Soldiers with1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, speak with Vietnam veterans during a static display on Fort Carson June 16, 2016. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo)
By Staff Sgt. Nancy Lugo
1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team Public Affairs Office, 4th Infantry Division
Army veterans from a time gone by visited Soldiers with the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, June 16, 2016, as part of their annual reunion.
The brigade hosted Vietnam veterans from Company C, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 4th Inf. Div. The battalion was reflagged in 2014 as 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 1st SBCT, 4th Inf. Div.
For a leader currently in the unit, the visit was an opportunity to learn more about the history of the unit and its Soldiers.
“I am in 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, now but I used to be in 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment,” said Sgt. 1st Class Samuel John Fuller, scout platoon sergeant, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg. “Within each unit you learn about the lineage; we heard a lot about Vietnam so it was awesome to be able to see and speak with these guys.”
Soldiers of 1st Bn. 22nd Inf. Reg., served in Vietnam from 1966-1972. During that time, 12 Soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor, 10 posthumously.
Retired Spc. Charlie Shyab, the senior medic in Company C, 1st Bn., 22nd Inf. Reg., during its tour in Vietnam, said reuniting and talking with his former battle buddies has helped him in many ways.
“It was a life-changer meeting this group,” said Shyab. “For many of us, coming together provides us a chance to heal.”
Shyab was awarded the Bronze Star with V device for his actions during the battle of Chu Moor Mountain in 1968.
In the process of showing the Vietnam veterans some of the equipment on display, one Soldier learned he had a lot in common with the veterans.
“I think they are 40-plus years older than us,” said Sgt. Matthew Callens, scout team sergeant, HHC, 4th Bn., 9th Inf. Reg. “But you see the same mentality in them as Soldiers today, and that’s pretty neat.”