Military

CEREMONY WELCOMES V CORPS' 3RD CORPS SUPPORT COMMAND BACK FROM MASSIVE MISSION IN IRAQ

V Corps Release

Release Date: 5/3/2004

By Spc. Christopher Fincham 3rd Corps Support Command Public Affairs Office

WIESBADEN ARMY AIRFIELD, Germany -- Soldiers, families, friends as well as German leaders gathered in front of the headquarters of V Corps' 3rd Corps Support Command here April 29 to welcome the COSCOM home from its year deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and honor its service in Southwest Asia.

Following the uncasing of the COSCOM colors as a symbol of the unit's return, Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, acting V Corps commander, praised the dedication of the Army's largest corps support command.

The Soldiers did their duty exceptionally, Wojdakowski remarked, in an unforgiving environment and surrounded by constant danger.

"This is truly one of the most professional and respected units in the Army and we in V Corps are extremely proud to have them a part of our corps," he said.

Brig. Gen. Vincent E. Boles, the COSCOM commander, put the unit's year deployed in perspective by pointing out that, "in Germany the 3rd COSCOM consists of 4,000 Soldiers operating in an area the size of Connecticut. In Operation Iraqi Freedom, 3rd COSCOM grew to over 16,000 Soldiers operating in an area larger than the state of California."

During deployment, COSCOM Soldiers supported the 150,000-Soldier coalition by providing water, repair parts, fuel and ammunition throughout the theater of operations over a road network of more than 3,000 miles.

The numbers are astounding, Boles said, but none of the command's missions could have been done individually.

"While the measure of our success could be found in statistics that stagger the imagination, the essence of our success was found in each Soldier's contribution every day," said Boles. "Our legacy was built one Soldier at a time, one mile at a time, one gallon at a time, one work order at a time, one toolbox at a time - a band of brothers and sisters, forged into disciplined units that stepped up and flourished until we were one COSCOM, one heartbeat, one team."

With that in mind, the day not only enabled everyone to pay tribute to the Soldiers who deployed, but served as an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge the family members, loved ones and community service personnel who supported the command at home during deployment. Boles called that support "the Soldiers' secret weapons."

"Just as no COSCOM in our Army's history was asked to meet and master these challenges, no families and those left behind had been so challenged," he. "They did not wring their hands. They rolled up their sleeves and did what needed to be done.and showed us the true meaning of (3rd COSCOM's) motto, 'Sustaining the Line.'"