Officials Working to Help Stryker Brigade Soldiers, Families

A Prayer for your son and all who serve

Lord Jesus, Mighty Warrior and Prince of Peace, all glory and power is yours. I offer myself and my military career for the welfare of our nation and for your glory.

You said "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord"; make us mindful of our nation's heritage and of who we are. You said "Be strong and of good courage", this is my prayer. You said "A king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength"; be my protection and my strength. While I defend the nation, may all of Heaven safeguard my family back home.

Almighty God, when you will to safely return me home, help me to see in each member of my family all that I am willing to fight for- life, liberty, freedom and justice. Give me wisdom to share what experiences would lead my sons to Christ-like valor, my daughters to Christian compassion. When Mary witnessed you falling wounded to the ground, she reaffirmed her trust in God her savior. Fill my spouse with surety in your divine plan for me, our family and our nation. You called me to be a soldier. March along side me. Jesus, I place my trust in you.

Amen.

and for all families at home

O God, whose fatherly care reaches to the uttermost parts of the earth: We humbly beseech you graciously to behold and bless those whom we love, now absent from us. Defend them from all dangers of soul and body, and grant that both they and we, drawing nearer to you, may be bound together by your love in the communion of your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

This did mot say if the 200 guys already home get to go back tot he rest of the unit.....

They will go back.

What few realize is the little support that Fort Wainwright has been provided during this entire deployment. We are grateful that we are finally getting the support that we should have been receiving all along. We are just so disappointed that it didn't happen last year when they first left. It has been extremely hard to see all of the terrific Army support that just one unit has received this entire deployment, down at Fort Richardson - the same unit that arrived home first - while the rest of the brigade families have had to struggle and fight for any support, and a lot of no support, from the Army up north where the temperatures were a balmy -60 the month of January.

If not for the Fairbanks community reaching out and providing us help, care, concern, and gratefulness we would have really been in trouble. Fairbanks community and businesses have been outstanding, and continue to be, and we are very grateful to have their support and assistance during this time. This is the only postive support and appreciation that we have received this entire year.

Did not know of the disparity.

The military is welcome, big time, in Los Anchorage - and a lot of the city is DoD, retired or dependents.

I had heard that most of the dependents had left town - can't blame 'em, Fairbanks is no place to be in the winter. Then again the Army is not exactly known for dependent support - esp when most of the post has gone overseas - I mean, was anyone left?

In a related note, we visited Nellis AFB a whole back and it was a ghost own - even the gate was covered by rent-a-cops or USA Reservists from Calif.

I think we need to pull all the troops from ROK, Most from Japan, most from Europe and take a hard look at any deployment. With folks in 121 countries now, where do we draw the line.

Be interesting to to see enlistment figures for next year. This last second (and IMO very political) decision to keep the 172nd in country displays the total lack of coordinated management and in some cases lack of any kind of management. But I don't want to sugar coat things. Just glad I retired when I did.

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