ADN: 172nd to be largest Alaska deployment since Vietnam

Fort Rich's 4th Battalion enjoys calm before storm

By TATABOLINE BRANT
Anchorage Daily News

Hundreds of war-bound soldiers gathered in formation at Fort Richardson early Friday for an easy, five-mile run with their commander, who afterward released them on two weeks vacation -- their last big break before shipping out to a place where people like them sometimes die.

The 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, about 3,800 soldiers total, is slated to leave for Iraq in August in the biggest Army deployment out of Alaska since Vietnam.


Roughly 700 soldiers from the Fort Richardson-based battalion of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team build morale with a five-mile run on base early Friday. After the run, they were released for a two-week break, their last block leave before deployment to Iraq. The 3,800-strong brigade is also based at Fort Wainwright.

Semper Fi 172nd

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