21st TSC celebrates Army’s 229th birthday

Denise Calabria
21st Theater Support Command


***image1***The 21st Theater Support Command paid homage to the U.S. Army’s 229th birthday on Monday.
The logistical command, headquartered in Kaiserslautern, celebrated the day with a traditional formation ceremony, commemorative speech, and cake cutting on the parade field at Panzer Kaserne. During the ceremony, the Soldiers and civilians of the 21st TSC honored the memory of the late President Ronald Reagan, and remembered fallen military comrades with a Prisoner of War and those missing in action tribute.
Master Sgt. Frank Cervantes, of the 37th Transportation Command, a 21st TSC subordinate unit, served as Commander of Troops for the ceremony.
As Col. Richard Cline, 21st TSC chief of staff, addressed the gathering, he stated that, “… our valiant Soldiers have fought for our Nation and defended the cause of liberty. Our Army has proven itself on countless battlefields as freedom’s best friend and oppression’s worst foe.”
The Continental Congress established the U.S. Army in June 1775, over a year prior to the Declaration of Independence. Since then, the U.S. Army has played a vital role in the growth and development of our nation — from winning our country’s independence in a tough eight-year fight, to preserving the Union through the tortuous struggle of the Civil War, through the global conflicts of the 20th Century. Throughout its long history, American citizens drew great satisfaction from knowing that, whenever the nation was in need, their Army answered the call.
Cline also noted that it was during the Army’s birth month of June 1944, that our brave Soldiers stormed ashore at Normandy to begin the final thrust to liberate Western Europe.
Colonel Cline compared that commitment of 60 years ago – and the Army’s part of what it took to win a global war on fascism – to today’s Army’s relevance in waging our current global war on terrorism.
“Our Soldiers today find themselves in many frontline sectors. The news programs and headlines do not touch on all of them, but the Army’s Soldiers continue to put mission first and “Soldier on,” said Cline.
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