CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE ADDER, Iraq –
Soldiers with Task Force 183, 2nd Squadron, 183rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Sustainment Brigade, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command from Portsmouth, Va., assumed command of the convoy escort mission in southern Iraq from Task Force Griz, 1st Combined Arms Battalion, 163rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Sust. Bde., from Belgrade, Mont., during a transfer of authority ceremony Aug. 28 at Contingency Operating Base Adder, Iraq.
According to Lt. Col. T.J. Hull, a Helena, Mont., native and the commander of Task Force Griz, his soldiers escorted millions of gallons of fuel and tens of thousands of tons of various commodities safely throughout Iraq. This was done while driving more than one million miles in MRAPs of all types,
“The Soldiers of Task Force Griz have set a high standard, and we will have to work hard to meet that standard,” said Lt. Col. William Korsen, a Virginia Beach, Va., native and the commander of Task Force 183.
The Soldiers of Task Force 183 come from all over Virginia. These citizen Soldiers are from various occupations to include police officers, lawyers, firemen, students, security guards and dock workers, just to name a few.
"Operation New Dawn has presented us with a myriad of both challenges and opportunity,” said Staff Sgt. Matthew Hughes, a Washington, D.C., native and the assistant convoy commander with 2nd Sqdn., 183rd Cav. Regt. “The professionalism and attention to detail extended from the [noncommissioned officers] of the 163rd has set us up for success. I look forward to overcoming new challenges and taking advantage of every possible opportunity for growth."