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82nd Airborne Division Soldiers Receive Combat Badges

Various combat badges were awarded here yesterday to Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division who have faced enemy contact in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Ten Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment from Fort Bragg, NC, and two Soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment from Fort Hood, Texas, received the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB), the Combat Action Badge (CAB), and Combat Medical Badge (CMB) in a ceremony at Forward Operating Base Brassfield-Mora.

The CIB is awarded to infantrymen who have faced the enemy in combat. The CAB is awarded to Soldiers in support positions, such as truck drivers, who have engaged in enemy contact. The CMB is designated for Soldiers who are medics, and have performed life-saving procedures while in combat situations.

"There's no doubt in my mind that this group of [Soldiers] is top-notch," said Command Sgt. Maj. Brent Hagel-Pitt, the command sergeant major for 2-505th PIR. "They're just Soldiers doing what they're good at. The least we can do is reward them for that."

Col. Bryan Owens, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division commander, presented each of the Soldiers their badge.

"I am very proud of all of you and of what you do here day in and day out," Owens said.