#Salute - #USArmy, New York luminaries to attend Fort Drum - TopicsExpress

#Salute - #USArmy, New York luminaries to attend Fort Drum ceremony marking end of Afghanistan combat role -- Several state and national dignitaries will be on post Monday afternoon as the 10th Mountain Division marks the close of its most recent deployment in Afghanistan. Scheduled to speak at the event is Army Secretary and north country native John M. McHugh. Other top dignitaries expected to attend are U.S. Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, and Rep.-elect Elise M. Stefanik. For about 10 months, the division’s headquarters served as the lead in Afghanistan’s Regional Command-East, working as advisers to Afghan military and police units in the area, as they helped protect events such as the country’s presidential elections. The division also closed 23 #American bases without any casualties. It was the fifth deployment to Afghanistan for the division headquarters. The division’s 10th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division also served in the region this year, clearing millions of pounds of equipment from the country and helping to close 60 supply areas. The division was one of the first to deploy to Afghanistan in 2001 to support Operation Enduring Freedom, which is coming to an end at the close of the year, to be replaced by mission Resolute Support.Currently, the division’s 1st and 2nd Brigades are in training cycles that will be completed by next spring, which would make them available for future missions. | Watertown Daily Times #news: watertowndailytimes/article/20141205/NEWS03/141209105 | U.S. Army Fort Drum & 10th Mountain Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, U.S. Army, #ArmyStrong, #Army, #FortDrum, #Afghanistan