(U.S. Army Photo)
The 10th Mountain Division: A Decade of War
Today marks the 10th Year anniversary of mobilizations for the 10th Mountain Division. On Sept. 23, 2001, reacting to the terrorist attacks earlier that month, Charlie Company of the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment was ordered to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., to guard sensitive materials.
What followed was ten years of deployments that have not only shape the lives of the soldiers involved, but it also changed New York’s North Country.
Earlier this month, the Watertown Daily Times ran a series of stories showing exactly what has changed for the region and the unit this past decade.
In reporting the series, I was able to talk to old soldiers, young soldiers, soldiers who joined after 9/11 and a soldier who barely remembers the terrorist attacks. I talked to amputees, soldiers dealing with the psychological wounds of war and their local medical providers, whose skills have evolved at a greater pace than their counterparts in civilian communities.
Here are the stories:
9/11 changed Fort Drum and the north country forever
10th Mountain has been on front line of war against terrorism (timeline)
Young soldiers grew up watching America at war
Prosthetics helping soldiers return to active lifestyle
IEDs remain the biggest threat to deployed soldiers
PTSD cases grow as combat continues for Fort Drum soldiers
Casualties of war: Fort Drum widows
After a ‘full nest,’ Fort Drum will almost empty in 2013
Some gave all: Names of the fallen 10th Mountain Division soldiers
