150 Fort Bliss Warrior Transition Wounded to join 4,000 in parade

Parade marks return of Fort Bliss units from Iraq
By Chris Roberts / El Paso Times
Article Launched: 02/25/2008 12:00:00 AM MST

When Mayor John Cook returned from the Vietnam War in early 1970, one of the protesters who greeted his bus pelted him with an egg.

"I just wanted to do a better job," Cook said, explaining why he decided to welcome Fort Bliss soldiers home from overseas with a parade. "The entire El Paso community has really stepped up to the plate and people have said that the (4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division) is symbolic of all the soldiers that have served."

On Wednesday, when thousands of 4-1 Cavalry soldiers march through El Paso's streets during the Welcome Home Heroes Parade, they will be accompanied by 31 riderless horses -- empty boots backward in the stirrups -- representing cavalry soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq. The horses are being provided by the El Paso County Sheriff's Posse, Cook said.

Also being honored are the air defenders of the 3rd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, 11th ADA Brigade, who also returned recently from the Middle East.

Most of the cavalry brigade was operating in Iraq's northwestern Nineveh Province. However, some of the soldiers also served in Baghdad. They left in late 2006 and, after 14 months, the last soldiers returned the day before Christmas. Some 150 wounded soldiers in the Fort Bliss Warrior Transition Unit also will participate in the parade.

The 3-43 ADA soldiers recently completed the longest tour of duty for a Patriot missile unit in the Army's history. Some of the air defenders spent 17 months in the Middle


East, including the countries of Kuwait and Qatar. The 3-43 ADA soldiers suffered no loss of life or serious injuries.

Details of the 3-43 ADA's mission have not been available due to the sensitivity of that information, but Patriot batteries generally protect ground assets that include troop concentrations, headquarters, motor pools and ammunition depots. Their deployment was moved up to coincide with President Bush's surge of troops into Baghdad.

About 4,000 soldiers will participate in the parade.

Col. Stephen M. Twitty, 4-1 Cavalry commander and Command Sgt. Maj. Stephan Frennier will lead the cavalry soldiers.
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