Wednesday, June 4, 2003
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Wednesday, June 4, 2003 |
Fayette resident receives Army promotion in Iraqi palaceWhen you belong to an organization that has been part of the United States military for 227 years, it is a challenge to forge new paths or to find new ways to be "first." Last week, Peachtree City's Lt. Col. Mark Held, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, led the way by becoming the first army officer to be frocked as a colonel in an Iraqi presidential palace. Maj. Gen. Carl A. Strock, the interim Baghdad city administrator and director of military programs at USACE headquarters, pinned the eagles on the Held's collar. The newly promoted colonel thanked Strock for making history by conducting the first officer promotion in the palace on the banks of the Tigris River. Held said that he wished his family could have joined him for the "most important promotion in my military career." The newly promoted colonel also thanked his boss, Brig. Gen. Peter T. Madsen, the commander of South Atlantic Division in Atlanta, his wife for her support throughout his career, his family, his friends, and his forward engineer support team in Iraq. The historic occasion held a special meaning to the new colonel. "What could be better than to be promoted in the former home of the Republican Guard," he said, "It is my personal strike against terrorism." The Louisville native misses his wife, daughters and son in Peachtree City and shared a tidbit from a recent morale phone conversation with his seven year old son. Matt told his dad to "hurry up and get safe ... out from under that rock." Matt, may not understand that his dad is in Iraq, but does understand that dad has a difficult job as commander of the USACE Iraqi Reconstruction Office another first for the colonel.
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