Fort Carson – Staff Sgt. Kevin Harris stood in a gymnasium Wednesday at Fort Carson and smiled broadly when asked if he thought sending more troops to Baghdad was a good idea.
“Being a staff sergeant in the United States Army, we just execute,” said Harris, a 34-year-old soldier from Macon, Miss. “Whatever comes down, whatever happens, we fully support it.”
Harris, a husband and father of four, is on his way to Afghanistan, his third deployment after two tours in Iraq.
“When I first came into the military, I took an oath to protect the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, and that’s what we get paid for,” said Harris, who is among 95 soldiers from the 43rd Area Support Group being deployed in the coming days. Approximately 75 soldiers from the 68th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion are returning to Iraq.
The Army teaches its soldiers not to publicly criticize the commander in chief or his policies.
“All of our soldiers are committed to what it is that they’re doing, otherwise they wouldn’t have come in,” said Col. John Howard, commander of the 43rd. “It’s an all-volunteer Army, no one’s twisted any arms. No one’s cajoled anyone to join the Army. I think our troops know what they’re getting into.”
The 43rd is scheduled to be deployed for 12 months. Whether that tour is extended as a result of sending more troops to Iraq is unknown.
“It’s a plan and plans change. We’re leaving, planning to go for 12 months and we will see what happens,” Howard said. “We’ll have to see what the impacts of what he (the president) has to say are, as it works its way through the channels.”
Spec. Greg Calim, 23, a soldier from Craig who served with the 2nd Brigade Combat Team and will leave the Army next month after fulfilling a four-year commitment, was skeptical of how the additional troops will change the direction in Iraq.
“It’ll probably be about the same,” Calim said.
Another soldier, who would not provide his name, said: “I think we need it, big time.”
Staff writer Erin Emery can be reached at 719-522-1360 or eemery@denverpost.com.
