Mid January!

Well we are mid January and as Sarah mentioned, Rory has passed his one year mark with the Army. Only 12 more months to go! Congrats Ror!

The guys in 2-17 recently had a Purple Heart and Combat Patch ceremony. All of 2ID wears the patch on the left soldier to signify their unit, but now they also wear it on their right to signify their service during conflict. Here is a bit more about the Combat Patch that Rory was awarded during the last week of December (taken from the DesertStrike page):

The patches, officially called Shoulder Sleeve Insignia, Former Wartime Service, are authorized for units who serve in hostile fire zones. 2nd BCT Soldiers may now wear the 2nd Infantry Division unit patch on their right shoulder to indicate they served with 2nd Infantry Division in Iraq.
This is the first time since the Korean War that Soldiers permanently assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea have deployed to a hostile area and were awarded the combat patch. Third Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division earned its division combat patch last year, but that unit of the division is stationed at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Units of the brigade, although they have not seen combat prior to this deployment since World War II, have a long combat history. 2nd Battalion, 17th Field Artillery also has a combat history dating to World War I, where the unit fired in support of 2nd Infantry Division. Often decorated for combat efficiency and performance in the heat of battle, the unit permanently rejoined the 2nd Infantry Division in 1996.

You can see some pictures of this ceremony by clicking here. Rory isn't in any of them, but it's cool to see what he experienced!