been the Thunderbirds.

just an excuse for an extra bump...and explanation...
A good friend of mine in graduate school at OSU and his family rented a house
near the hospital (in Stillwater).
I suspect that some of these old rental houses might have pre-dated WWII.

Anyway, during a time when I helped the fellow do some renovation on the
home he rented, he mentioned the "swastika" in the brickwork of the
adjacent house.

Thanks to the load of trivia I've accumlated, I was able to calm him and explain
that he was looking at a reverse-"swastika" which had even graced the shoulder-patches
of the noble and decidedly ANTI-Nazi 45th Infantry Division.

I chuckled a bit at calming my friend from Indiana/Illinois...
he ended up being a decided partisan for Oklahoma!