Fort Bragg paratroopers return from Afghanistan as national security landscape changes
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (WTVD) -- 1st Lt. Bernard Wheeler proudly carried his two-week old daughter, Brelyn across the Green Ramp hangar Monday afternoon.
No amount of Skyping or digital pictures had done the sleeping infant justice.
"When I saw her the first time it was okay, but now that I have her in my hand, it's amazing," Wheeler said beaming. "She's so sweet. She's just asleep right now, but she'll wake up and be able to play with me."
Wheeler was among the 100 soldiers from the 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment who made their way home to Fort Bragg Monday along with the battalion flag, in time for Thanksgiving.
"We were told a few times that we weren't going to make it, but we did," said 1st Lt. Jay Dawson, holding onto his fiance, Kirsten Czako.
"I've been waiting for him so long," Czako said, smiling from ear-to-ear. "I'm so happy to have him back."
They were the first to see combat in Operation Enduring Freedom, and they're among the last the leave Afghanistan.
They've performed a number of operations centered around intelligence surveillance, indigenous forces, and air support missions. Now all 1,630 504th soldiers are back home.
"Obviously to have everybody out of harm's way is first and foremost," said 1st Brigade Combat Team Commander, Col. Trevor Bredencamp. "To see the reunion with friends and family is always and incredible sight to see. It's always a great feeling when you step off the plane and you're back on American soil."
HAGEL, AN EXPANDED MISSION AND RETURN
As the paratroopers made their 18-hour flight home Monday, news of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's resignation spread across Washington. By 11:10 a.m., Hagel stood between President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden bidding farewell to the service he called "the greatest privilege" of his life.
At the same time, it is no secret Hagel and the administration's team of national security advisors often did not see eye-to-eye on how to handle a number of looming threats.
"Certainly Secretary Hagel has provided a significant level of leadership in a very complex world," said Bredenkamp. "But for us here in the 82nd Airborne Division, we will continue to prepare. We will continue to maintain our readiness regardless of who the secretary of defense is."
Bredenkamp noted the 504th role in Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2002 and the beginning of the mission, it was led by current ISAF commander, Maj. Gen. John Campbell. Between Iraq and Afghanistan, there have been seven deployments for the regiment.
"It is surreal to see it from its infancy to build up as large as it's been with as many soldiers from as many as 40 countries at one time, and then to be scaling back to the level we are now...it's really interesting, but there's a lot of instability out there still."
That instability led Obama to expand the role of U.S. troops who will remain in Afghanistan in 2015. Much of nearly 10,000 remaining troops are special operation soldiers who were authorized to perform limited counter-terrorism missions against Al Qaeda in the coming months.
Over the weekend, the president extended that authorization to include combat missions against the Taliban should they pose a threat to U.S. troops or aid Al Qaeda.
Bredenkamp said he does think about the probability of returning to Afghanistan.
"The history of the 82nd Airborne Division -- we're ready to jump, fight and win tonight -- so even though we've got soldiers re-deploying today, we've got soldiers in our brigade and really, 2nd Brigade Combat is on that global response force," Bredenkamp said. "They can have a thousand paratroopers in 18 hours ready to go. So we're always thinking about readiness and how do we maintain that to really give our leaders the best possible options given the uncertainty out there."
