28-03-2025
Fort Cavazos Celebrates Soldiers Return with Uncasing Ceremony
FORT CAVAZOS, Texas (FOX 44) — A sense of pride and excitement filled the air today as Fort Cavazos held an uncasing ceremony to mark the completion of the First Cavalry Division's 10-month deployment to Europe. Despite the rain, the ceremony drew an enthusiastic crowd of friends, family, and military leaders from across Fort Cavazos, eager to welcome the soldiers back home.
Commanding General of the First Cavalry Division, Major General Tom Feltey, emphasized the significance of the event, stating that the ceremony symbolized their return to their home station after an extensive rotation to Europe in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.
'It symbolizes our return back to our home station. So what happened when we left Europe is we actually cased our colors as we turned over responsibility to the First Armored Division, another Texas-based unit out in El Paso, Texas. So we cased our colors and then we carried them until we came back here,' Feltey explained.
The four brigades and division heads deployed to Europe in the spring of 2024. Throughout the deployment, the division maintained combat readiness through various training exercises.
General Feltey emphasized the importance of their mission and the strong bond the soldiers formed with their international allies. 'All of our soldiers, whether they were engaging with local communities in Eastern Europe or working alongside different militaries, were representing the United States. It was an incredibly important mission, not only for us but for our allies,' Feltey said.
Division Training Officer Jared Ray shared his reflections on the deployment, acknowledging both the challenges and rewarding experiences of serving in the European Command area of operations.
'EUCOM was an extraordinarily busy place. And once I gained an understanding of it, it was interesting to see how all the connections went, how we synchronized the rhythm of how the units in Europe work,' Ray said.
While the deployment was undoubtedly tough, many soldiers, like Ray, expressed how staying in touch with family back home helped ease the strain of separation. Frequent FaceTime calls and phone conversations allowed service members and their families to maintain a sense of closeness despite the distance.
'This was our first deployment as a family… What I really appreciated was the Lancers and Iron Horse and First Brigade,' said Ray's wife, Fern. 'They definitely were focusing on family and let us communicate and stay in contact with each other. So we got to do some face time and then phone calls almost daily. So that was really nice,'
As the First Cavalry Division soldiers return to Fort Cavazos, their families are looking forward to reunion celebrations. Many are planning welcome-home parties to commemorate the return of their loved ones. Fern Ray, along with other families, expressed their excitement and joy at the thought of reuniting.
With the successful completion of their deployment, the First Cavalry Division is now back on U.S. soil, ready to continue its mission of protecting and defending the nation's interests.
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