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BAGHDAD (Army News Service, Jan. 9, 2006) – As Iraqi Army and coalition partners looked on, the 3rd Infantry Division transferred authority of Multi-National Division-Baghdad to the 4th Infantry Division in a ceremony Jan. 7. Maj. Gen. J.D. Thurman, the commanding general of 4th Inf. Div., along with Command Sgt. Maj. Ronald Riling, uncased the “Ironhorse” Division’s colors, signifying the division assuming the mantle of responsibility as Multi-National Division-Baghdad. The division cased its colors before deploying from Fort Hood, Texas, during a ceremony Oct. 28. Lt. Gen. John Vines, the commanding general of Multi-National Corps-Iraq, served as the reviewing officer...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 - The Fourth Infantry Division returns to Iraq next month for a complex, yearlong tour that illustrates the risks and goals of the American military's postelection mission across Iraq. The more than 20,000 troops in the division, about 15 percent of the 138,000-strong American commitment scheduled to remain in Iraq at least through the early part of the year, will be responsible for security across a swath of central and south-central Iraq that is much larger than previous commands have tried to cover there. The expanded mission includes more than a hope, but a requirement, that Iraqi...

Across the Tigris River from his opulent palaces, Saddam Hussein shuttered himself at the bottom of a narrow, dark hole beneath a two-room mud shack on a sheep farm, a U.S. military official said Sunday. Having opted not to travel with security forces or an entourage that might bring attention to him, only a Styrofoam square, dirt and a rug separated the deposed Iraqi leader from the U.S. soldiers who routed him from his hiding place Saturday night. "He was in the bottom of a hole with no way to fight back," said Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno. "He was caught...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2005 – No war has ever been won on a timetable, and the war in Iraq can be no exception, a former commander in Iraq who's now assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Dec. 2. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, assistant to Marine Gen. Peter Pace and former commander of the 4th Infantry Division, told grassroots supporters of the military partnering with the America Supports You program that an artificial timetable is no way to begin troop withdrawals from Iraq. Decisions about troop levels need to be condition-based, grounded in increasing self-reliance...

FORT HOOD, Texas - As he prepared to head off to war in Iraq, Army Pfc. Perry Rasmussen was still sorting through conflicting emotions. “As a person, I'm a little afraid and I'm worried about my family and friends,” said Rasmussen, a 21-year-old gunner from Portland, Ore. “But as a soldier, I've got to suck it up and do my job.” Rasmussen was among several hundred soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division who said goodbye to loved ones and boarded planes Tuesday to fly to the Middle East. By the end of December, nearly 21,000 troops from the division are...

FORT HOOD, TEXAS (Army News Service, Oct. 31, 2005) -- Marking the official beginning of the 4th Infantry Division's deployment to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Soldiers of the "Ivy" Division cased their colors at a ceremony on Fort Hood's Cameron Field Oct. 28. Although 470 Soldiers from the division's Support Brigade have already made their way to the troubled region to set up beans and bullets for the incoming troops, the rest of the division's 20,500 Soldiers are scheduled to hit ground through the rest of this year. "Only 580 days ago, you (the 4th Inf. Div.)...

Soldiers expect experience and battle-tested teachers to make the difference FORT HOOD - Just days after the nation reached the 2,000 fatality mark in the Iraq war, the Army's largest fighting force is bracing to return to the battlefield to face an enemy their commander describes as "a band of thugs." About 500 troops of the 4th Infantry Division are in the combat zone to prepare the way for more than 20,000 other soldiers who, beginning next week, will depart Central Texas to serve from 12 to 14 months in that insurgent-terrorized nation. The massive deployment of the "Ironhorse" division,...

Apache pilot was 'loving husband' By Emily Baker Killeen Daily Herald Christopher Chabot Martin was a soldier at heart, said a close family friend. “That’s all the boy was,” said Christy Greenville, a surrogate sister-in-law. “He was our little Army man.” Martin, 31, was killed Monday evening when the AH-64D Apache Longbow he piloted crashed during a training exercise at Fort Hood. Martin, a member of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Aviation Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, was promoted posthumously to chief warrant officer 2. The helicopter’s other crew member was treated at Darnall Army Community Hospital and released Monday evening....

FORT HOOD, Texas - President Bush (news - web sites) attended an Easter service Sunday at Fort Hood where he offered prayers for peace and the well-being of American soldiers and their families. AP Photo (AP Video)   For a third straight year, the president made the 50-mile helicopter flight from his ranch in Crawford to mark Christianity's highest holiday at the largest active-duty armored post in the military and one that has contributed thousands of troops to U.S. forces in Iraq (news - web sites). "I want to wish all the fellow citizens and their families a happy Easter,"...

A Fort Hood Black Hawk crashed, killing seven soldiers last year, because the pilots didn't follow an Army regulation that said they should have been flying with instruments, according to an investigation report released Tuesday. "They violated standard operating procedure," said Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, chief spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood. He declined to speculate on why the pilots had deviated from the regulations. The Army UH-60L crashed early on Nov. 29 shortly after leaving Fort Hood for the Red River Army Depot near Texarkana. Initially, the crew was flying below the clouds with good visibility,...

SAVANNAH, Ga. - A Fort Stewart soldier and veteran of the 2003 invasion of Iraq refused to deploy for a second combat tour last week, days after telling commanders he was seeking conscientious objector status. Sgt. Kevin Benderman, 40, says he became morally opposed to war after seeing it firsthand during his first Iraq tour. Now he faces a possible court-martial after he failed to deploy last Friday with his unit in the Army's 3rd Infantry Division. "I told them that I refused deployment because I just couldn't go back over there," Benderman said Wednesday. "If I'm going to sit...

4th Infantry Division - Command Sgt. Maj. Ron Riling said he's honored to be awarded the Silver Star, but he'd gladly give it back if it would bring back the 12 Marines who lost their lives in Rammadi, Iraq, April 6. "I'd do it in a heartbeat," Riling said. "That would be my reward, to let those kids be still alive. I'd do it in a minute." Riling, who serves as the 4th Infantry Division's command sergeant major, was serving with 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, when he and his brigade commander, Col. Buck Connor, were notified Marines attached to...

BRUCEVILLE-EDDY – Seven Fort Hood soldiers were killed Monday when their Black Hawk helicopter hit the guy wires of a television broadcast tower and crashed in foggy weather, military officials said. One of the victims was a brigadier general who was an assistant commander of the 4th Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood. The UH-60 Black Hawk was headed for Texarkana when it went down in a central Texas field about 30 miles northeast of Fort Hood near Interstate 35, said Lt. Col. Jonathan Withington, chief spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division. "Unfortunately, there were no survivors," Col. Withington said....

Bible study helps soldiers navigate their faith By Mollie MillerFort Hood Herald In 1997, Sgt. Tom Gutierrez was trying to find his way back to God. With the help of the Fort Hood Navigators Military Ministry, the 4th Infantry Division soldier found his way back to God … and a great deal more. Soon after arriving in Central Texas seven years ago, Gutierrez began attending services at one of the post chapels. Having been away from any kind of services for many years, he said he felt out of place almost immediately. "I didn't know where I was supposed...

Promotion for Odierno of Fort Hood's 4th ID September 24, 2004FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) - The former commanding general of the massive Fourth Infantry Division at Fort Hood is heading to the Pentagon.Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld says President Bush has nominated Major General Ray Odierno to become assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Friday's announcement also says Odierno is being promoted to lieutenant general. About 20,000 Fourth Infantry soldiers were among the first U.S. troops to deploy to Iraq, including Odierno himself. Troops from the Fourth Infantry were credited with capturing Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein....

Thousands Honor Loved OnesAt Iron Horse Memorial By U.S. Army Sgt. Greg Heath / 4th Public Affairs Detachment FORT HOOD, Texas, Sept. 9, 2004 — Soldiers of the 4th Infantry Division and hundreds of family members gathered Thursday for a memorial dedication ceremony on Fort Hood's Sadowski Field to honor and remember the division's 81 soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq while serving as part of Task Force Iron Horse. The Task Force Iron Horse Memorial contains plaques bearing the names of the 75 men and six women Task Force Iron Horse soldiers who died during Operation...

  4th Infantry Division Bids Odierno Farewell, Welcomes Thurman   By Mollie Miller and Tam CummingsFort Hood Sentinel Leisure and News Editors FORT HOOD, Texas, June 18, 2004 — Under a cloudy, blue sky and to standing ovations, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James Thurman accepted command of the 4th Infantry Division today from Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno in a ceremony conducted on Cameron Field. The field was flanked on two sides by troops representing every element of the division.The 4th Infantry Division gained worldwide recognition under Odierno’s command when his soldiers captured ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The division...

  Odierno Reflects on Iraq's Rebuilding By Tam Cummings / Fort Hood Public Affairs FORT HOOD, Texas, May 26, 2004 — Soldiers fighting insurgents and terrorism in Operation Iraqi Freedom are also busy erecting educational, governmental, internal security and agricultural systems from the ground up, in the most complex military operation Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno said he has ever been involved in. “Our soldiers saw the condition of that country,” the commander of the 4th Infantry Division said recently. “We're not rebuilding a country, but building a country. There was no infrastructure, except in the palace complexes.” Odierno said...

On the 8th of Novermber, we planned to level several areas where the insurgents had found safe harbor. One was at the very site of the crash (an Army helicopter was shot down by insurgents). A partially built house sat on the bluffs north of where the helicopter had been attacked. Locals reported that spotters had used a cell phone to signal the attackers from there. At curfew we rolled a tank platoon from "Cougars" to Cadaseeah. "Cobras" (another C company) maneuvered infantry and Bradleys to a building where we had taken fire from on occasion. The "Gators" deployed south...

How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World? As I begin to write this, I "slug" it, as we writers say, which means I put a heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is "eonlineFINAL," and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doing this column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I loved writing this column so much for so long I came to believe it would never end. Lew Harris, who founded this great site, asked me to do...