Welcome Home - 3rd ID
On Saturday, March 25, 2006, the Exchange Club of
Richmond Hill was proud to participate in a "Welcome Home" celebration
at Fort Stewart for the Third Infantry Division, The Rock of the Marne.
Most of the 3rd ID had just returned home to Fort
Stewart and Hunter AAF after a year participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom,
which was their second deployment to Iraq since 2004. The "Welcome Home"
celebration was well attended, with over 23,000 US Army personnel and their
families being honored. Our club operated a food booth, and cooked and
gave away over 600 hamburgers and hotdogs in about 2 1/2 hours. Our only regret
was that we didn't bring more food to prepare. The food booth was a joint effort with
The City of Richmond Hill, The Bryan County Chamber
of Commerce, and the Richmond Hill Lions Club, and was just one of many food
booths operated by local organizations from Hinesville, Richmond Hill, Savannah,
and surrounding communities. In the opinion of those members that participated,
this was one of the best activities we have ever been involved with, and we
intend to do this again in the future. As you may know, the 3rd ID is currently
being deployed for a third time to Iraq, with virtually the entire division to
be deployed by mid-2007. Plans are already being made for another welcome home
in 12 to 15 months. This type of activity is a way for our club to express our appreciation for
the military's service to our country, and the sacrifices made by them and their
families. They truly are "America's Finest".
Hoooah!
