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Patch Ceremony
By Spc. Bill Addison, 50IBCT/PA
“This day marks the beginning of the next chapter in the 50th Brigade’s history.” On a sunny April 16 at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pa., Col. Steven Ferrari gazed out upon the 2,850 Soldiers under his command who make up the recently formed 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT). The occasion marked Ferrari’s first chance to see his whole infantry brigade combat team in one place since its official transformation March 1 from an infantry brigade. The ceremony officially welcomed and affixed the leftshoulder patch of the 50th IBCT. “We are now a brigade combat team united by a left-shoulder patch,” said Ferrari as he addressed the newly minted 50th IBCT Soldiers. “This left-shoulder patch is our common bond now – we stand as one.” Maj. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth, The Adjutant General of the New Jersey National Guard, kicked off the ceremony by patching Ferrari, who in turn proceeded to patch his brigade command sergeant major and battalion commanders. “Today is truly historic and it’s a privilege for me to be part of it,” Rieth told the troops. “This is history and everything you do going forward is part of history.”
“All of the reports I’ve gotten back about the brigade is that it wasn’t just meeting the standard, it’s exceeding standard.” “This brigade combat team is off and running and there’s no question that whatever the nation asks of this BCT, you will fulfill the mission,” he added.
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(c) 2008 NJ Department of Military and Veterans Affairs http://www.nj.gov/military |