Fort Carson – Fort Carson’s 3rd Brigade Combat Team is headed to Iraq for the third time, a voyage whose destination is Baghdad and whose goal is to protect civilians so the Iraqi government can carry more of the burden of fighting insurgents.
“We want to get soldiers out into the community,” Col. John Hort, 3rd Brigade commander, said Tuesday.
The team’s 3,700 soldiers, who will begin leaving in late November, have been told they could be in Iraq for 15 months, three months longer than previous deployments.
The unit returned in November from a tour that cost it 18 soldiers.
“It definitely is an increase in stress for the families and soldiers,” said Hort.
It will mark the fourth deployment, including a six- month stint in Afghanistan, for Nicholas Altreche, a chief warrant officer 2.
“I don’t like it, but it’s what he does,” said his wife, Shawna, while eating lunch with her family in an Army cafeteria. “I can’t wait for him to retire in four years.”
Altreche, an artillery engineer, said, “It’s been a little challenging. But I’ve got some great kids and a great wife.”
