Military

JBER soldiers hold ceremony ahead of Afghanistan deployment

Soldiers from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson held a deployment ceremony Friday as part of their preparation to deploy to Afghanistan later this month. Under sunny skies, hundreds of soldiers, members of their families, Gov. Bill Walker, Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz, state Rep. Dan Saddler and U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan were there to celebrate the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, or 4/25th as they are more commonly referred to.

Sullivan spoke to the soldiers, reminding them that when the Pentagon recommended they be disbanded two years ago, they proved themselves worthy of saving.

"They're the best-trained division in the army," said Sullivan.

Loren Holmes

Loren Holmes is a staff photojournalist at the Anchorage Daily News. Contact him at loren@adn.com.

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