Pack it up, Pack it in

FORT HOOD – Four days after the first of its soldiers left Central Texas for Iraq, the 1st Cavalry Division's 4th Brigade Combat Team cased its colors. "We are ready – physically, mentally and emotionally," said Col. Philip F. Battaglia, the brigade's commander.
This deployment comes after the brigade's soldiers spent 18 months at home, including rotations to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., in November 2007 and the Joint Readiness Training Center in March 2008. Battaglia was in command for five months before leading the brigade to its first training center rotation.
The "Long Knife" brigade was part of the 4th Infantry Division and deployed with it to Iraq in late 2005. The soldiers received orders to return to Iraq in July 2006, according to information from the brigade. As part of a reorganization between Fort Hood, Fort Bliss and Fort Carson, the brigade re-flagged as a 1st Cavalry unit on March 7. The former 4th Infantry soldiers stayed at Fort Hood, but adopted the unit designations of the 1st Cavalry brigade, which transferred its colors from Fort Bliss. The unit flags that were cased during Wednesday's ceremony will be unfurled in Iraq when the unit officially assumes responsibility for the 82nd Airborne brigade.
"The next time our colors fly, we will be in combat," Battaglia said. The colonel then addressed the soldiers' loved ones, saying he knew they would endure difficult days during the deployment, and he tried to reassure them. "Your soldiers in this brigade are deploying with the best equipment, training and most knowledgeable leaders in today's Army," he said. He gave his absolute assurance that Fort Hood's partners in the local communities would take care of things at home. Maj. Gen. Daniel P. Bolger also paid tribute to the families during the ceremony, saying they were "truly the most distinguished guests." "You families are who we fight for," he said.