As the Army celebrates its 250th birthday this month, Fort Stewart’s own 3rd Infantry Division honored its tradition and legacy Tuesday evening at Cottrell Field.
The 3rd ID held its annual twilight tattoo, complete with the 3rd ID band, a helicopter flyover and soldiers in replica uniforms from throughout the division’s service.
“It’s about honoring our division’s legacy, where we came from and where we’re at now and how we bridge the middle, honoring that sacrifice and honoring that grit,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Darrius Jackson, command sergeant major of the 3rd ID’s Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion. “It’s a great way to connect the community as well.”
Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie gave the oath of enlistment to several new recruits as part of the event the oath of reenlistment to nearly 90 current soldiers.
Maj. Gen. Norrie said the division’s soldiers don’t have to do what they are asked — they get to do it.
“This division is comprised of the most battle- hardened and trained units, both in history and present,” he said. “When our nation calls, this division resoundingly answers.”
While much of the public’s attention is geared toward stars and celebrities on red carpets, the soldiers of the 3rd ID are toiling in the mud, heat and in the dark of night without any fanfare, their commander added “There is no paparazzi for us and we wouldn’t want it any other way,” he said. “Our soldiers are not fancy but everyone of them are damn tough. They are a formidable adversary to any enemy who would dare challenge us.”
Maj. Gen. Norrie also noted that this twilight tattoo will be his last as 3rd ID commander, as his change of command is a few weeks away.
“We are deeply grateful for having the privilege of being here,” he said. “We are privileged to serve as the hammer for America’s XVIII Airborne Corps.”
The 3rd Infantry Division dates back to November 1917 at Camp Greene, North Carolina, formed as the U.S. entered World War I.
The division earned its nickname Rock of the Marne for holding steadfast against a German offensive along France’s Marne River in 1918.
The 3rd ID served as one of the first U.S. forces to face the Germans in World War II as part of the landings in North Africa and later fought in Sicily, Italy, France and Germany.
A brigade of the division fought in Operation Desert Storm and the division’s assault on Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom helped lead to the fall of the Iraqi capital and its regime in 2003. The division and its units subsequently served several rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
No division in the Army has had more Medal of Honor recipients than the 3rd ID.
What makes the 3rd ID different, Command Sgt. Maj. Jackson said, was simple.
“First of all,” he said, “we are the best. If you want to break a nation, you send the 3rd ID. Although we are part of the XVIII Airborne Corps, we are the only armored division in that corps to be able to deploy as quickly as possible and seize an objective quicker than the rest of our sister divisions.” The week includes sporting events and competitions between units and talks to the units from past division leaders.
“This is the Army’s 250th birthday, but we do this every single year, and the Marne Division does it with energy every time we’re involved,” Command Sgt. Maj. Jackson said.
