5th Bde., 2nd Inf. welcomed with open arms

More than 270 members of brigade return home

Sgt. 1st Class Raymond Piper/I Corps Public Affairs

With the command of “Dismissed” from 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Commander Col. Harry D. Tunnell, the families and friends of the brigade’s Soldiers wasted no time in rushing to welcome them home.

More than 270 members of the brigade arrived July 13 at Wilson Sports and Fitness Center on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Lewis North after serving 12 months in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Canadian BGen Eric G. Tremblay, I Corps chief of staff, told the gathered Soldiers to be proud of what they accomplished during their deployment.

“You have made a difference to the Afghan and the American people,” Tremblay said. “We are all proud of you.”

For Pfc. Shawn Smith, a 5-2 Soldier, it was a great feeling to be home and reunited with his 18-month-old daughter.

The brigade deployed in July 2009 to Afghanistan and was headquartered in Kandahar.

The brigade officially took up its duties on Aug. 9, 2009, and supported the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force operations throughout southern Afghanistan, where the terrain closely mirrors conditions in Iraq.

Multiple Stryker brigades have deployed to Iraq and have earned a reputation for being able to move fast through dense urban areas, as well as Iraq’s vast desert frontier, while engaging the enemy.

Soldiers from 5-2, originally slated to deploy to Iraq, became the first Stryker brigade to see combat in Afghanistan and were part of the troop surge ordered by President Barack Obama. The brigade was activated May 4, 2007, and was the Army’s fourth Stryker brigade to be created and trained here as part of the Army’s transformation.

Stryker brigades are named for the fast, eight-wheeled, high-tech infantry carriers designed and tested at Fort Lewis for 21st Century warfare. The brigades were created to fill the need for light-but-lethal units and tactics as an alternative to the heavier combat units used during the Cold War.

The brigade began redeploying from Afghanistan in the third week of the June, and most of its more than 3,800 Soldiers have returned home.